MLB betting, odds: From the Astros to Athletics, here is each team's preseason win total
The NFL season is over, which forces us bettors to look towards other sports to get our action. The NBA and NHL seasons are approaching their respective stretch runs. March Madness is just a month away. Golf and tennis are back underway. While there's no football, it's not the driest sports period of the year. To add some excitement, the MLB season is fast-approaching as well.
We're just a little over six weeks away from Opening Day. A lot of teams have already kicked off their spring training. With the season approaching, BetMGM has posted odds on each team to win the World Series, their pennant and their division. Odds for end-of-season awards are also available. Today, we're taking a look at each team's preseason win total. You can bet whether each team will win over or under the listed number of wins. Here's how oddsmakers are projecting each team entering the season:
1. Houston Astros (over/under 96.5 wins)
After winning the World Series last season, the Houston Astros enter the new season tied for the highest projected win total. Houston won 106 games last season, so as long as they don't regress by 10 games, over bettors will cash their tickets. The Astros lost Cy Young winner Justin Verlander to the Mets, but they have plenty of depth in their starting rotation. They let Yuli Gurriel walk and replaced him with Jose Abreu. Houston enters as a co-favorite to win the World Series at +650 odds.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (over/under 96.5 wins)
The Los Angeles Dodgers led all of baseball last season with 111 wins during the regular season. However, they've seen some key pieces depart during the offseason. Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Tyler Anderson and Craig Kimbrel are all gone. They've been replaced by J.D. Martinez, Miguel Rojas and Noah Syndergaard. Did the Dodgers get 14 wins worse?
3. New York Yankees (over/under 95.5 wins)
The New York Yankees were on pace to break the single-season win record halfway through last season, but they fell off tremendously in the second half of the year and didn't even eclipse 100 wins. They took care of business in the offseason by retaining Aaron Judge. They improved their rotation by signing Carlos Rodon as well. The Yankees are an even-money favorite to win the AL East.
4. Atlanta Braves (over/under 95.5 wins)
Last season, the Atlanta Braves basically stopped losing games in the second half of the season. They erased a slow start and massive Mets lead in the NL East en route to posting a 101-win season. Over the offseason, the Braves improved at catcher, turning William Contreras into Sean Murphy. However, the team lost Dansby Swanson, Kenley Jansen and Adam Duvall.
5. New York Mets (over/under 94.5 wins)
The New York Mets posted a 101-win season last year but didn't win their division and only got three playoff games to show for their superb regular season. New York spent the offseason revamping their pitching staff. Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker and Chris Bassitt are gone. They've been replaced by Justin Verlander, Jose Quintana and Kodai Senga.
6. San Diego Padres (over/under 93.5 wins)
Last season, the San Diego Padres won 89 games. This time around, they'll have a full season of Juan Soto. On top of that, they'll receive Fernando Tatis Jr. back from suspension in late April. Oh yeah, they also signed Xander Bogaerts in the offseason. This might just be the most talented team in baseball on paper.
7. Toronto Blue Jays (over/under 92.5 wins)
The Toronto Blue Jays won 92 games in 2022, and oddsmakers are expecting a similar season in 2023 from the team up north. The team upgraded their starting rotation by bringing in Chris Bassitt. They switched some pieces around in the outfield, trading away Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez, while bringing in Kevin Kiermaier and Daulton Varsho.
8. St. Louis Cardinals (over/under 89.5 wins)
The St. Louis Cardinals didn't make many changes coming off a 93-win season in 2022. Yadier Molina retired, and the team filled that vacancy by signing Willson Contreras. Will Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado post MVP level seasons again?
9. Philadelphia Phillies (over/under 89.5 wins)
The Philadelphia Phillies snuck into the playoffs last season with 87 wins, and then went on a run. They eliminated the Cardinals, the Braves and the Padres before falling to Houston in the World Series. The Phillies also made one of the biggest moves of the offseason in signing Trea Turner. Despite all of that, the Phillies are +300 to win the NL East, a distant third best in odds behind the Braves and the Mets.
