MLB Odds Today: AL West Betting Analysis

MLB Vegas Lines AL West Betting Analysis: With spring training in full swing, we are getting out first look at every team in the league, but what we are seeing can be a little deceiving.

There are going to be some teams that have a very good preseason, but we all know that it will not carry over into the regular season. The same rules apply with the teams among the favorites to win the World Series this year. Some are going to struggle and not look particularly good during spring training, but the cream has a way of rising to the top once the real games begin. With that in mind, it’s time to start looking ahead to the new season, which we will do by breaking down the AL West. The MLB odds next to each team is what the bookies currently have them at to win the division, so let’s get right to it.

Odds to Win American League West

Houston Astros +114
Texas Rangers +179
Seattle Mariners +260
LA Angels +4500)
Oakland As +30000

Houston Astros

The Astros are on a run of 7 straight trips to the postseason, a run that included 6 division titles. Given that record, it is no real surprise that they are once again in as the favorites to win the West.

Things don’t seem as clear cut as usual, though, as the Astros needed a 4-game winning streak at the end of last season to get past the Texas Rangers. The core group of players remains intact, but whether that is a good thing or not remains to be seen, as their 90-win season in 2023 was a bit of a drop off from what we are used to. Their win total this season is set at 92 ½.

Astros Betting Today
AL Pennant Odds for 2024 MLB Regular Season

Texas Rangers

The Rangers finished last season with the same record as the Astros, but a tiebreaker meant that they had to settle for 2nd and a spot in the Wild Card. They did, though, get the ultimate revenge by beating the Astros in the playoffs, so you have to wonder if that is a sign that things might be about to change in the West, especially with the Rangers going on to win the World Series. Their win total is set at 89 ½ for the 2024 season.

Rangers Betting Today
American League Odds for 2024 MLB Regular Season

Seattle Mariners

While this division looks to be a 2-horse race, I’m not so sure that we can fully count out the Mariners. With 88 wins last season, they were not that far off the pace set by the top two, so it’s not as if they have a ton of ground to make up. Realistically, though, they are probably looking at the Wild Card, but that is not an impossible task, with their win total set at 86 ½.

Mariners Betting Today
AL Pennant Odds for 2024 MLB Regular Season

Los Angeles Angels

As you can see by the odds, there is a steep drop off between the top 3 teams in the West and the other 2. With Shohei Ohtani leaving Anaheim to move to the Dodgers, the window of opportunity for the Angels seems firmly closed, assuming it was ever really open in the first place.

Angels Betting Today
American League Odds for 2024 MLB Regular Season

Oakland As

You have to feel some level of sympathy for the fans of the Oakland As, as they know that their time with this team is coming to an end, with a move to Las Vegas scheduled for the 2028 season. The chances of ownership doing anything to build a competitive team before that move seems slim, so another long season is instore for long-suffering fans.

A’s Betting Today
American League Pennant Odds for 2024 MLB Regular Season

MLB Spring Training Info

When: February 22nd to March 28th
Where: Jupiter, FL. Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
TV: ESPN, ESPN2, FS1
Stream: Hulu, Live TV, MLB Network

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MLB AL West Betting Analysis and Predictions for the Upcoming 2023 Season

AL West Season Predictions: Winner and Upset | MLB Betting

The AL West is a division that has been dominated by the Houston Astros since they flipped from the National League to the American League. Houston has won the division in four of the last five years, and the year they lost the division was in a shortened season due to the pandemic. Will Houston repeat again this year?

The division sure has heated up with offseason moves from all of the teams. Who will be our winner, and who could upset the division with a good season? Let’s find out so you can bet against the MLB AL Division Odds.

Winner: Houston Astros Potential Pick

Even with the departure of Carlos Correa, it is still the Astros division to win. The Astros are the pick to win because they have the most balanced lineup. Multiple other teams in the AL West are very top-heavy, and we have seen issues with teams not staying healthy.

Finding a replacement for Correa will not be easy, but the Astros have two great options with Jeremy Pena and Aledmys Diaz to play shortstop. Diaz has been a starter on other teams before and can play at a high level when comfortable. Pena is a rookie with a lot of upside to his game.

The Houston Astros also have the best pitching staff within the division. Headlined by Justin Verlander and Lance McCullers Jr, the Astros will have a rotation to fall back on if things do not work offensively.

The core of Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Yuli Gurriel will continue to lead the way for the Astros. This group and team is very experienced, which proves that they know how to win.

They lost in the World Series last year to the Atlanta Braves. They know that people do not want to see them win, and that can provide motivation as well for this group.

Upset: Seattle Mariners Potential Pick

The Seattle Mariners are the team that could create a big shakeup in the AL West Division. They almost made the playoffs last season, and it came down to the final few games where they just missed out. With the expanded playoffs, it would not be surprising to see the Mariners make a run this season.

The Mariners made great offseason moves as well that many people are not talking about. Robbie Ray signed with the team this offseason, and he will be the #1 pitcher heading into the season. Most recently, the Mariners traded for Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez from the Reds.

Winker is coming off a career year in Cincinnati, which can bode well for the Mariners to find a player who could be reaching his prime.

