Major League Baseball is back! You may not have noticed, as a lot of people don’t really pay attention until May or June, but they are starting up April 7th, only a little while after they originally would’ve if the lockout had ended on time. There are some fun storylines in the MLB this year and I’m looking forward to watching it unfold. We will break down all of the divisions, but if you want the future plays and daily package (including the always great KBO plays) buy the package.
We start with the AL East.
Tampa Bay Rays, 1st Place last year, 100-62
Did anyone expect the Rays to win last year? No chance. Then again, almost no one ever expects this budget-friendly team to win as often as they do. They still have a decent rotation – even though they do bullpen games more than any other franchise that I can think of. They will be without Tyler Glasnow for a few weeks at the very least, but the addition of Corey Kluber could be a good one to strengthen the rotation. They always seem to get the most out of their position players and have locked up Wander Franco. At +300 to win the division, there are definitely worse bets you could make.
Boston Red Sox, 2nd Place, 92-70
I thought the Red Sox would be terrible last year. My concern was their offense, mostly. And, they definitely proved me wrong. They added Trevor Story, who I think will struggle in his first year in Beantown. This year, I’m less concerned about their offense, and more concerned about their pitching staff. They spend the majority of their games facing that gauntlet of the AL East (minus the Orioles). This pitching staff has Chris Sale, who you can hope gets 20+ games, and Nathan Eovaldi who I think is overrated, but aside from that not much. The book expects them to win 7 fewer games this year. In my opinion, it is a fair number.
New York Yankees, 3rd Place, 92-70
They resigned Anthony Rizzo, they have a strong bullpen, and they recently traded for Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. They have one of the deeper lineups in all of the majors. Like the Red Sox, I have concerns after their ace, Gerrit Cole. Is Jordan Montgomery or Luis Severino going to be that good of a secondary option? I think a midseason trade (bye Gleyber Torres?) brings in another starter. They certainly have a positive outlook though.
Toronto Blue Jays, 4th Place, 91-71
The AL East is loaded. The oddsmakers expect the Blue Jays to win the division after coming in fourth place – winning 91 games. That’s an insane amount of games to win and be fourth in your own division. With the new rules that are in place this year, they would now be in the playoffs. They lost Robbie Ray but gained Kevin Gausman. I am not as high on him as others. I don’t see how he comes anywhere near replicating the numbers he put up for San Francisco last year.
Baltimore Orioles, 5th Place, 52-110
Yes, they are still a baseball team (kind of), and yes they are still in the division. No, they are not good. No, they won’t be good this year. Their total is 62.5, I wouldn’t play the over.
- David
For NBA news, free plays, and general sports betting information, follow David at @futureprez2024
Follow the entire BTB team - @BeatinTheBookie and @BTBJesse