It’s never too early for online sportsbook sharps to ponder the 2010 World Series winner. It’s tough to handicap the candidates when free agency is just getting started but there’s one X-factor to watch closely: Roy Halladay.

It may seem strange to assume whoever gets Roy Halladay becomes the top World Series contender but, based on what his agents say, he’s only going to a team that already has decent World Series odds. Doc won’t be a Pittsburgh Pirate in 2010; he’ll be a Yankee or Red Sock or Angel or Dodger – part of a powerhouse franchise.

If the Red Sox added Roy Halladay to join Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, would Boston not immediately leapfrog the Yankees’ top three? Would he not make the Dodgers the team to beat in the National League? Would he not keep the Angels head and shoulders above the Rangers in the West? The Yankees would be hilariously unbeatable if they landed Doc – and, scarily enough, they seem to be the frontrunners right now.

There are plenty of free agent fish out there – John Lackey, Jason Bay and Matt Holliday lead the list. But no player has higher potential impact than Halladay. Keep a very close on where he lands and don’t be afraid to throw a bet on his new team when you make your 2010 sports picks.

If you’re making a World Series bet on Cole Hamels, it would be nice to know that the Phillies’ lefty could be counted on, because he certainly hasn’t been dependable in these playoffs. Hamels takes on Andy Pettitte in Saturday’s Game 3, and the winner gets a 2-1 lead in the Fall Classic.

Yankees vs Phillies odds – Saturday, October 31, 7:57 PM ET

Pettitte (2-0, 2.37) is 2-2 in seven career starts against the Phillies, posting 3.67 ERA, but he’s 1-0 in two starts in Philadelphia with a 0.75 ERA. He took a no-decision in a 5-4 New York win at home on May 23^rd and he was up and down during his seven innings of work, allowing four runs on five hits (including two homers) with five strikeouts and a pair of walks.

Hamels (1-1, 6.75) needs to get it together, as he was taken out after 4.1 innings of a 10-4 win over the Dodgers to clinch the ALCS. He held his own on May 24^th in New York when he squared off with the Yankees’ C.C. Sabathia to take a no-decision in a 4-3 extra-innings win, scattering a pair of runs on eight hits over six innings with five strikeouts. That was only his second start against the Yankees in his career, and he’s now 0-1 with a decent 2.77 ERA.

The Yankees are -123 favorites in your sportsbook on Saturday, and after splitting the first two in New York, this game takes on more importance as no one wants to be down 2-1. Hamels needs to find his form from last year’s Fall Classic as he was the MVP of the Phillies’ run. However, he’s struggled all season, while Pettitte keeps rolling at 37 years old.

World Series betting pick: New York -123

This year’s World Series betting odds will obviously depend heavily on the pitching of each team, and much was made about the New York Yankees’ decision to stick with a three-man rotation of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte. How would the Phillies respond?

Philadelphia will also go with a three-man rotation, as Cliff Lee squares off against his former Cleveland teammate and fellow Cy Young winner Sabathia in Game 1, while last year’s World Series MVP Cole Hamels will go in Game 3 opposite Pettitte. But who will Burnett face? None other than Pedro Martinez, who has been on the other side of some epic battles with the Yankees while he was in Boston. It was only in 2004 that Martinez referred to the Yankees as his “daddy”, which sparked “Who’s your daddy” chants all over New York, and will no doubt be brought up again on Thursday. Martinez, however, is 11-11 in 32 starts against the Yankees, and he’s 8-4 with a 2.95 ERA in 16 starts in New York (at the old Yankee Stadium). His experience in these kind of situations gave Phillies coach Charlie Manuel enough faith that he would handle the New York crowd better than Hamels, who has had his problems this year, and Game 2 is a game you NEED to watch. New York’s rotation against their Philly counterparts will probably decide the Fall Classic.

When going to make your World Series bets for this year’s matchup between the New York Yankees and the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies, you know all about the main names: Sabathia, Lee, Jeter, Utley, A-Rod, Howard. But these teams will need some secondary help, and here are the ones we think will step up.

New York

Mark Teixiera – The $180 million man has struggled in the playoffs, batting .205 with a single homer and five RBIs. He had two hits and four RBIs in the last two games of the ALCS, so he could be coming on, and the Yankees would be unbeatable if he could match Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter’s production.

Joba Chamberlain – Teams shorten rotations in the playoffs, which means Chamberlain was pushed back to the bullpen. He’s allowed one run in 3.1 innings of work, and if he could continue to hold the opposition at bay, the Yankees’ World Series odds go up.

