In just a few short months, when the nets are cut down, the NBA Champs have been crowned and the Stanley Cup has been raised, we will be left with nothing to grace our TVs and pass our time than America’s past time itself. Good old fashioned baseball, with its hint of modern times, such as a pitch clock, pitchcom devices, and pizza box sized bases. In case you were busy living your lives, opening day already came and went, but that surely does not mean futures markets are shut. World Series lines are offered all season, and now is as good a time as any to back a horse in this long drawn out race that is the 162 game season.
As is becoming tradition, the Houston Astros are the favorites at 6/1. The defending champs are down last year's Ace, but return much of the same roster that knocked off the Phillies in 6, including their electric Shortstop and postseason hero, Jeremy Pena. Mattress Mack’s darlings are closely followed by the Atlanta Braves, who boast one of baseball’s top position players in Ronald Acuna Jr., and a pitching staff poised to capitalize on their 7.5/1 World Series odds.
Neck and neck with the NL East leaders are the oft overvalued and underachieving LA Dodgers, who are making a habit out of regular season dominance followed by postseason failure. Speaking of October flops, the New York Yankees are next with 8.5/1 odds, as they look to their payroll to bring them to their first World Series since ‘09. While we’re talking payroll, Steve Cohen and the crosstown rival Mets come in next at 9/1, after adding Justin Verlander to the mix, only to place him on the IL before game 1. They'll look to give their fanbase something to celebrate for the first time in many decades and round out the top 5 preseason favorites to bring home a World Series.
While there are some challenging teams to root for in that bunch, there is one longer shot team that I like to make some noise this October. The Seattle Mariners are coming off a strong 2022 campaign, and boast plenty of young talent, including a bonafide star in Julio Rodriguez and a true ace in Luis Castillo. The Mariners are being slightly overlooked at 25/1, and I think are well positioned to have a strong year, while their odds will only get shorter as the summer goes.
The heavy spending San Diego Padres get Fernando Tatis back from his cheating suspension to add to a lineup featuring Machado, Soto, and newly acquired Xander Bogaerts. That is an awful lot of talent, especially with Darvish and Snell at the top of the rotation for a team with the sixth best odds going in, 10/1. The Blue Jays and Phillies are right behind, and present some decent value at 12/1, and 15/1 respectively. The Fightin Phils look to Trea Turner to help them kick their World Series L hangover, and fill in for their injured superstar, Bryce Harper.
Personally, I will be starting my summer off with a Mariners 25/1 ticket, and looking forward to seeing how that progresses over the next few months. The Cards at 20/1 are always interesting, and i’ll be keeping tabs on the Texas Rangers all the way down at 50/1, who ponied up this offseason in hopes of turning their franchise around. Let’s play some ball!
