MLB fans and bettors alike continue to patiently wait for the new season to begin. Opening Day festivities for late March had to be put on hold in light of the coronavirus health crisis but all sports and sporting events are working their way towards the day when live action will resume.
Betting MLB NL Futures
One thing you can still bet on right now is MLB futures. Last week we looked at the American League Pennant futures.
All the top online sportsbooks continue to keep the posted odds updated and active on their betting board. As far as betting on this season’s National League Pennant race, you are looking at a clear frontrunner gaining some separation from the field.
The closest pack in this race offers a trio of teams as value plays. There are a few more teams stalking the field at even higher betting odds.
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Going Chalk With The Favorite
Betting this year’s NL Pennant race can be broken down into the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Field.
Last season’s stunning loss to the Washington Nationals in the NL Division Series broke a string of two straight trips to the World Series.
The Dodgers are +140 favorites to return to this season’s Fall Classic as NL champs.
The Dodgers are Jinxed
They should have a direct path to the postseason with seven consecutive NL West Division titles on the resume. Their posted MLB futures odds to make it eight in a row are -750 with the Arizona Diamondbacks second on that list at +900 odds.
In light of an expected shorter regular season schedule, every MLB division race should remain tighter than usual. Yet, there is no reason to go against Los Angeles in the NL West.
The added motivation of last year’s early exit should be enough to push the Dodgers all the way to the NL Championship Series. Getting them now at decent plus money (+140) is the safest way to go.
The Best of the Rest in NL
Moving down the rest of the NL Pennant futures list, there should be tight three-way battles for the remaining two division races.
The NL East is stacked with the Atlanta Braves as +750 second-favorites to win the pennant followed by the New York Mets at +800 and Washington at +1000 to repeat as NL champs.
Moving to the next three teams on the list, they all reside in the NL Central. The St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds each have +1200 odds to win the NL Pennant.
NL East Winning Odds
Atlanta (+200) gets the slight nod over Washington (+225) and New York (+275) to win the NL East. The Cardinals (+230) have the slight edge in the NL Central over Chicago (+240) and Cincinnati (+250).
The problem in betting any of these teams as a possible contender to upset Los Angeles in the best-of-seven NLCS, is picking which one. Two of the six will enter the MLB playoffs as division winners and two more should be the wild card teams.
Washington as defending world champions could be a logical choice but the best of the rest is most likely the Atlanta Braves for those looking to bet on the MLB races. They have the necessary depth in pitching supporting a lineup that was third in the NL last year in runs scored.
The Braves pulled off a few key offseason moves that have to ability to close the gap a bit with Los Angeles. I still like the Dodgers as plus-money favorites but if you are looking to add another team to the betting mix, Atlanta offers the best value.