The Mariners did lose Kyle Seager, who retired from baseball but have great replacements around the infield. One player who could fly under the radar is Adam Frazier, the former Pittsburgh Pirate. Frazier hit .305 last season but only had five home runs to his name.

The Seattle Mariners could be a sneaky pick or a dark horse to win the division, but they are most definitely our pick to upset the AL West Division.

AL West Division Projected Standings

Houston Astros
Seattle Mariners
Los Angeles Angels
Texas Rangers
Oakland Athletics

The Angels are missing key pieces in both the rotation and the lineup, but they will compete at the end of the day.

The Rangers will have no pitching but all offense. They will have to score a lot of runs or find pitchers who can get the job done for little money.

The Oakland Athletics are heading towards a rebuild after this offseason. They will not have much to bring to the table with offense or pitching.

MLB AL West Betting Analysis and Predictions for the Upcoming 2022 Season

Previous Betting News

The Houston Astros are defending World Series champions and have won the AL West Division five of the past six seasons. Is there any reason to think that might change in 2023? The team did lose reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander in free agency but is the biggest division favorite in baseball at -180 with Opening Day about six weeks away – pitchers and catchers reported to spring camps in Florida and Arizona this week. Check out MyBookie’s MLB odds for the Regular Season.

Experts’ Predictions for the American League West Division | MLB Lines

The Astros have made the postseason in six straight seasons (2017-22). They didn’t win the AL West in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign (Oakland did) but reached as a Wild-Card team. The Astros are the first franchise to post a .620 winning percentage and multiple titles over a six-year stretch since the 1953-58 Yankees. Houston is 541-329 (.622) over the last six seasons. The Astros are the first club in AL history to reach 100 victories four times in a span of five full seasons (2017-19, 2022).

The Astros have advanced to the ALCS for six straight years, a feat that has only been accomplished by one other club in Major League history, the 1991-99 Braves. Since 2017, the Astros have played more postseason games (86) and have earned more postseason wins (53) than any other club.

Losing Verlander certainly will hurt. In winning his third Cy Young Award last year, he had a 1.75 ERA, which was the lowest posted by an Astros starting pitcher in a full season in club history, besting Roger Clemens, who worked to a 1.87 ERA in 2005. Verlander’s ERA was the lowest posted by an AL pitcher in a full season since the Red Sox RHP Pedro Martinez had a 1.74 ERA in his Cy Young season of 2000.

Houston has an ace in waiting in lefty Framber Valdez, who set a MLB single-season record by registering 25 consecutive quality starts from April 25-Sept. 18. Valdez’s streak bested the previous franchise record set by Mike Scott (20 straight in 1986). Valdez led the AL in innings (201.1) and led the Majors in quality starts (26).

The Astros had two players earn Silver Sluggers in second baseman Jose Altuve and DH Yordan Alvarez and they are still in their prime. The team also added former AL MVP Jose Abreu in free agency. Last year with the White Sox, Abreu hit .304 with an .824 OPS, drawing a personal-best 62 walks and posting a .378 on-base percentage that ranks second in his illustrious career. Abreu experienced a drop in power last year, with 15 home runs and 75 RBIs in 157 games, but he should benefit from the Crawford Boxes in left field at Minute Maid Park.

The Seattle Mariners ended the longest playoff drought in MLB last year by earning a Wild Card spot and are +260 second favorites in the West. The M’s swept the Blue Jays in the Wild-Card Round but then were swept by Houston in the ALDS.

Seattle has a superstar in the making in 2022 AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez. He batted .284 with 84 runs scored, 25 doubles, 3 triples, 28 home runs, 75 RBI, 40 walks and 25 stolen bases, getting on base at a .345 clip, slugging .509 with an .853 OPS in 132 games during his rookie season. He led Major League rookies in home runs (28), total bases (260), slugging percentage (.509), OPS (.853), bWAR (6.0) and fWAR (5.3). Rodriguez was the third 3rd rookie in Major League history, and the 1st player in his debut season to reach 25+ home runs and 25+ stolen bases.

This offseason, the M’s added to the offense with Kolten Wong, AJ Pollock and Teoscar Hernández. Hernández provides an immediate power upgrade to a lineup that needed it last year, even with a 90-win season that culminated in a playoff berth. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound slugger slashed .267/.316/.491 (.807 OPS) last season with 25 homers, 77 RBIs, 35 doubles, one triple and 71 runs scored, good for a 127 OPS+, 129 wRC+ (league average for both is 100) and 2.4 wins above replacement.

The Los Angeles Angels have Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout but what else? They are +900 to win the West in what could be Ohtani’s final season with the team ahead of free agency. Ohtani already has been named the Opening Day starter on the mound and will DH per usual.

With Ohtani, Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon absorbing most of the payroll, the Angels focused this offseason on midtier players who could deepen their roster, acquiring outfielder Hunter Renfroe, infielders Gio Urshela and Brandon Drury, starting pitcher Tyler Anderson, and relievers Carlos Estevez and Matt Moore.

Texas (+700 to win the West) made a big splash in signing two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom from the Mets, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy the past two years. Including the COVID year, deGrom hasn’t thrown more than 92 innings in a season since 2019. Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney aren’t bad back-of-rotation additions either.

Oakland (+8000) is probably the worst team in the majors and isn’t trying to win but instead move in a few years to Las Vegas.