Late Monday night, MLB put out word that they would be making a major announcement when it came to gaming. As someone who is currently in the year 2030 in his “Road To The Show” save on MLB The Show 18, my thoughts immediately went to video games. Then MLB announced its new partnership with MGM Resorts International and that’s when I realized that I really should have been dreaming a little bigger when it came to the “gaming” part of things.
MLB and MGM have entered into an interesting and inevitable partnership
Considering their history with gambling, it might seem strange that Major League Baseball has decided to enter into an agreement with MGM Resorts International. This was always going to happen, though.
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Anyways, this is a huge deal for baseball on multiple levels. For starters, one of the most interesting parts of this agreement is that MGM will have access to MLB’s statistical data. Despite the fact that baseball and various gambling venues have had a tenuous relationship over the years (to say the least), this means that MGM will likely use that data to set the betting lines and they’ll be at the forefront in that regard.
If using stats straight from MLB’s treasure trove of information itself isn’t enough, then the cash that MLB will be getting from MGM for this agreement should be enough to make sure that MGM will indeed be the place to go for gamblers if they want to bet on the games. They’ve done the same thing with the NBA and the NHL and it wouldn’t be a shock to see MGM eventually reach some sort of agreement with the NFL. MLB is just jumping on the train and realizing that getting a piece of the action is better than being left out in the cold in that regard.
So when you hear about baseball entering into an agreement with a gambling establishment, I’d imagine that your first thoughts after taking in the initial shock from the announcement was “What happens with Pete Rose now?” While this probably did stir up a bit of rumbling from the “Free Pete Rose” crowd, this probably changes nothing for him. It’s cool for you as a fan to bet on the game but it’s still not cool that he was betting on his own team as a manager. The more things change for baseball in very strange and interesting ways, the more things will ultimately stay the same.
- After signing Josh Donaldson, the Braves have entered into a short-term situation with very little risk but very high reward. It’s a very enviable spot for the club to be in, as Grant Brisbee pointed out.
- In Game 2 of the 2018 ALDS, Alex Bregman hit a home run off of Trevor Bauer to give the Astros a two-run lead in what eventually turned into a sweep. For some reason, Bauer decided to call out Bregman in a bit of fun on Twitter and Bregman made sure to remind him of what happened back in October.
- Even though Josh Donaldson may have displaced Johan Camargo as the starting third baseman in Atlanta, the Braves still may have big plans for Camargo going forward.
- Jesse Chavez said that if he wasn’t going to be pitching for the Cubs in 2019, he’d be “done.” The Texas Rangers gave him $8 million to keep on going.
- While Jesse Chavez is arriving in Arlington, Matt Moore will be leaving. His new destination is Detroit and he’ll be pitching for the Tigers in 2019.
- Madison Bumgarner is reportedly being shopped on the trade market. The crew over at McCovey Chronicles is wondering what the market is looking like for their star pitcher.
- Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs has bad news for Giants fans: In his opinion, the trade market isn’t exactly looking that good for any potential trade return Bumgarner.
- In weird trade rumors, the Mariners and Mets or Yankees could become partners in a potential trade centered around Robinson Cano. The folks over at Lookout Landing aren’t fans of this development!
- Andrew McCutchen is out there just waiting to be signed. Beyond the Box Score believes that any team who signs him will be happy with their investment.
- The Cardinals have been linked in trade rumors with Paul Goldschmidt for a while now. Since the Cardinals are obviously out on Donaldson, Viva El Birdos tried to put together a potential deal between the Diamondbacks and the Cardinals.
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