Juan Soto – New Hero in Pinstripes – December 8

Juan Soto will be putting on pinstripes and become a New York Yankee in 2024. The Yankees, who finished 82-80 and did not make the postseason, have taken an “in it to win it” approach to the offseason in preparation for 2024. Juan Soto was just one of three left-handed hitting outfielders that the Yankees acquired in a 24-hour period.

The MLB winter meetings were held earlier this week and as soon as they ended, Yankees GM Brian Cashman got to work. New York traded for Boston OF Alex Verdugo who hit .264 with 13 homers and 54 RBIs last season. Then, Cashman worked out the deal to bring Juan Soto to New York. The Padres sent OF Trent Grisham with Soto in exchange for four right-handed pitchers and catcher Kyle Higashioka. 

Why the Yankees Had to Have Juan Soto

So, the Yankees get three left-handed hitters and among them one of the top-5 hitters in baseball. Last season, Juan Soto hit .275, 35 home runs, and drove in 109 runs. He’s a career .284 hitter and a three-time All-Star. His addition will make navigating the Yankees lineup very difficult for opposing pitchers.

Last season, the Yankees finished 25th in MLB in runs scored. Only five teams scored fewer runs. Adding Juan Soto to a lineup that includes sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton is a huge bonus. Don’t forget 1B Anthony Rizzo and 2B Gleyber Torres. Even D.J. LeMahieu is a tough out. One of the Yankees biggest issues was not having enough quality left-handed hitters. Juan Soto changes that and that is why the Yankees had to have him. 

Juan Soto Not the Only MLB News

While the Juan Soto trade is huge MLB news, it’s not the only thing going on in baseball. The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes continue. Much of what is happening with the two-time AL MVP is shrouded in secrecy. We do know this though. There are six teams that are the most likely destination for Ohtani: the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Angels, Cubs, Red Soxs, and Mets.

Ohtani isn’t the only international player in the news either. Fellow Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto has met with the New York Mets. Yamamoto is a right-handed pitcher who went 16-6 in Japan’s Pacific League. He recorded a ridiculous 1.21 ERA and struck out 169 batters in 164 innings.

Yamamoto is 70-29 in seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes. He is only 25 years old and is considered one of the best international pitching prospects of the last decade. The Mets signed Kodai Senga, another Japanese pitcher, last year and he finished as the runner-up in the NL Rookie of the Year race. Yamamoto is also being pursued by the Yankees. Juan Soto and Yamamoto could become teammates and take the Yankees back to the postseason. Last season was the first since 2016 that New York failed to make the playoffs.

Cappers Are Killing the NHL Books

Three of the top-5 handicappers on the SportsHub daily leaderboard from yesterday were our very own exclusive guys. Of the top-5 only one didn’t have at least one NHL pick. The other four combined to go 14-4 on their hockey picks and earn $996! That’s a heckuva day and that was just hockey.

The top-5 all earned at least $270 yesterday and 42 of the top 50 handicappers on the board won at least $100. As you go through the list, you’ll find tons of our own exclusive cappers like Sal Lombardi, Dan Jones, Sports Hub Insider, and many more. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. These handicappers are the big reason why you should have a Sports Hub membership. If you don’t, get one now. Your bankroll will thank you later.

Here’s yesterday’s leaderboard.

• Scott’s Picks: Scott went 5-1 and earned $416. He hit all three of his NHL picks, including the New York Islanders to cover the puckline against Columbus at +126 odds. With the wins, Scott is now up $1298 over the last 30 days and he’s the No. 1 NHL capper over the last seven days ($727).
• SH experts: A pair of our experts went 3-0 and won $300. Gino Russo nailed his only NHL pick – Red Wings and Sharks Over 6.5 – to give him winnings of $658 over the last seven days. For the month, Gino is up $1798. James Anderson was the only member of yesterday’s top-5 to not have an NHL pick. He did hit two CBB and one NBA pick. James is now up $530 for the week and $1124 for the month.
• Sports Investors: The Investors continue to roll with their approach to sports betting. It worked again last night as they hit on all three of their picks. All three were NHL predictions. SI won $300 which gives them $630 in winnings over the last seven days.
• Sean Kuchman: Sean was the final member of the top-5 yesterday. He made a total of 11 picks. All 11 were hockey picks. Sean went 7-4 and earned $270. 

Juan Soto, Jon Rahm, Pacers & LeBron

It was a big day for the New York Yankees as they picked up another superstar in Juan Soto. Of course, he is among the trending sports news. Golfer Jon Rahm made a huge decision yesterday and the Indiana Pacers surprised everyone in the NBA’s in-season tournament. So did LeBron James.

Here’s a look at what’s trending.

• Juan Soto to the Big Apple: We mentioned it already but Juan Soto was traded from San Diego to New York yesterday. Juan Soto and teammate Trent Grisham will join the Yankees and the Padres will get four right-handed pitchers and a catcher. 
• Pacers (again): The Pacers have been trending for a while here. Indiana leads the NBA in scoring. It seems like every night they are going out and putting up 130 points. They average 128.4. Last night, Indiana advanced to the NBA Cup final against the Lakers. Tyrese Halliburton had 27 points and 15 assists in a 128-119 win over Milwaukee.

• Golfer goes LIV: Jon Rahm has decided to leave the PGA Tour and join the LIV Golf League. Rahm faced some heat from fans but defended the move mainly for 300 million reasons. His contract with LIV is worth roughly $300 million.
• LeBron leads Lakers: Los Angeles started the 2023-24 season kind of slow, but the NBA in-season tournament was just what the Lakers needed to get going. They went 4-0 in group play and absolutely dismantled New Orleans last night to advance to the NBA Cup championship on Saturday. LeBron had 30 points and eight assists in a 133-89 win over the Pelicans.
• Patriots win: The New England Patriots found a map to the end zone and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-18. Head coach Bill Belichick needed that win to give the Pats some momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.

Find Value in Today’s Schedule

While it might not look like much, there are some diamonds in the rough in today’s sports schedule. If you can’t find them, I know who can. That would be our illustrious Sports Hub expert handicappers. There are nearly three dozen picks in our database already. There will be hundreds by this afternoon. If you are looking for wins, our guys have them. Sign up for that Sports Hub account and get access to their picks.

Here’s a look at today’s schedule.

1. 13-game NBA schedule: There are 13 games on tap tonight as the league prepares for the NBA Cup final tomorrow. Indiana will take on the Los Angeles Lakers at 8:30 p.m. in Las Vegas. Tonight, the Knicks and Celtics are the NBATV game and the Clippers and Jazz are featured on ESPN.
2. 3-game NHL schedule: Only three games are on the NHL schedule, but you can bet our cappers will be all over them. There are half a dozen NHL picks in the system already. Washington doesn’t play, but Alex Ovechkin became the fifth player to record 1500 points with one franchise last night.

3. Big league soccer: The best of the best around the world – La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A – all have matches on the schedule today. Our handicappers do have soccer picks in the system already for today’s matches. 
4. Another slow CBB night: The college basketball schedule is sparse as teams prepare for a big weekend. There are only 10 games on the schedule and none feature AP Top 25 ranked teams. 
5. World Champions Cup: Day 2 is underway already in Bradenton, Fla., with Europe in the lead. Europe won Thursday’s six-ball beating the US and the International teams.

Yes, it’s Friday and that means we’re closer to another weekend of football. Tomorrow, we get the greatest college football rivalry game ever – Army-Navy. Sunday, of course, is full of Week 14 NFL action. Stay tuned to Sports Hub for all of your sports betting needs this weekend. We’ve got you covered. See you back here tomorrow!