Las Vegas Dice

With pitchers set to report to spring training camps in Florida and Arizona later this week, it’s time to start the Major League Baseball team-by-team previews here at Bovada and we start at the bottom: the Houston Astros. Will they contend for the NL Central title or a playoff spot? It would be a miracle. Houston is 100/1 on Bovada’s baseball futures odds to win the 2012 World Series.

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It’s the final season in the National League for Houston, which was sold over the offseason and will head to the American League West next season. It’s a complete rebuild in Houston. Last year for the first time in team history, the Astros lost more than a 100 games. They finished 56-106, becoming the first major league team to lose 106 or more games since the 2005 Royals.

And at least that team had Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence, two pretty good players, for a few months. But both outfielders were dealt at the trading deadline. Now the only player you might recognize in the everyday lineup is vastly overpaid Carlos Lee, whom the team would love to trade. He could be attractive to an AL team around this year’s deadline as Lee is in the final year of his contract.

Houston also would love to trade its two top starting pitchers in Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers but hasn’t found much interest of yet. The Astros also have to find a new closer after they tradedMark Melancon to Boston this offseason for shortstop Jed Lowrie and pitcher Kyle Weiland. In giving up Melancon, the Astros dealt arguably their top relief pitcher whom they acquired in theLance Berkman trade with the Yankees. The right-hander took over the closer’s job from an injuredBrandon Lyon last year and for the season had a 2.78 ERA with 20 saves.

Lyon and David Carpenter are the leading candidates to close this year. Lyon had an 11.48 ERA in just 15 games of an injury-plagued 2011. Lowrie will start from Day 1 at shortstop, while Weiland will have a shot at making the rotation.

Houston opens the season April 6 vs. Colorado.

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