Philadelphia

Raul Ibanez – The 37-year-old fell off after a torrid start that had him mentioned in the MVP conversation, and some think Ibanez is hurt, possibly an old abdomen tear. So far, he’s hitting .226 in the playoffs with a homer and nine RBIs, which is a boost, but he needs to be much more consistent at the plate if the Phillies want to repeat.

Brad Lidge – As usual, the closer will have all eyes on him. Lidge had troubles in the second half, causing him to lose his job, but he’s been great in the postseason so far with three saves and only one hit allowed in four innings. If the Phillies have a lead, Lidge has to close it out, because you can’t give the Yankees too many chances to stay in a game.

All the talk in MLB World Series betting circles of late has been about Joe Girardi’s brilliance for using a three-man rotation of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte in the playoffs so far.

Hey, we have to hand it to the Yankees so far; the plan looks good. Starting C.C. Sabathia up to three times per series is a luxury every team wishes it could have; he also hasn’t tired yet. However, I’m still wondering if the lack of pitching depth could sink the Yankees in the end.

I’m not saying they should use four of their current available starters – Chad Gaudin and the discombobulated Joba Chamberlain simply aren’t playoff-ready – but you have to wonder if the Bronx Bombers should’ve acquired another starter at the trade deadline. Why? Because I’m not totally convinced that Burnett and Pettitte will be stalwarts for the whole World Series.

Pettitte has homer problems and now faces a team that can smash long-balls as well as anyone. Even lefty hitters Raul Ibanez and Chase Utley hit lefty pitchers better than righties.

Also, A.J. Burnett struggled on the road this season. In Game 5 of the ALCS, his first career road playoff start, he got rocked in the first inning. As he showed in his return start to Toronto last May, Burnett doesn’t handle hostile crowds too well, so what will happen when he visits Philly – arguably the toughest city for a road team to play in?

The Yankees have to hope C.C. leaves it all on the field, as I’m not so sure he’ll have a ton of help from his fellow pitchers.

When it comes to 2009 World Series betting, there are series prices, an overall winner, and of course, props. One of the props will be for the MVPs of each league before the Fall Classic kicks off, and with the matchups almost set, here are the top three choices.

American League

Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees – A-Rod has finally shaken off his tag of being a player who can’t come through in the playoffs, as he has five homers and nine RBIs in seven games. He’s finally looking relaxed on the ball field, and a relaxed A-Rod is the most dangerous hitter in the game.

Derek Jeter, New York Yankees – The captain is having another brilliant postseason with three homers and five RBIs, and he’s second on the Yankees with five walks. You couldn’t even begin to put a price tag on his leadership qualities.

C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees – Three starts, a 3-0 record and a 1.19 ERA for the $161 million man. And you know something? He’s worth every penny.

Pick: C.C. Sabathia

NLCS

Ryan Howard, Philadelphia – The big first baseman has a pair of home runs to go with 14 RBIs, which leads the majors in this postseason. Sure, he’s struck out in a quarter of his at-bats, but that’s Ryan Howard for you.

Cliff Lee, Philadelphia – Sabathia’s former teammate and Cleveland and a fellow Cy Young winner, Lee is 2-0 in three starts with a 0.74 ERA. He’s picking up the slack for last year’s World Series MVP, the struggling Cole Hamels.

Brad Lidge, Philadelphia – Much was made about Lidge’s second-half problems, but in four appearances, he is 1-0 with three saves with no runs allowed. He’s a longshot, but he deserves consideration.

Pick: Ryan Howard

Looking at current World Series odds, it’s almost time to cross the Dodgers and Angels off the list. We’ve seen crazy comebacks before – the 2004 Red Sox are the quintessential example – but the Dodgers and Angels both seem…broken mentally, don’t they? Chances are, we’ll see the Phillies and Yankees clash next week. Why not make a preliminary pick?

Offensively, neither team would have an edge, would it? They rank first and second in the majors in homers. There’s hardly an easy out in either lineup. Damon and Jeter, meet Rollins and Victorino. A-Rod and Teixeira, meet Utley and Howard. Matsui and Cano, meet Ibanez and Werth. The List goes on.

You could argue the very bottom of the order is stronger for the Yanks – Posada and Swisher are tougher outs than Feliz and Ruiz – but Philly’s baserunning advantage makes it all roughly even.

