Let’s dive right into it and discuss our favorite futures bets for postseason glory, from the favorites to the sleepers to the long shots.
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Odds to win 2022 AL pennant
All odds courtesy of Vegas Insider
New York Yankees +250 Houston Astros +300 Toronto Blue Jays +450 Los Angeles Angels +800 Chicago White Sox +900 Tampa Bay Rays +1000 Minnesota Twins +1400 Boston Red Sox +2000 Seattle Mariners +4000 Cleveland Guardians +5000 Texas Rangers +10000 Detroit Tigers +25000 Kansas City Royals +50000 Oakland Athletics +50000 Baltimore Orioles +50000
Best bet for AL Pennant: Toronto Blue Jays +450
The Yankees would take this spot if not for their extremely short odds, but have no fear, Bombers Nation, you’ll get your shine later in this column. Right now, I’m looking at their fellow divisional powerhouse Blue Jays. Blink and you might miss Toronto at +450, as Charlie Montoyo’s young squad seems to finally be firing on all cylinders. They’ve won 10 of their past 12 games, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads a fearsome fivesome of a core lineup that nobody will want any part of in October. The Jays can pitch, too – their rotation of Kevin Gausman, Alek Manoah, Jose Berrios, and Yusei Kikuchi could wreak havoc if they all remain healthy and click at the same time this fall.
Best sleeper for AL Pennant: Boston Red Sox +2000
Never count out the Red Sox, especially with the magician known as Alex Cora as manager. Boston has been on fire lately, winning six in a row and seven of its past 10, and rocketing up the offensive leaderboard. Nobody has more fingerprints on this midseason ramp-up than first-year Sox shortstop Trevor Story, who has blistered the ball over the past month. After a molasses-slow start, Story has all nine of his homers and 28 RBIs since May 11. He’s been crucial, and he’s made the nucleus of Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and J.D. Martinez around him better. Boston now leads the majors in total bases, and let’s not forget about pitching, which always seems like a question mark that becomes an exclamation point for the BoSox. Michael Wacha, Garrett Whitlock, Nate Eovaldi, and Nick Pivetta have been great, the bullpen has shown clear signs of improvement, and veteran ace Chris Sale (ribs) could be back from the IL soon. Throw a 50-spot down on these guys, and it could turn into a grand in five months.
Best long shot for AL Pennant: Cleveland Guardians +5000
Hey, I’m not saying bet the farm on this squad, but there could be something here. The Guardians started the season with a new name, then had seven home rainouts on the young season saw key players Franmil Reyes (right hamstring), Aaron Civale (left glute), and James Karinchak (right shoulder) deal with injuries. Yet, they’re fighting at 25-26, just 1.5 games back from a wild card spot. With veteran manager Terry Francona at the helm, perennial MVP candidate Jose Ramirez topping the AL with 53 RBIs, and ace Shane Bieber leading a promising young rotation, Cleveland has a punter’s chance to make a postseason charge.
Odds to win 2022 NL pennant
Los Angeles Dodgers +200 New York Mets +350 Milwaukee Brewers +500 San Diego Padres +700 Atlanta Braves +750 San Francisco Giants +1200 St. Louis Cardinals +1500 Philadelphia Phillies +2000 Miami Marlins +5000 Chicago Cubs +30000 Arizona Diamondbacks +40000 Pittsburgh Pirates +40000 Colorado Rockies +50000 Cincinnati Reds +50000 Washington Nationals +50000
Best bet for NL Pennant: New York Mets +350
Just like with the Yankees in the AL, we could easily go with the Dodgers here – they are the best squad in the NL, after all – but I like the Mets +350 a lot more than I like LA +200. Also, there’s something to be said for the perseverance exhibited by Buck Showalter’s club this season. Injuries upon injuries to the rotation? Next man up. Banged-up lineup? No worries, the Metropolitans lead the majors in runs, hits, batting average, and on-base percentage. If New York can get some of its studs back from injury, especially Jacob deGrom (right shoulder) and Max Scherzer (left oblique), this squad is a true contender.
Best sleeper for NL Pennant: San Diego Padres +700
The Padres seem perennially overlooked due to the division-rival Dodgers, a fact that almost always turns them into NL pennant sleeper candidates. Only four teams in the MLB have better records than San Diego, and Fernando Tatis Jr. (left wrist) hasn’t even played a game this season. Manny Machado has played like an MVP, and both Eric Hosmer and Jurickson Profar have been revelations. Joe Musgrove has looked like a Cy Young candidate, while rookie hurler MacKenzie Gore has been as electric as advertised. If this team can get Tatis Jr. back around midsummer, what’s not to love about San Diego’s chances?
