Which Major League Baseball teams have the best odds to win AL and NL Pennants?
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We are winding down the Major League Baseball regular season, which means that we will see the postseason starting very soon.
In fact, the two Wild Card games are slated for Tuesday, Oct. 5 (American League WC, ESPN and fubo.TV) and Wednesday, Oct. 6 (National League WC, TBS). There is still a very real possibility that there will need to be a tiebreaker game Monday (and maybe Tuesday as well; the AL race is tight). The AL Division Series are both scheduled to start on Thursday, Oct. 7, with the NLDS series beginning the next day.
So, with some of the matchups all set, which teams are the favorites to win each pennant?
Would your thoughts change if the Los Angeles Dodgers can’t catch the San Francisco Giants to win the NL West, pushing the defending World Series champs into a one-game Wild Card game against the hottest team on the planet, the St. Louis Cardinals?
And of course, the AL Wild Card race will go to the final day.
So here is a look at the odds to win each pennant first, then the overall winner, with some thoughts on how to bet the futures.
American League Pennant Futures Odds
(All odds listed as of Sept. 28)
Houston Astros, +225
Tampa Bay Rays, +250
Chicago White Sox, +350
New York Yankees, +750
Boston Red Sox, +850
Toronto Blue Jays, +1200
Seattle Mariners, +3500
Last season, the Rays and Astros both got through the expanded eight-team playoff bracket to meet in the ALCS, and it was Tampa Bay that ultimately won Game 7 to win its second AL Pennant in team history. Those two teams are going to have home field in the ALDS, but both will have to navigate tricky series with some good teams. The team that comes out of the Wild Card is going to have basically run the gauntlet to even get to the Rays. There is value all over, but only one team can win.
The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays +250
National League Pennant Futures Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers, +160
San Francisco Giants, +275
Milwaukee Brewers, +300
Atlanta Braves, +800
St Louis Cardinals, +1100
Philadelphia Phillies, +2200
The Phillies are probably going to come up short in the NL East, leaving the other five teams in the playoffs. Now, this is where it gets tricky: are you willing to back the Dodgers at those short odds, knowing if they don’t catch the Giants in the NL West, LA is in a one-game Wild Card against the Cardinals (who at the time of writing had won 16 in a row). Same thing with the Giants: if the Dodgers do get in, they will face San Fran in a heated series, and you would have to favor the defending champions at that point.
Maybe the safest play would be to take the Brewers, but at odds of +300, are they worth backing?
You might be better off waiting to see how everything plays out in the Wild Card game first, then wagering: you aren’t going to lose too much value.
The Pick: LA Dodgers (if they get to ALDS)/San Francisco Giants (if St. Louis gets to ALDS)
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