Pitching wise, the Yanks’ three-man rotation is working wonders so far. If C.C. Sabathia has the energy to start Games 1, 4 and 7 of the World Series, the Yanks will be formidable. Overall, though, the Phillies have the edge. They can match the Yankees’ aces, Sabathia and Burnett, with Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee. They can also throw Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ, Pedro Martinez and Jamie Moyer out there, whether it’s for a start or for crucial long relief in an extended game (and we’ve seen plenty of those in these playoffs).

The bullpen edge clearly goes to the Yanks. They have Mariano Rivera and, believe it or not, Brad Lidge is ofer on save tries against the Yankees in his career (0/3).

In the end, I see the Phillies edging the Yankees in a classic series that probably goes seven games. Philly’s youth and depth, especially in the starting rotation, will shine through.

World Series odds have had the New York Yankees as the favorites all year long, and now they’re almost to their destination: the Fall Classic. By Wednesday morning, they could very well be up 3-1 heading into Game 5. How are they doing it? Here are the three players that are leading the way.

1) C.C. Sabathia

Much was made about Sabathia’s massive contract, but the burly southpaw has quieted the critics, winning an AL-leading 19 games in the regular season, and he’s been a beast in the postseason. In his first two starts ahead of Game 4 on Tuesday, Sabathia had gone 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA. Sounds like a good investment to me.

2) A-Rod

Speaking of massive contracts, Alex Rodriguez (aka Mr. $252 million) is wrapping up an insane year filled with steroid admissions with the best postseason performance of his career. A-Rod has four homers and nine RBIs with a .348 average in his six games, looking to finally knock the monkey off his back of not coming up big in the playoffs. What’s more than the numbers, is that A-Rod is delivering in clutch situations.

3) The Captain

What would a postseason run be without Jeter proving that he’s one of the best Yankees to ever wear the pinstripes? Jeter has three homers and five RBIs with a .308 average and is proving to be a great counterpart to A-Rod’s power. And you can never doubt his presence in the clubhouse.

The 2009 World Series odds are almost upon and while the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels duke it out in the American League matchup, the Philadelphia Phillies are ready to defend their crown since the Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t prove to be much of a challenge.

The Phillies have been outstanding from top to bottom in these playoffs and it’s really tough to see them losing at this point.

In their starting rotation, they have lefties Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee, both of whom have been fantastic. Lee especially has been a great addition and a lot of fans were wondering if the Phillies had made a mistake when they left a deal for Roy Halladay on the table and opted for Lee. The answer to that question has been an emphatic no. Beyond the top two, Pedro Martinez and Joe Blanton have pitched well and the J.A. Happ has been steady in the bullpen.

Speaking of the bullpen, Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge, who were question marks heading into the playoffs, have been confident and effective.

Beyond that, the Phillies batting order has been fantastic. Their big guns have been exactly that as players like Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Jason Werth have been fantastic.

When you mix in the Phillies deep bench with good power hits, speedy base runners and solid defensive substitutions and you have a very complete team. The Philllies will have a very good chance to repeat this year.

MLB World Series odds were strong for each of the four remaining playoff teams – the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels – entering the final four. After all, each team was a division winner playing in a big baseball market.

One possible World Series permutation that had West Coasters excited was the Battle of L.A. (or, California) between the Dodgers and Angels. However, with each team trailing in its League Championship Series, that dream is fading. Who has a better chance to make the Fall Classic?

The Dodgers are in big trouble – especially because the very weaknesses everyone worried about entering the series have been exposed. We knew the Dodgers are a defensively sound, speedy team with good overall hitting and a great bullpen. We also knew they had poor pitching depth compared to the Phillies. The Dodgers’ third starter is Vicente Padilla; the Phillies’ sixth starter would be Jamie Moyer. The Phillies are just so much deeper. Worse yet, L.A.’s reliable relief pitching is even starting to falter, as Jonathan Broxton blew the save in Game 4.

The Angels have their work cut out for them too, of course, playing against the powerful New York Yankees. There simply isn’t an easy out in the Yankees rotation, so no Angels starter has it easy. Things are especially tough when the Yanks send C.C. Sabathia to the mound on top of their powerhouse offense; it’s almost unfair.

I still think the Angels’ prospects are better, though. People forget that they joined the Yankees in the MLB top two in runs, average and hits. Their bats can keep pace with New York’s for the most part. The Angels also have the deeper pitching staff; whereas the Yankees risk tiring out Sabathia by starting him for the second time in four games, the Angels go to a fresh Scott Kazmir, who historically kills the Yankees.

Ultimately, I don’t like either L.A. team’s chances to reach the World Series now but, if I have to pick one, the Angels are better positioned to make a run at the big dance.