Category Archives: MLB

NL pennant odds update: Diamondbacks set as favorites

A lot can change in six weeks. Back on March 31, just a couple of days into the 2018 MLB season, the Los Angeles Dodgers were +300 favorites to repeat as NL pennant winners.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

That made sense, considering the Dodgers led the majors with 104 wins last season, were just one victory from winning the franchise’s first World Series since 1988 and brought essentially everyone of consequence back.

However, the season has not gone as planned for manager Dave Roberts’ team as it has been hammered by injuries to the likes of 2016 NL Rookie of the Year Corey Seager (out for season), heart-and-soul All-Star third baseman Justin Turner (yet to play in 2018) and three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw (return date TBA).

AL pennant odds update: Astros leading Red Sox, Yankees

This decade, the National League has had the upper hand over the Junior Circuit in winning five of the eight World Series, but thus far in the 2018 season it appears that the American League could be the deeper overall league.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

That’s partly due to the three reigning divisions winners in the Senior Circuit (Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers) all mildly disappointing thus far.

The AL, meanwhile, has what appears to be four very good teams in the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels and defending World Series champion Houston Astros – and the Cleveland Indians figure to catch fire sooner rather than later with all their pitching.

MLB, NBA to sell stakes in daily fantasy ops DraftKings, FanDuel

Two American pro sports leagues are ditching their equity stakes in daily fantasy sports (DFS) operators DraftKings and FanDuel as the possibility of legal sports betting draws closer.

On Thursday, ESPN reported that Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association were in talks to unload their ownership stakes in DraftKings and FanDuel, respectively. It’s unknown how advanced these talks are or what type of payday the leagues are expecting.

The leagues and DFS operators insisted that the sell-offs weren’t acrimonious and that the parties would continue to work together to boost fan engagement and the like.

NBA spokesman Mike Bass said FanDuel has been a “great partner” but “the space is evolving and we saw the need to take a fresh look at the structure of our relationship.” MLB issued a statement obliquely referencing “potential changes to the structure of our relationship” with DraftKings, while insisting it would continue its “valued partnership” with the league’s official DFS operator.

Astros overtake the Dodgers on World Series odds

The old saying is that a team can’t clinch a playoff berth with a strong April, but it can essentially end its postseason chances with a horrid first month of baseball. Thus, you can probably write off struggling 2018 clubs like the Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres still competing in October. Not that they were ever expected to be very good.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Earlier this spring, the Los Angeles Dodgers were the +500 favorites to win the club’s first title since that Kirk Gibson/Orel Hershiser team in 1988 upset Oakland in the Fall Classic. The Dodgers have been uneven in the early going, however, and appear to miss All-Star third baseman Justin Turner more than most experts expected.

Los Angeles is too talented to keep struggling much longer and is still at +500 on those MLB futures but is now trailing the team that beat it in the 2017 World Series, the Houston Astros (+425).

MLB wants a slice of sports betting revenue in Kansas, too

Lawmakers are setting their sights on the multi-million dollar potential of sports betting business in Kansas—and so is the Major League Baseball.

The Associated Press reported that a bill seeking to legalize sports betting in state-owned casinos, over the internet and with mobile apps, has been introduced before the House Federal and State Affairs Committee this week, in anticipation that the Supreme Court will lift the federal ban on sports wagering.

But even before the bill was scrutinized by House committee members, MLB made its presence felt by saying that it wants to partake some of the revenues that Kansas will get from the sports betting business.

Aside from the revenue, MLB Senior Vice President Bryan Seeley said they also want casinos to share their sports betting data with the league in a bid to prevent game fixing in future sporting events.

MLB division odds roundup: Indians among futures favorites

The Cleveland Indians had a disappointing finish to their 2017 campaign, dropping three straight games to the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series to bow out of the playoffs earlier than expected coming off their first World Series appearance since 1997.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

However, this year the Indians are back as huge -650 favorites to win their third AL Central title in a row.

The lack of competition in the AL Central should give Cleveland an edge to return to the postseason, as the Minnesota Twins were the only other club in the division with a winning record last season. The Twins are the +350 second choice and surprisingly made the playoffs as a Wild Card in 2017 before falling to the Yankees as well.

2018 MLB win totals: Astros boast top total in American League

Coming off their best year in franchise history, it is no surprise to see the defending World Series champion Houston Astros as the American League team with the highest Over/Under Win Total heading into 2018 at the sportsbooks.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The Astros went 101-61 last season, posting their second-most wins ever after going 102-60 exactly two decades ago. But last year they capped off another remarkable campaign with their first-ever World Series title, prompting oddsmakers to set their O/U Win Total at an MLB-best 96.5.

Only the National League’s Los Angeles Dodgers have a Win Total as high at 96.5, and it is no coincidence that they played Houston in last year’s World Series. However, two other AL teams have Win Totals nearly as high as the Astros at 94.5 – the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees. Both Cleveland and New York are expected to challenge Houston for the pennant if they can live up to the preseason hype.

