Tigers go from long shots to among betting favorites entering playoffs

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Tigers didn't act like a franchise poised to make a playoff run when the trade deadline arrived.

Detroit dealt pitcher Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers, outfielder Mark Canha to San Francisco reliever Andrew Chafin and catcher Carson Kelly to Texas.

At 52-57, the Tigers looked to the future and their long-shot betting odds for this season reflected that thinking. One Caesars Entertainment bettor in Michigan, however, had a different idea, betting the Tigers at 500-1 odds to win the World Series.

As in this year.

That wager doesn't look nearly as foolish now. The Tigers have made an improbable run to the postseason and will Houston in a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting Tuesday.

“They're definitely a danger in any short series, so I wouldn't count them out at all,” Caesars lead baseball trader Eric Biggio said.

BetMGM Sportsbook also had the Tigers at 500-1 before they went on their run.

“They were trading pieces away,” BetMGM trading strategy manager Halvor Egeland said. “Most people thought that they should trade (Tarik) Skubal away and they obviously made the right decision.”

Skubal won the AL pitching Triple Crown, leading in wins (18), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (228).

BetMGM lists the Tigers at 28-1 to win the World Series. Definitely lower than 500-1.

The expanded baseball playoffs have been more of a crapshoot in recent years.

Texas won an all-wild card World Series last year in five games. Philadelphia advanced to the World Series out of a wild-card spot on 2022 before a six-game loss to Houston. And in 2019, wild-card Washington beat the Astros in Game 7.

So it's little surprise that bettors are looking for more value, especially given there is no apparent super team. For the first time since 2014, no team won 100 games.

“Our top-five biggest liabilities are all wild-card teams,” Egeland said. “Some of them aren't the most bet, but they have these big plus-odds. The trend in recent years, these wild-card teams making a run to the World Series, it's standing out to bettors. You're seeing this big plus-money and teams that are hot.”

Even so, Egeland said BetMGM was taking more of a wait-and-see attitude before adjusting prices.

Biggio said he's seen a similar trend at Caesars, with San Diego in particular drawing notable action when the Padres were at about 21-1, dropping them to 11-1. San Diego plays the Atlanta Braves, which split with the New York Mets on Monday and enabled both teams to make the postseason as wild cards.

Even with so much attention on the underdogs, the New York Yankees and Dodgers still tend to draw the betting action, especially with casual bettors.

They're the top-seeded teams in their respective leagues and have first-round byes along with Cleveland and the Phillies.

“That would be great for handle if we were to have that World Series,” Biggio said. “If it turns out to be the case this year that the favorites advance, that would be fine with us.”

Three teams are nearly even favorites at BetMGM to win the championship — Dodgers at 13-4 and Yankees and Phillies each at 9-2.

The Astros usually are considered among the top contenders, having appeared in the World Series four times since 2017 with two titles.

But Houston's slow start this season put that club under the radar almost from the beginning, and bettors still aren't paying much attention. The Astros have 9-1 odds at BetMGM.

“I think they're in the ALCS every year, so I think it's worthy of a bet,” Egeland said. “But the public isn't there. If (betting was) legal in Texas, I have a feeling the Astros would be there in the top, but since we're not (in that state), it seems to trend more to the states we're in.”

The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani and the Yankees' Aaron Judge are the leading candidates to win MVP awards and the same applies to the postseason.

Ohtani is the 17-2 favorite at BetMGM to become the World Series MVP, and Judge is right behind at 25-2. Judge, however, is tied with the Phillies' Bryce Harper.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Aaron Judge waves to fans after the New York Yankees clinched the American League East title, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Austin Barnes (15) congratulates Shohei Ohtani (17) who crosses home plate after hitting a three-run home run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Anthony Molina in the sixth inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Houston Astros' Victor Caratini (17) is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a home run in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

The Detroit Tigers celebrate their AL wild card berth after the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Detroit Tigers' Kerry Carpenter celebrates his grand slam against the Chicago White Sox in the fifth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)