10. Seattle Mariners (over/under 88.5 wins)
The Seattle Mariners snapped a 21-year playoff drought last season as they won 90 games. They swept Toronto in the wild-card round before getting swept by Houston in the ALDS. The team is built around reigning rookie of the year Julio Rodriguez, but the team made some moves around him this past offseason. Jesse Winker, Adam Frazier and Mitch Haniger have all departed while Teoscar Hernandez, Kolten Wong and A.J. Pollock were bought in as reinforcements.
11. Tampa Bay Rays (over/under 88.5 wins)
Tampa Bay won just 86 games last season. However, they eclipsed 90 wins in each of the three full seasons before that and were on pace for 109 wins in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. It was a down year for the Rays, but this is one of those teams that somehow always figures things out with a bunch of lesser known players. Zach Eflin was probably their biggest offseason acquisition.
12. Cleveland Guardians (over/under 87.5 wins)
The Guardians shocked the league last season by winning the AL Central. Jose Ramirez played at a near-MVP level while players like Amed Rosario and Steven Kwan broke out, leading them to a 92-win season. Josh Bell was brought in to add some pop, and with baseball's new rule changes expected to favor athletic and contact-making teams like Cleveland, oddsmakers are expecting them to have another good season. Cleveland is the co-favorite to win the AL Central alongside the Chicago White Sox.
13. Milwaukee Brewers (over/under 85.5 wins)
The Brewers were sizable favorites to win the NL Central last season, but their offense just wasn't good enough. They won 86 games, finishing a game behind Philadelphia for the final playoff spot in the National League. The rotation remains elite, led by Corbin Burnes. The team acquired Jesse Winker in the offseason. Will he provide the spark the offense so desperately needs?
14. Chicago White Sox (over/under 83.5 wins)
The biggest disappointment in baseball last season might have been the Chicago White Sox. They were viewed as World Series contenders but instead they missed the playoffs and finished with just 81 wins. Tony La Russa is gone, which feels like addition by subtraction. The team replaced Jose Abreu and Johnny Cueto with Mike Clevinger and Andrew Benintendi. Will they rebound this year?
15. Minnesota Twins (over/under 82.5 wins)
After hanging around near .500 last season with 78 wins, oddsmakers are expecting a similar season from the Minnesota Twins again this season. The Twins traded away Luis Arraez and Gio Urshela. They brought in Pablo Lopez, Christian Vazquez and Joey Gallo. Carlos Correa also returns to Minnesota after two failed physicals with the Giants and Mets.
16. Texas Rangers (over/under 82.5 wins)
The Rangers made heavy investments in Corey Seager and Marcus Semien in the winter of 2021. Those investments resulted in just 68 wins last season for Texas. They invested in the pitching side of the equation this past offseason, dropping a major bag on Jacob deGrom while also signing Nathan Eovaldi. If both can stay healthy, Texas has a chance of taking a major step forward this season.
17. Los Angeles Angels (over/under 81.5 wins)
Will we finally see the duo of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout in the playoffs? Oddsmakers seem bearish on that idea, though they do expect the Angels to be better than the 73 wins they posted last season. Los Angeles acquired Gio Urshela, Brandon Drury and Hunter Renfroe to bolster the lineup around their two studs. Tyler Anderson was signed to bolster the rotation. Will things finally come together for the Angels?
18. San Francisco Giants (over/under 80.5 wins)
The San Francisco Giants won 107 games in 2021. They followed that up with just 81 wins in 2022. Which version was the real Giants? Oddsmakers clearly think it's the latter. Carlos Rodon has left for the Yankees, and it appears the Giants will turn to Sean Manaea and Ross Stripling to try and patch that hole. Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria also departed, and they've been replaced on the roster by Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto.
19. Baltimore Orioles (over/under 77.5 wins)
Baltimore came out of nowhere to win 83 games last season in a year where many expected them to be in the basement. After acquiring Kyle Gibson, Cole Irvin and Adam Frazier, oddsmakers expect the Orioles to remain competitive but maybe take a small step backwards this upcoming season.