NBA, MLB insist on 1% cut of sports betting handle

The National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball continue to press their demand for a 1% cut of legal sports betting handle, despite nearly every other stakeholder deriding the plan as unworkable.

Monday brought committee hearings into West Virginia legislators’ plans to be ready in case the US Supreme Court strikes down the federal sports betting prohibition. Legislators are considering a bill that would allow the state’s five casino operators to offer sports betting under the oversight of the West Virginia Lottery Commission.

The legislation could come up for a floor vote on Friday, but the NBA and MLB are doing their best to derail the vote, based on the leagues’ belief that they deserve a 1% cut of all wagers placed on their respective sports. This ‘integrity fee’ has been widely slammed as an overly generous slice of what is an extremely low-margin business.

Speaking at Monday’s hearing on behalf of both the NBA and MLB, attorney Scott Ward claimed the leagues would use their slice of betting handle to monitor for betting activity for suspicious patterns and to enforce bans on their players making wagers. The leagues also want to require betting operators to use league-provided data for live betting.

Iowa sports betting bill draws NBA, MLB ire

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB) aren’t happy with the latest sports betting measure in Iowa.

The Des Moines Register reported that the NBA and MLB opposed a bill seeking to legalize sports betting in Iowa in the event the Supreme Court declares the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) unconstitutional.

The major sports leagues aren’t actually opposing the bid of the state to legalize sports betting, per se. The problem lies with so-called “integrity fee” provision of the bill.

The NBA and the MLB both pointed out that the House Study Bill 592 fell short on safety nets that will protect the integrity of sports betting. Reading between lines, the Iowa Gaming Association said that the NBA and the MLB are demanding for major league sports fees.

Indiana bill would give sports leagues 1% of betting handle

A new sports betting bill in Indiana is proof that (a) politicians are clueless about gambling, and (b) sports leagues are evil.

Monday saw Indiana Rep. Alan Morrison make good on last week’s promise to introduce legislation to legalize sports betting – including online and mobile wagering – by the state’s licensed gaming operators, provided the US Supreme Court takes a knife to the federal prohibition on single-game wagering outside Nevada.

However, ESPN’s David Purdum reported that Morrison’s HB 1325 contains an “integrity fee” of 1% of total betting handle, in addition to the 9.25% tax on sportsbook revenue. (A companion bill in the state senate contains the same tax rate but makes no mention of the integrity fee.)

The 1% fee would go to ‘sports governing bodies,’ an apparent reference to the professional sports leagues on whose product the books would be taking action. The fee is supposedly intended to assist these bodies in combatting the alleged onslaught of match-fixing that anti-gambling killjoys claim will follow betting legalization.

Astros listed as small favorites to repeat as World Series Champs

Based on future odds set by sportsbooks, we may see a rematch of the 2017 World Series between the American League’s Houston Astros and National League’s Los Angeles Dodgers. The defending World Series champion Astros are +500 betting favorites to repeat in 2018, with the Dodgers right behind them at +550.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Houston is coming off a thrilling seven-game World Series win over Los Angeles, the second to go the distance in as many years and third in the previous four. With some of the best young talent in baseball in second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa plus two top starting pitchers in Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander, the Astros seem poised to repeat as AL pennant winners as well.

Verlander’s arrival from the Detroit Tigers in a late-season trade put them over the top for their playoff run, and his current contract will keep him in Houston three more years through 2020.

Dodgers listed as solid favorites to win first World Series since 1988

The two best teams going into the MLB All-Star break made it to the 2017 World Series, with one of them surviving a much more competitive path than the other.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Whether or not that will mean anything when all is said and done remains to be seen, as the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers earned home-field advantage during the season and have lost only one playoff game en route to becoming -165 favorites on the series prices over the American League champion Houston Astros.

The Dodgers fell to the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs 3-2 in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, but otherwise they have been perfect this postseason. Behind strong pitching and timely hitting, Los Angeles overcame disappointing recent playoff performances by going 7-1 against the Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks. The team is hoping to ride ace Clayton Kershaw to its first World Series title since 1988.

MLB pennant odds: Hot Diamondbacks still trailing the Dodgers

The Arizona Diamondbacks are riding a season-high 13-game winning streak, yet the Los Angeles Dodgers are still the overwhelming favorites to win the National League pennant despite their recent slide, according to oddsmakers.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The Diamondbacks find themselves at +1000 to win the NL pennant right now while the Dodgers are still the +110 chalk.

Peaking too early is a real concern for many potential playoff teams, just ask Los Angeles. The Dodgers closed out the first half of the season on fire and continued their hot streak right after the MLB All-Star break before recently losing 11 of 12. Meanwhile, Arizona still trails Los Angeles by double-digit games in the race for the NL West title.

Dominant Dodgers unchallenged atop the World Series futures

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been so dominant since before the MLB All-Star break that it is hard to imagine another team making a run as the World Series favorites before the regular season ends. Right now, the Dodgers are listed as +225 chalk as losers of just six games since the second half got underway on July 14.

