Dodgers Favored by MLB Futures Odds to Land AL MVP
The moves are starting to roll in during the MLB offseason with the latest signing seeing pitcher Sonny Gray head from Minnesota to St. Louis. The biggest fish in free agency is American League Most Valuable Player Shohei Ohtani. Naturally, his landing spot will impact the MLB futures odds.
Before that happens, let’s look at how things stand after the Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, and Los Angeles Dodgers won division titles during the 2023 season.
When looking at the 2024 MLB odds, three teams have better odds of winning the World Series than the recently crowned Texas Rangers, led by the Atlanta Braves.
There won’t be baseball games that count for a few months but the player movement and rumor mill will keep those who bet online busy.
Where Will Ohtani Land?
It seems like new rumors emerge on a daily basis when it comes to the landing spot for Ohtani.
While he could remain with the Los Angeles Angels, the feeling is that he could head for greener pastures as he looks to join a team capable of competing for a title.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are priced at -125 and lead the way among the teams vying to sign the best player in baseball.
Being part of a lineup that also includes Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman would be a little frightening for opposing pitchers.
Ohtani joined the Angels in 2018 and promptly won the American League Rookie of the Year award. He has won two of the last three AL Most Valuable Player awards and, if not for Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees setting the American League record for home runs in a season in 2022, he would likely be going into the 2024 season as a three-time MVP.
Ohtani has 171 home runs, 329 extra-base hits and 437 RBIs in 701 MLB games. As a pitcher, he has a 38-19 record with a 3.01 ERA to go with 608 strikeouts in 481⅔ innings.
The Chicago Cubs finished one win shy of a playoff spot and made a splash with the hiring of Craig Counsell away from the Milwaukee Brewers. When looking at the MLB betting lines, the presence of fellow Japanese star Seiya Suzuki might have something to do with the +200 odds of Ohtani landing with the Cubs.
San Francisco is currently at +450 as a landing spot followed by the New York Mets and Texas Rangers at +800. The Boston Red Sox are not far behind at +1000. Despite some chatter about Atlanta having a chance at Ohtani, the Braves come in at +3000 in the odds for Ohtani to sign in Atlanta.
A Brave New World
Atlanta led the majors with 104 wins during the regular season. National League Most Valuable Player Ronald Acuna Jr. led the way while 20-game winner and 2023 MLB strikeout leader Spencer Strider headed the pitching staff.
Atlanta opened some eyes by trading five players, including often-injured starting pitcher Michael Soroka, to the Chicago White Sox for relief pitcher Aaron Bummer and the Braves are linked to rumors of some prominent starting pitchers as well.
Atlanta leads the way at +700 odds of winning the World Series.
Houston, which fell short in its bid to win another World Series, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are both priced at +800 in the championship odds according to our sportsbook.
Texas and Philadelphia are next at +1000 and there is a logjam at +1600 with the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays joined by two of the most disappointing teams in 2023 – the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres.
A Look at the Player Movement
The signing of Sonny Gray and Seattle trading power-hitting corner infielder Eugenio Suarez to the Arizona Diamondbacks are not the only moves so far.
The Philadelphia Phillies re-signed pitcher Aaron Nola, relief pitcher Reynaldo Lopez is now a member of the Atlanta Braves while starting pitchers Kenta Maeda (Minnesota to Detroit), Kyle Gibson (Baltimore to St. Louis) and Lance Lynn (Los Angeles Dodgers to St. Louis) are also on the move.
Pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez and Josh Hader and outfielder Cody Bellinger are among the other players who figure to draw plenty of interest.
Questions Of The Day
Which player prop bet offers the best value to place a bet on MLB games?
Home runs by the hitters and strikeouts by pitchers are popular MLB prop bets.
What are the best MLB Parlay bets?
Combine the moneyline with the total as part of the MLB parlay.
