Really, what would a Major League Baseball season be without the New York Yankees one of the favorites to win the American League at top-rated sportsbooks?
We won’t know the answer to that question until at least 2025, since the Yankees are the favorite to win the AL Pennant this season, their +400 offering a reflection of the team adding Juan Soto’s bat in a winter trade to beef up the lineup.
New York is trailed by Houston (+425), Baltimore (+600), Texas (+600), Toronto (+900) and Seattle (+1000) as the East and West Divisions dominate the American League futures. Sitting seventh on the list is Minnesota (+1100), the top team from the Central Division.
Odds to Win the 2024 AL
- New York Yankees: +400
- Houston Astros: +425
- Texas Rangers: +600
- Baltimore Orioles: +600
- Toronto Blue Jays: +900
- Seattle Mariners: +1000
- Minnesota Twins: +1100
- Tampa Bay Rays: +1400
- Boston Red Sox: +2000
- Cleveland Guardians: +2500
- Detroit Tigers: +2800
- Los Angeles Angels: +4000
- Chicago White Sox: +5000
- Kansas City Royals: +5000
- Oakland Athletics: +12500
All odds from BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Young Birds Aim for AL East Repeat
The No. 1 item on Brian Cashman’s offseason shopping list was the addition of a big bat after the Yankees finished 11th in the American League in runs scored last season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
That lackluster offense was partly responsible for New York (+150 to win AL East) coming up short of totals on MLB odds boards more times than not, with the pitching staff headlined by Gerrit Cole being another big factor. Can Karen, er, Aaron Boone push the right buttons to get back to October baseball?
Baltimore was the surprise winner of the AL East last season when Brandon Hyde played chaperone to a young roster that posted 101 wins. The Orioles added veteran hurlers Corbin Burnes and Craig Kimbrel during the winter, and are +190 to repeat atop the East.
Toronto (+450) and Tampa Bay (+600) are mere afterthoughts heading into the season, but both make for interesting dark horse picks. Boston (+1100) appears headed for a third consecutive basement finish in the division.
New Field Boss in Houston
Their detractors can make all of the trashcan references they want, and holler “cheaters” until they go hoarse, but when you make it to the ALCS seven years in a row like the Astros have, they’ve earned their spot as AL West chalk (+105).
Dusty Baker was the biggest offseason subtraction from the dugout, the veteran manager leaving after guiding the Astros to the last four ALCS. Houston added closer Josh Hader to the bullpen but begins the year with Justin Verlander nursing an aging shoulder in the rotation.
Coming off the franchise’s first World Series title, Texas slides in right behind Houston at +175 to win the AL West. The key for 2024 will be whether the Rangers can stay in contention without veteran hurlers Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom, each expected to be out until midseason.
Seattle is +275 to win the AL West, making it the tightest 3-team group of any division going into the 2024 season. The Mariners were relatively quiet in the offseason with 2B Jorge Polanco the biggest addition, but they have a very talented young group of starting pitchers plus Julio Rodriguez in the lineup.
The Angels are a distant fourth in the division at +3300 after losing Shohei Ohtani to free agency. That +3300 price on the Angels is downright chalky compared to the Oakland A’s who sit +10000 to win the AL West.
Twins Seek 4th ALC Flag in 6 Years
The good news is Minnesota finally won a postseason game last year, snapping an 18-game skid and going on to beat Toronto in the Wild Card Round, the first playoff series win since the Twins slipped past Oakland three games to two in the 2002 ALDS.
The bad news is it all came crashing down against Houston in the ALDS, and the Twins will now take aim at their first AL Pennant since 1991 as the best team in the American League’s worst division.
That -115 price to win the AL Central almost makes the Twins look like prohibitive chalk in the division. Minnesota is definitely the cream of the crop, but that needs to be tempered with the fact the Twins cut payroll and will be very reliant on Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton remaining healthy.
Detroit (+325) and Cleveland (+340) follow Minnesota on the division futures, with Kansas City (+750) and Chicago (+2200) trailing the top trio.
The last AL Central team to win the AL Pennant was Cleveland in 2016. BetOnline is offering up a +425 return on a team from the division winning the flag this time around, with the AL East +120 and AL West +130.
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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