When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn The Major League Baseball season is more than a week old, but there are still plenty of betting opportunities in the futures market.
From the leading home run hitter in the American League and National League to baseball’s Most Valuable Player award, we scan the options and try to find value in baseball futures bets.
We’re striking while the iron’s still hot, so here are three strikes to consider when betting on MLB futures.
Strike 1: Damn the Yankees and bet the Birds
The New York Yankees are immensely popular with all the best MLB sportsbooks, and always relevant when talking about the top-tier baseball teams. Love them or hate them, the Yankees always draw big money to the betting windows.
Check out the best value on this market at Betonline.
We will use the public’s fascination with New York to enhance the value for our choice to win the American League East Division.
Baltimore Orioles +180 win the American League East
There is still considerable value on this futures bet. The Orioles’ chief rival in the AL East, the Yankees, won their first five games of the season – all on the road.
This brings two important variables into play: The public’s monetary interest in the Yankees, which drives New York’s price unreasonably high, and a continued confidence that the Yankees’ AL East favoritism is sustainable.
On the Orioles’ side is the fact they already proved their candidacy to win the AL East: Baltimore won the division last season with a 101-61 record and added the AL Cy Young favorite, Corbin Burnes, to an already-strong rotation that finished fifth in the league in ERA (3.89).
The Yankees? They’re coming off an 82-80 season. Can they make up 19 games on the young and improving Orioles?
Taking the plus-money wager on Baltimore seems like the right play, and it’s worth considering taking the Orioles to win the AL pennant at +500.
Strike 2: Evenly matched teams with an uneven set of odds
This is a bet on a team that is cruising under the radar of most public opinion. It’s a prime opportunity to jump on board before the secret escapes.
Cleveland Guardians +325 at Bovada win the AL Central
Similar to the Baltimore Orioles’ position, the Cleveland Guardians are not favored to take their division. That honor goes to the Minnesota Twins.
The odds, though, seem extreme. The Twins are -105 to the Guardians’ +325, and there’s just not enough of a talent disparity to justify those odds. Take a look at the options provided at Bovada.
Cleveland returns ace Tanner Bibee, who started 25 games last season to the tune of a 2.98 ERA, as well as co-ace Shane Bieber, who is coming off an injury rehab but has looked stellar in his two outings this season.
Throw in a strong innings-eater such as Logan Allen, and the Guardians look downright formidable.
This really does seem like a two-horse race, unless the Detroit Tigers grow up and find some magic in a hurry. The Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals are not yet ready to contend.
The Guardians were a top-five team in batting average last season, and with Jose Ramirez among baseball’s best hitters leading the way, offense should not be a problem.
The Twins have their ace, Pablo Lopez, and dependable Joe Ryan at the top of the rotation. Minnesota lost Sonny Gray to free agency in the offseason, though, and now rounds out its rotation with Bailey Ober, Louie Varland and Chris Paddack.
Coupled with the pedestrian offense that depends on the health of oft-injured Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis and aging Carlos Santana, those +100 odds seem even more wayward.
Lewis already suffered an injury in the Twins’ first game and will miss eight to 10 weeks.
Strike 3: Find a bank that pays almost 20% on your money
We took a long look at how to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers, and we’re still not sure how that could happen.
Los Angeles Dodgers -525 at Bovada to win the National League West
The Dodgers are the best team money can buy, especially with the smart moves the organization has made with regard to talent vs. affordability.
Yes, they paid a handsome figure for Shohei Ohtani, but they still have another leading contender for MVP: Mookie Betts.
The pitching staff needs Walker Buehler, slowly working his way back from injury, to be a big contributor during the second half of the season, but the early returns on offseason acquisitions Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are nothing short of spectacular.
Glasnow is a proven commodity and anchors a menacing rotation, while Yamamoto followed a nightmarish first start for LA with a sparkling five innings of shutout baseball.
Throw in young Bobby Miller and this team can afford to wait on Buehler.
With Betts leading a disciplined batting order – Ohtani had a pretty good season with the bat last year (44 home runs while hitting .304) – opposing pitching staffs will feel the grind every time out.
LA is simply the best team in the league and while -525 to win the NL West is a pretty steep price, if you grab it now you can sit back and watch your money work for you.
At least that’s the theory.
Conclusion
There are opportunities to take a chance and reach for a nice plus-money wager when considering your Major League Baseball futures bets for 2024. The Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Guardians should be no worse than equal bets against their respective division favorites, so we found some value in deciding to back these two.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a team without any gaping holes and know that the Arizona Diamondbacks are not to be taken lightly off the back of their World Series loss last season.
To that end, LA spent furiously in the offseason and now fields an improved, hungry contender worth considering at admittedly short odds that pay a less-than-20% return on your investment.
It’s never a sure thing, working out how to win betting on sports is hard, but this bet has every reason to turn out just fine.
References
- https://www.mlb.com/yankees (Yankees)
- https://www.espn.com/mlb/team/_/name/min/minnesota-twins (ESPN)
- https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/ (Dodgers)
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