Oakland Athletics 2023 Season Odds, Props, and Futures IBD
It is incredibly difficult for the Oakland Athletics to gain any traction in the American League West with an owner who does not want to compete in spending. The Athletics were the second-worst team in 2022 with a 60-102 record and finished 46 games behind the Houston Astros in the MLB standings.
Worse yet for the A’s is the spending of the Texas Rangers – who signed Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, among others, after spending big on hitters last winter – and the Seattle Mariners, who are retooling their improving roster. Plus, the Los Angeles Angels still have Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani – the two best players in baseball.
So, the MLB schedule is incredibly difficult on a nightly basis just from the MLB teams in their own division. But that does not mean the roster has not improved, and the A’s are not building toward something. They just will not be popular among MLB picks this season.
Here is a look at last season, roster changes, and Oakland Athletics season odds:
2022 Season
The Athletics won 60 games last season and had a run differential of -202, but they did win their last four games to close the season, the longest streak in baseball. The Oakland Athletics team stats were among the worst in baseball, as their record would indicate.
The A’s were second worst with scoring 3.51 runs per game. The numbers of players used offensively were 64 as the A’s dealt with players on the MLB injury report with frequency. But they hope that they have added enough depth in 2023 to withstand those injuries.
The pitching staff fared a little better and ranked 24th in allowing 4.75 runs per game. The average age of the pitching staff was 28 years old and 35 pitchers were called upon, the eighth most in the league. That number should improve if only because of the pitcher’s ballparks they play in during divisional games.
Roster Turnover
It was another winter of roster turnover for an Athletics team looking to compete in MLB games. They traded away veteran catcher Sean Murphy and landed a quality outfield prospect in Esteury Ruiz, who stole 85 bases in the minor leagues last season MLB player stats show.
They also sent left-handed reliever A.J. Puk to the Miami Marlins to acquire outfielder JJ Bleday to add outfield depth with Ramon Laureano, Ruiz, Christian Pache, and Seth Brown. But Bleday was optioned to triple-A as the Athletics believe the former No. 4 overall pick needs some additional work.
The infield will be steady with several veterans, with Jace Peterson at third base, Aledmys Diaz at shortstop, Tony Kemp at second base, and either Brown or Jesus Aguilar at first base. Manny Pina and Shea Langeliers figure to handle the catching.
Defensive Improvements for Oakland Athletics
While there are no statistical odds, we’d bet the Oakland Athletics season odds see an improvement in run production for the A’s. They have added more power to the lineup as well as speed and improved defensively.
But the pitching staff remains a big question mark with Paul Blackburn and James Kaprielian as the two veterans at the top of the rotation. Pitchers with two or fewer years of experience include Kyle Muller, Adam Oller and JP Sears.
The bullpen has some nice pieces as Dany Jimenez established himself as a quality closer, and Domingo Acevedo and Trevor May are capable bridgers to him, Oakland Athletics player stats show. It will be interesting to see what changes with the pitching staff.
Season Odds
Alas, the Oakland Athletics season odds show they are incredible longshots to win the division at +12500. In fact, only one other team has worse odds to win their division, the Washington Nationals in the NL East.
Want to take a flier on the AL pennant odds? The A’s are +20000. How about the World Series? They are +40000.
It should be another season of change as the trade deadline nears.
If you love sports and want more sports betting information@InsidersBetDigfree betting picks.