Los Angeles owns the biggest division lead of any team in baseball at 20.5 games in the National League West, with the Washington Nationals owning a 14-game lead in the NL East. The Nationals (+700) are one of six other teams who could possibly challenge the Dodgers if they can catch lightning in a bottle and find a way to win at the right time. Washington lost to Los Angeles in last year’s NLDS and has never advanced in the playoffs.

But the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs might be the only other NL team capable of knocking out the Dodgers, as they were able to do just that in last year’s NLCS. However, the Cubs (+850) have serious starting pitching issues despite adding Jose Quintana prior to the trade deadline. With ace Jon Lester residing on the disabled list due to a shoulder injury, Chicago has little margin for error the rest of the way.

In the American League, four teams could get a shot at the World Series, including the Houston Astros (+500), Boston Red Sox (+700), Cleveland Indians (+700) and New York Yankees (+1200). The Astros have tailed off considerably after getting off to such a fast start in the first half of the season, going just 16-19 since the All-Star break. Still, Houston owns the best record in the AL and seems likely to earn home-field advantage.

Dodgers, Astros lead way on MLB Pennant odds at break

Two teams with nearly identical records have been the best teams in baseball heading into the second half of the season. So it makes perfect sense to see the Los Angeles Dodgers (61-29) and Houston Astros (60-29) as the betting favorites to win the National and American League pennants, respectively.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The Dodgers are +240 chalk to win the NL and have been on an absolute tear, going 26-4 over their last 30 games to take a 7.5-game lead on the Arizona Diamondbacks (53-36) in the NL West.

The Colorado Rockies (52-39) had led the NL West division standings early on, but a recent skid caused them to plummet 9.5 games behind Los Angeles and two back of Arizona. The Rockies are +1000 to win the NL with the Diamondbacks sitting as the +600 fourth choice to take the pennant.

MLB commish eyes joining Las Vegas expansion party

The decisions of NHL and NFL to set up shop in Las Vegas is changing the way Major League Baseball (MLB) views the Sin City’s ability to host professional sports teams.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred was quoted by the Chicago Tribune saying that they “were looking at relocation, Las Vegas would be on the list.” And with the league’s two franchises, the Oakland A’s and the Tampa Bay Rays, scrambling to find financial backers for their new stadiums, the option of an MLB team relocating to the desert is on the table.

Las Vegas popped its major league sports cherry last year, when the NHL gave the green light to a Nevada city expansion in time for the 2017-18 season. NFL followed suit more than half a year later and approved—after much brouhaha—Oakland Raiders’ move to Las Vegas in 2019.

NHL and NFL’s decision to move into the gambling capital broke a barrier, and it’s one that other professional sports leagues are watching carefully.

Major League Baseball “reexamining” sports bet position

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said the league is “reexamining” its stance toward sports betting, offering further hope that the worm is turning for US legal wagering.

On Wednesday, Manfred made an appearance at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit in New York, where he noted that there was “this buzz out there that there may be an opportunity here for additional legalized sports betting. We are reexamining our stance on gambling. It’s a conversation that’s ongoing with the owners.”

The ‘buzz’ Manfred referenced centers around the US Supreme Court sending out signals last month that it may consider New Jersey’s bid to launch legal sports betting within its borders, a plan that lower courts have struck down as a violation of the federal PASPA sports betting prohibition.

This year has already witnessed politicians in four US states – Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina – file legislation that would authorize betting within their borders if either the Supreme Court sides with New Jersey or federal politicians replace PASPA with a legal framework for nationwide betting.

Major League Baseball “reexamining” sports bet position

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said the league is “reexamining” its stance toward sports betting, offering further hope that the worm is turning for US legal wagering.

On Wednesday, Manfred made an appearance at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit in New York, where he noted that there was “this buzz out there that there may be an opportunity here for additional legalized sports betting. We are reexamining our stance on gambling. It’s a conversation that’s ongoing with the owners.”

The ‘buzz’ Manfred referenced centers around the US Supreme Court sending out signals last month that it may consider New Jersey’s bid to launch legal sports betting within its borders, a plan that lower courts have struck down as a violation of the federal PASPA sports betting prohibition.

This year has already witnessed politicians in four US states – Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina – file legislation that would authorize betting within their borders if either the Supreme Court sides with New Jersey or federal politicians replace PASPA with a legal framework for nationwide betting.

Your Way Too Early MLB 2016 Futures Breakdown

It’s way too early to make MLB 2016 futures predictions, but I’m going to do it anyways. The win totals are coming out soon, even though we can safely project what those might be. What I do know is who’s valued where in the World Series futures market. Would you believe that the Cubs are the favorite to win it all in 2016?

Beyond that, I’m intrigued by all the happenings in the NL West with player movement galore. Are the Jays going to rebound from losing David Price and another key part of their franchise? Does the road to the World Series still go through Kansas City?

Let’s address some of the big ticket questions as we prepare for opening day in just under two months.

*all odds courtesy of Oddshark