Updated MLB Futures
The Dodgers are once again favorites – with the Oakland A’s – to win the World Series.
After topping the Major League Baseball futures list for two straight months, the Detroit Tigers are no longer favored to win the 2014 World Series, according to online sportsbook Bovada.
The Los Angeles Dodgers – preseason favorites to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy – have returned to the top of the pile, but they’re not alone.
Sitting alongside the Dodgers with 6/1 odds of winning the World Series are the Oakland Athletics, the team with the best record in baseball right now.
The Tigers meanwhile have seen their odds slip to 13/2 over the past month, good enough for third place on the futures list.
The state of California dominates the top portion of the list, with the San Francisco Giants (9/1) and Los Angeles Angels (10/1) sitting in fourth and fifth place on the futures list respectively.
The Washington Nationals sit level with the Angels at 10/1.
There’s been a lot of jockeying for position since the last time we looked at the MLB futures, with teams climbing and falling in the eyes of the bookmakers.
The Angels’ climbed from ninth place into fifth, thanks in no small part to a run of eight wins in 11 games over the past two weeks.
The St. Louis Cardinals (12/1) meanwhile have seen their stock fall. The Red Birds have spent much of the season in the bookmakers’ top three, but now sit in seventh alongside division rivals the Milwaukee Brewers. It appears that Vegas isn’t quite ready to pick the winner of the NL Central race just yet.
The AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays also sit at 12/1 in what is a very National League orientated Top 10.
Teams with rising stock include the Seattle Mariners (25/1), who have seen their odds cut in half after a 19-10 run; the Cincinnati Reds (25/1), who have posted a 21-9 record since May 28; and the Pittsburgh Pirates (40/1), who are 19-11 over the last five weeks.
While all three remain longshots, a continuation in this run of good form will see those odds continue to slide. If the Reds and Bucs continue to play well, the NL Central could become one heck of an intriguing race.
Teams with falling stock include the defending champion Boston Red Sox (33/1), 11-16 over their last 27; the Texas Rangers (100/1), a team considered 28/1 just a month ago before a 9-19 skid; and the Colorado Rockies (150/1), whose early season blip has well and truly flat-lined.
A month ago we commented on the downfall of the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that entered the season ranked No. 5 by Bovada. The Rays continue to watch their odds – currently at 150/1 – tumble, but there’s something about the side that makes them worth keeping an eye on.
Despite having the second worst record in baseball – only the Arizona Diamondbacks have a worse winning percentage at time of writing – the Rays sit just outside the Top 20 with Bovada, proof that the bookmakers aren’t quite ready to give up on Joe Maddon’s side. And here’s the thing; with 12 wins over the last 17 games, the Rays might be about to make an audacious comeback. Give that some thought.
You can find all of Bovada’s MLB future odds, including league and division odds, right here.
For a full list of today’s Major League Baseball odds, click here.
For team prop bets, click here.
For player prop bets, click here.
