This is one of the strangest Major League Baseball off seasons in history. That’s to be expected after a 60-game season that resulted in a World Series win in front of few baseball fans and on a neutral diamond. Check out the latest Major League Baseball news in our weekly update so you can continue planning ahead your bets and place them against against their MLB odds.
MLB COVID-19 Update – December 23rd Edition
2021 MLB Season
- When: Thursday, April 1 – Friday, October 1
- Where: Various
2021 World Series Odds
- Los Angeles Dodgers +400
- New York Yankees +600
- San Diego Padres +900
- Tampa Bay Rays +1100
- Atlanta Braves +900
- Minnesota Twins +1200
- Chicago White Sox +10000
- Oakland Athletics +1500
- Houston Astros +1600
- Cleveland Indians +1600
- Cincinnati Reds +1600
- Chicago Cubs +2500
- New York Mets +3000
- Washington Nationals +3000
- St. Louis Cardinals +3300
- Toronto Blue Jays +3300
- Philadelphia Phillies +3500
- L.A. Angels +4000
- Boston Red Sox +5000
- Milwaukee Brewers +5000
- Miami Marlins +5000
- San Francisco Giants +6600
- Arizona Diamondbacks +6600
- Colorado Rockies +7500
- Seattle Mariners +7500
- Baltimore Orioles +7500
- Detroit Tigers +7500
- Kansas City Royals +8000
- Texas Rangers +10000
- Pittsburgh Pirates +12500
Most expect top free agents won’t sign until after the New Year
In off seasons past, teams with the most money like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers had already signed or traded for their season changing superstar. It didn’t take long for Mookie Betts to land in Los Angeles after the Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros in the 2019 World Series.
It felt like the Yankees were going after Gerritt Cole before Houston’s final out in Game 6 of the Fall Classic. But heading into the New Year, the top free agents on the board have yet to sign. It’s not their fault.
Although representatives for the most sought after free agents always look for the best deal, teams are aware that shelling out millions upon millions of dollars before MLB has come up with a plan for the 2021 season makes no sense. MLB, it appears, is taking a page from the National Basketball Association’s playbook.
NBA juggernauts Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t sign their superstar players to max deals until word on the street was that Adam Silver and owners were set on a December 22 start date. Signing players to max deals, the Bucks and LAL reasoned, made no sense if the league was going to delay the start of the season until 2021, or, which is what happened in 2020, play in a bubble.
Every NBA team lost huge revenue this past season due to the pandemic. The National Basketball Association will give teams $30 million to make up for some of the shortfall. It’s not nearly enough, but it is enough of a commitment for squads like Milwaukee and the Lakers to sign Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis to max, long-term deals.
A hand out like $30 million is the type that could help small market teams like the Royals, Pirates, and Reds. That won’t happen, of course. Baseball is all about taking care of yourself, which is why there really isn’t a salary cap.
Not that it matters. Eventually, teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, and Blue Jays will fold and shell out gigantic contracts to players they believe will help them win the World Series.
The top four free agents, George Springer, Trevor Bauer, DJ LeMahieu, and J.T. Realmuto, will get massive deals. They just won’t get them before the New Year.
Braves World Series odds take a hit while Dodgers continue to show underlay favoritism
Odds on the Atlanta Braves to win the World Series dropped from +1100 to +900. There are a couple of reasons for that. First, the Braves signed Charlie Morton.
The Braves envision Morton as the second starter behind Max Fried. Mike Soroka and Ian Anderson, the third and fourth players in the rotation, have ace pitcher stuff. Also, the Braves had the Dodgers on the ropes before imploding.
But the Dodgers remain the underlay favorite. If you want to know why Los Angeles is at +400, consider that Trevor Bauer, the top free agent pitcher this off season, has mentioned moving to L.A. for a year.
If Bauer does end up in Hollywood, the odds on the Dodgers will drop to around +250, putting them in Laker territory to win the NBA title. The +400 represents the belief that Trevor will sign with LAD for a single season and not that he actually did sign.
If you like the Dodgers, jump on them at the +400 become overlay odds. LAD’s management has a knack for getting what it wants. If Bauer ends up in Big Blue and changes his address to Chavez-Ravine, the +400 will look like a lottery ticket.
MLB Baseball Betting News
Odds and Lines: Baseball Betting | Conference Odds | World Series Odds
- Atlanta Braves Betting Prediction: Road to the MLB 2024 Season
- Milwaukee Brewers Betting Prediction: Road to the MLB 2024 Season
- Current MLB Betting Odds: American League and National League Division Leaders for 2024 Season
- Detroit Tigers Odds and Betting Analysis Before 2024 MLB Season Start
- 2024 Philadelphia Phillies Odds and Betting Analysis Before Season Start