20. Chicago Cubs (over/under 77.5 wins)
After winning 74 games in 2022, the Chicago Cubs had quite the active offseason. Willson Contreras departed for St. Louis and was replaced by Tucker Barnhart. However, Chicago also added Dansby Swanson, Cody Bellinger, Jameson Taillon, Trey Mancini and Eric Hosmer. This team infused some talent into their roster, but will it be enough for them to improve four games over last year?
21. Boston Red Sox (over/under 77.5 wins)
Boston finished with 78 wins in 2022, and oddsmakers are expecting a similar number this upcoming season. However, that's certainly not due to a static roster. Gone are Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez, Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Wacha. Trevor Story is also expected to miss a large part of the season. The replacements brought in include Adalberto Mondesi, Justin Turner, Masataka Yoshida, Adam Duvall, Corey Kluber and Kenley Jansen. It'll certainly be a different looking group.
22. Miami Marlins (over/under 75.5 wins)
The Marlins have always had solid pitching and little to no offense to support it. That was highlighted by the Marlins winning just 69 games in a year where Sandy Alcantara won a Cy Young. The Marlins attempted to fix their offense by trading Pablo Lopez for Luis Arraez. Jean Segura was also bought in for some middle-of-the-lineup support. Let's see if the Marlins can score enough runs to win some more games this season.
23. Arizona Diamondbacks (over/under 75.5 wins)
The Diamondbacks won 74 games last season and seem to have improved their roster going into the 2023 season. Daulton Varsho was sent to Toronto in a package that returned Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Arizona also brought in 2020 rookie of the year winner Kyle Lewis and Evan Longoria to bolster their lineup. Andrew Chafin provides a late inning option in the bullpen.
24. Detroit Tigers (over/under 69.5 wins)
We've reached the part of this list where these teams were pretty bad last year, and it's hard to envision a world where much changes. Detroit won 66 games in 2022 and its biggest offseason acquisition was probably Michael Lorenzen. Maybe the young talent all takes a collective step forward and surprises us?
25. Kansas City Royals (over/under 68.5 wins)
Kansas City won 65 games last season and then shipped often-injured-but-potentially-explosive shortstop Adalberto Mondesi to Boston. Its offseason acquisitions include Ryan Yarbrough and the clearly washed up Aroldis Chapman.
26. Colorado Rockies (over/under 67.5 wins)
After winning 68 games last season, the Colorado Rockies did basically nothing this offseason. They let Jose Iglesias walk and brought in reliever Pierce Johnson.
27. Pittsburgh Pirates (over/under 67.5 wins)
Pittsburgh is coming off a 100-loss season in 2022. They shuffled out Kevin Newman and replaced him with Ji-Man Choi. They signed Andrew McCutchen and Rich Hill for some veteran leadership, but they are hardly difference makers in the year 2023.
28. Cincinnati Reds (over/under 65.5 wins)
Cincinnati did most of its selling prior to last season, which resulted in a 62-win season in 2022 for the Reds. They parted ways with Mike Moustakas and Donovan Solano. Wil Myers and Kevin Newman were brought in as replacements while Luke Weaver should eat some innings for their young pitching staff.
29. Washington Nationals (over/under 59.5 wins)
The Nationals were the worst team in baseball last season, finishing with just 55 wins. They're projected to finish in the basement again this season. They parted ways with arguably their two most feared hitters in Nelson Cruz and Luke Voit. They've been replaced by Dominic Smith and Jeimer Candelario.
30. Oakland Athletics (over/under 59.5 wins)
After trading almost everyone of value last offseason, Oakland finished that project this offseason, moving Sean Murphy to Atlanta. J.J. Bleday is an intriguing prospect and Kyle Muller showed potential in the minors last season, but there's no reason to expect Oakland to finish anywhere but the basement this upcoming season.