Best long shot for NL Pennant: St. Louis Cardinals +1500
“Long shot” will need to be +1500 or worse for this particular exercise because I want nothing to do with arguing a pennant case for Philly, Miami, or any other actual longshots. St. Louis has a shot to make a run, though. The Cardinals’ +52 run differential stands as the fourth best in the majors, and they’re 16-11 at Busch Stadium. They rank top five in the MLB in runs, hits, and average, and second in stolen bases. Veterans Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado have been sizzling at the plate, while speedy five-tooler Tommy Edman has enjoyed a breakout season. The only question marks with this club relate to pitching. Is Adam Wainwright a full-season ace at 40? Can Miles Mikolas and Dakota Hudson remain serviceable No. 2 and No. 3 arms as the weather gets warmer? Will St. Louis make a move to solidify the backend of its rotation, which has been mired by injuries? We’ll see how the Cards are dealt, but there seems to be enough positives to warrant a modest long-shot bet.
Odds to win 2022 World Series
Los Angeles Dodgers +400 New York Yankees +600 Houston Astros +750 New York Mets +800 Toronto Blue Jays +1000 Milwaukee Brewers +1200 San Diego Padres +1600 Atlanta Braves +1800 Chicago White Sox +2000 Tampa Bay Rays +2200 San Francisco Giants +2500 Los Angeles Angels +2500 St. Louis Cardinals +3000 Minnesota Twins +3000 Boston Red Sox +4000 Philadelphia Phillies +4000 Seattle Mariners +10000 Cleveland Guardians +10000 Miami Marlins +12500 Texas Rangers +30000 Chicago Cubs +30000 Detroit Tigers +50000 Arizona Diamondbacks +50000 Colorado Rockies +50000 Kansas City Royals +50000 Pittsburgh Pirates +100000 Baltimore Orioles +100000 Oakland Athletics +100000 Cincinnati Reds +100000 Washington Nationals +100000
Best bet to win the World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers +400
We want nothing to do with their +200 for the NL pennant, but it’s difficult to argue against the Dodgers +400 for the World Series. They’re just so stacked, both at the plate and on the mound, and they have a ton of World Series experience top to bottom. Mookie Betts has returned to MVP form, and Freddie Freeman has proven to be a massive addition for LA both offensively and defensively. Walker Buehler, Tyler Anderson, and Tony Gonsolin are a combined 19-2, and the Dodgers rotation maintains an MLB-leading 2.58 ERA (and 1.06 WHIP, second to only the Yankees). LA’s bullpen isn’t nearly where it was last season, but it’s still hovering in the top 10 in ERA and WHIP, and we all know GM Brandon Gomes will be working to acquire another arm or two before the season’s home stretch. The Dodgers rotation is 22-5 despite Clayton Kershaw (pelvis) currently sitting on the IL. Look out, MLB.
Best value to win the World Series: New York Yankees +600
What’s not to like about the Yankees at +600? The Bronx Bombers sit atop the majors in home runs with 83, led by MVP front-runner Aaron Judge and his MLB-leading 22 homers, .677 slugging percentage, and 1.059 OPS (Judge also leads the AL with 46 runs, and his .315 batting average ranks eighth). The Yanks can win on the mound, too, though. They hold the MLB lead in ERA (2.74), WHIP (1.04), and OBA (.210), and they’ve allowed six fewer homers than any other club (38). They were the first squad to reach 40 wins this season (40-15), and they’re 23-7 at home. If injuries don’t rear their ugly head like they always seem to for Aaron Boone’s squad, we could easily see pinstriped players hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy this fall.
Best long shot to win the World Series: Boston Red Sox +4000
Gotta do it – these odds are too intriguing to pass up. The Sox bats have awakened just in time for summer. In fact, every part of their slash line leads the majors over the past month (.292/.356/.493), and their rotation looks much better than expected. If Boston’s bullpen can continue to improve (3.36 ERA/1.14 WHIP past 30 days), and GM Chaim Bloom makes some moves to aid the postseason push, there’s no long shot with a better shot at the World Series than the Red Sox.
