The Super Bowl is over and spring is approaching, which means baseball season is near.
Pitchers and catchers have already begun trickling into camp while Opening Day is about a month-and-a-half away.
Everyone wants to know: Who’s going to win it all this year? We have the odds on that. Jump on these three futures bets for who will take home the World Series trophy.
Houston Astros (+600, BetRivers)
Why not the favorites?
As -200 favorites to win the American League West, the Astros — once again — have the easiest path in baseball toward winning their respective division, so it’s hard to imagine them not being in the mix come October.
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There also aren’t as many powerhouse teams in the AL as there are in the NL this season. No other team besides the Yankees has better than 15/1 odds to win the World Series. Houston’s path back to the Fall Classic is as clear as anyone’s.
They are more or less bringing back the same team this season, too. Justin Verlander left for the New York Mets, but the Astros have the depth to replace him.
Five starters from last year’s team, Jose Urquidy, Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia, are returning this season. Top prospect Hunter Brown, who posted a 0.89 ERA in 20 ⅓ innings last year, gives them at least six above-average starters.
They also added to their already-deep lineup by bringing in Jose Abreu, who will serve as the team’s designated hitter.
The odds aren’t as enticing as other teams, but this might be the smartest bet of all.
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San Diego Padres (+1,000, PointsBet)
The Padres took a huge step forward last season, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games during the NLCS.
And now, they’re adding two MVP-caliber players to an already deep lineup with the addition of Fernando Tatis Jr., who is expected to return from a PED suspension in late April, and Xander Boegarts, who signed with San Diego for 11 years, $280 million this offseason.
Those two, along with Manny Machado and Juan Soto, will form one of the most potent middle-of-the-orders in all of baseball.
There are some questions about the depth of their rotation, but their top three starters — Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish and Blake Snell — can match up with just about anyone in baseball.
They also have a much better shot at winning the National League West this year. FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus’ projection systems have the Padres closing the gap on the Dodgers in the division. After winning 111 games last year, Los Angeles let Trea Turner and Justin Turner walk in free agency. The team is seemingly taking a purposeful step back as they promote a collection of young prospects to the big leagues.
San Diego is dealing at the fourth-best odds in the Senior Circuit, but I think the Padres have as good of a shot as anyone to come out of the National League and win the title.
Baltimore Orioles (+10,000, FanDuel Sportsbook)
Baltimore was quietly one of the best teams in the American League during the second half of last season. From July 1 on, the Orioles had the fourth-best record in the AL and eighth-best record in baseball, finishing with an 83-79 record, thanks in large part to the debut of star rookie catcher Adley Rutschman.
Rutschman lived up to all the hype in 113 games last season, finishing second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting and 12th in the MVP race despite debuting in late May.
In Year 2 of Rutschman, there’s reason to believe he and his supporting cast will be even better.
Much of the Orioles roster, which was among the youngest in baseball, will be back this season. Shortstop/third baseman Gunnar Henderson, who played excellent during a short stint in the majors last season, is the favorite in the AL to win the Rookie of the Year. Starting pitcher and potential future ace Grayson Rodriguez is expected to make his debut this season.
Baltimore may be a year or two away from truly competing for a World Series trophy, but we’ve seen a few young teams make big leaps ahead of schedule in recent years. The young 2015 Cubs won 97 games and lost in the NLCS despite losing 89 the year before. Last year’s surprising Guardians, baseball’s youngest team, won the AL Central.
The talent is there for these Orioles – it’s just a matter of if they’re ready yet. These odds — compared to the +6,000 odds found at a couple other sportsbooks— are long enough for a massive payout if you’re willing to throw a few bucks on potential.
