Opening Day has arrived as the 2024 MLB season is officially underway. Yes, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres faced off last week in Seoul, South Korea, but Thursday marks the traditional season opener.
It’s only fitting that the Dodgers played in the early games that mattered. They were the talk of the town throughout the offseason because of the extra power they added to a team that won 100 games last year. It’s no secret that the Dodgers are the favorites to win the World Series, but that doesn’t make it a fait accompli either.
Stating the obvious, but first, the Dodgers must qualify for the playoffs, either by winning their division (which is the expectation) or by winning one of the three wild card spots. Then there’s the question of which teams they’ll face in the postseason en route to the Fall Classic and who’s coming from the AL side. So even though the season is just getting started, let’s take a look at BetMGM’s current odds for possible division champions, World Series winners, and mention a few teams that could be a surprise playoff entrant in October.
The chances are PariMGM.
Free daily sports updates straight to your inbox. Register
Free daily sports updates straight to your inbox. Register
Buy
Playoff Sleeper Teams
Even though the Dodgers are already named the next World Series champions with the Braves, Astros, Yankees and Orioles in the next tier, that doesn’t change the fact that six teams from each league will make the postseason. Every year, there are always one or two teams that defy expectations by making the playoffs. Here are my picks in each league to fill this role in 2024.
Detroit Tigers
The Twins are favored to repeat as AL Central champions, but I think it’s a division that’s there for the taking. AJ Hinch appears to be the perfect manager for this team and new general manager Jeff Greenberg has quietly added some intriguing veterans. The two biggest are starting pitchers Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty, but it’s a pair of local arms – Matt Manning and Casey Mize – plus the emergence of Tarik Skubal that could be the difference between closing the gap in the division or win it. downright.
San Diego Padres
It won’t be easy to replace the production of Soto, Snell or Hader, but there’s plenty of talent left on this roster as well. The NL West is pretty uneven, with the exception of the Rockies, but the Padres don’t have to focus on keeping pace with the Dodgers. All they need to do is land one of the three wild-card spots. Among non-playoff teams last year, no one had a better run differential than the Padres (+104). The 82-80 record is therefore somewhat misleading. It’s extremely difficult to quantify, but this could be a case where the subtractions lead to better team chemistry (there’s also a new manager, former Cardinals skipper Mike Shildt), which paves the way for better results in the field.
Division winners
To the East
The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees open as co-favorites, but I’m leaning toward the former. The Orioles are not only the reigning division champions, but they also closed their biggest gap by trading for Corbin Burnes. The Yankees made their own big acquisition with Juan Soto, but there are plenty of questions surrounding his launch. Elsewhere, it feels like the Tampa Bay Rays aren’t respected. Tyler Glasnow was traded and a few other members of last year’s 99-win team left, but manager Kevin Cash always got the most out of his roster. Only three other teams currently have a longer streak of making the playoffs than the Rays (five).
AL Central
The Minnesota Twins are heavy favorites (-125) to repeat, but that’s more reflective of the current state of this division. The Twins subtracted more than they added, which is why I wouldn’t sleep on the Detroit Tigers (+350). The Tigers finished nine games behind the Twins, but made progress in the second half of last season. Detroit has brought in some veterans to bolster the roster, but if the younger players, like starting pitcher Tarik Skubal, first baseman Spencer Torkelson and outfielder Riley Greene, take a step forward, this team could grow quickly.
West
The Texas Rangers are the defending World Series champions, but the Houston Astros are the heavy favorites to win the division. The Rangers have health issues with their roster and starting rotation, but it’s not like they blew it after winning the championship. The Seattle Mariners could be a bargain at their current odds. They narrowly missed out on a wild card spot last season, have what many consider the best starting rotation in all of baseball and have added several veterans who could be major contributors, provided they stay healthy .
NL East
Only the Dodgers are considered bigger favorites in their division than the Atlanta Braves, and for good reason. They bring back virtually everyone from last year’s 104-win team and added seven-time All-Star Chris Sale to the rotation. There isn’t much mystery in the rest of this division. However, the Washington Nationals could end up with more wins than the Miami Marlins due to a rash of pitching injuries that occurred during spring training.
Central NL
It’s a safe bet that the St. Louis Cardinals will go from worst to first, but they also recognize that the race could be very tight in this division. There isn’t much of a gap between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds, but the latter might be the more attractive bet, considering their last playoff appearance in a full season was 2013.
NL West
The Dodgers are the clear favorites, but don’t forget the rest of the teams. The San Francisco Giants received a recent boost following the signings of Blake Snell and Matt Chapman, but I’m more interested in the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres. The former are the reigning National League champions and have added more than they have subtracted from this team. The latter no longer has Juan Soto in the lineup nor Snell and Josh Hader on the mound. Still, they should reap immediate benefits from the trade with the Yankees, and general manager AJ Preller put the finishing touches on his offseason pitching overhaul by trading for Dylan Cease.
World Series Champions
Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers are the favorites to win the World Series, but the Braves are right behind them. In October, Atlanta had the best odds, but Los Angeles took the lead after an eye-opening offseason. The Yankees are the favorites in the AL, overtaking the Orioles and Rangers. Thank you Juan Soto. It also appears that the Yankees’ win is the Rangers’ loss, as the defending World Series champions have seen their chances lengthen since hoisting the trophy. Does that make it a purchase?
It’s also worth noting that the Dodgers’ spending spree negatively impacted the ratings of all but one of the other National League teams. The Cardinals have seen their chances of winning it all improve since October. Although the team has been very aggressive in addressing its pitching deficiencies this offseason, the roster has not gotten any younger. In fact, if betting on the birds is your thing, I suggest you take a closer look at the Orioles, whose World Series odds have improved slightly since adding a new ace to their nest.
When it comes to teams that Vegas has deteriorated even more against since the end of last season, it makes perfect sense to find the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox and even the Milwaukee Brewers in this group , but the Red Sox saw a bigger increase. in their World Series odds than the Miami Marlins, among other teams, while the Rays and Padres also fell further back in the pack. I can understand the pessimism toward the Red Sox, but I’m not as ready to put the Rays and Padres in the same basket.