Spring training is here and the players are shaking off the rust on the baseball diamond. We’re about a month away from Opening Day, so let’s take a run through the divisions and look at the odds in each one.
American League East
The New York Yankees are the clear-cut favorites at -150 with Boston not far behind at +150. The Yankees picked up Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Marlins while the Red Sox countered with their signing of J.D. Martinez. Both teams will drive in a lot of runs but their overall success will depend on their pitching. Meanwhile, Toronto comes in at +1000 and will need a lot to go right to contend, while Baltimore and Tampa Bay are long shots at +3300.
American League Central
Cleveland is the heaviest division favorite on the board at -500 to win the AL Central. Minnesota is in second at +350. The Twins are taking a big swing at catching the Indians as they signed Logan Morrison and beefed up the bullpen with Addison Reed and Fernando Rodney. The Indians, however, still have a ton of talent in their lineup with Jose Ramirez and Edwin Encarnacion leading the way, and Corey Kluber, fresh off his second Cy Young Award, leading one of the best rotations in baseball. Kansas City, Detroit and the Chicago White Sox are all back at +3300.
American League West
The Astros are -450 favorites to win the AL West while the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners are next at +500 and +800, respectively. The Astros are not resting on their laurels as they traded for Gerrit Cole to go with Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander in their rotation. The core of their batting lineup is intact with AL MVP Jose Altuve, George Springer and Carlos Correa. The Angels have Mike Trout and they signed Shohei Ohtani, but is that good enough to win the AL West? Seattle will need a lot to go right to win, and Texas and Oakland are at the back at +3300.
National League East
Washington is the resounding -400 favorite while the New York Mets and Philadelphia are posted at +400 and +900, respectively. The Nationals are the class of the NL East and the Mets and Phillies are teams trying to figure out what they have. The Mets picked up Adrian Gonzalez and kept Jay Bruce, but their pitching rotation needs to stay healthy. The Phillies are probably a year away from seriously contending. Atlanta and Miami are at +3300 as they rebuild/tank.
National League Central
The Chicago Cubs are the Central favorites at -225 with St. Louis at +350 and Milwaukee at +500. The Cubs had a World Series hangover and got off to a slow start last season but they should be better. The Brewers might have a better chance of catching the Cubs than the Cardinals do – especially if Eric Thames has the same sort of season he had in 2017. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are long shots at +3300.
National League West
The Los Angeles Dodgers are favored at -250 to win the West, with Arizona and San Francisco at +600 and Colorado at +700. The Dodgers are still the best team in the division but out of the three challengers, keep an eye on the Giants. They signed Austin Jackson and traded for former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen along with Evan Longoria. The Padres are the longest underdog in any division at +4000.