2023 Odds To Win American League: Astros Early Favorites

It’s baseball season again, which means it’s time to break down the chase for the American League pennant.

After the Astros took home the AL crown and won the World Series last year, online sportsbooks once again have Houston as the top dog in odds to win the American League. The Astros are followed by the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners to round out the top four on the oddsboard.

2023 Odds To Win The American League

Odds as of March 27, 2023

For the second season in a row, the Astros open as AL favorites and our odds calculator tells us their +300 odds represent an implied probability of 25.00 percent that Houston will take home the AL pennant again in 2023. If you’re more interested in the other side of the bracket, check out our 2023 odds to win the National League.

Yankees Battle Astros For AL Crown

Last year, the Yankees and Astros slugged it out in the AL for most of the season and were two of the top teams in World Series odds for the entire year. With Aaron Judge re-signed in New York and the Astros looking as dominant as ever, we’re probably looking at a heavyweight rematch again in 2023.

It’s hard to tell where the Yankees will land this year. With a full season of Harrison Bader, the addition of Carlos Rodon to the rotation, and top prospect Anthony Volpe set to debut, you could make the argument this year’s Bronx Bombers should be better than 2022’s. But, a lot went right for New York last year, including a historic season by Aaron Judge and consistent health across the board for one of the oldest teams in baseball.

While the Yankees could fluctuate anywhere between 88 and 100-plus wins, the Astros are more of a sure thing. Even with Justin Verlander leaving, the Astros still have Cy Young candidates like Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier. They also added 2020 AL MVP Jose Abreu to a lineup that already contained Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena and Alex Bregman. It’s the consistency and unmatched depth that makes this Astros team the squad to beat.

He’s here and he’s perfect. pic.twitter.com/Jt6zu7NGCa

— Apollo Dez (@ApolloDez1) February 28, 2023

AL Pennant Odds Sleeper Pick: Cleveland Guardians +1000

The Guardians won 92 games last year, clinching their division by 11 wins and making it to the ALDS on the back of dominant pitching and a scrappy lineup.

This Cleveland squad will be carried by a big three in the rotation of Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill. All three pitchers posted ERAs under 3.40 last year and gave the Guardians over 185 innings. In a weaker AL Central, that trio alone should carry the Guardians to the top. But they also have an underrated lineup with Jose Ramirez supplying the star power and guys like Steven Kwan, Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez sneaking under the radar as some of the game’s best young bats.

They may not boast the same name power as the Astros or Yankees, but this Guardians team will almost certainly make the playoffs, and they have the right mix of pitching and bats to make a deep run.

How To Bet On AL Pennant Odds

When you visit your sportsbook of choice, you’ll see an option to bet on the AL pennant odds futures, which is a long-term bet on which team will represent the American League in the World Series. You would see odds listed like this:

The lower down the oddsboard, the less likely the odds deem the team to win, but the bigger payout you get if they do. If you were to bet $100 on the Rays in these futures and they won the AL, you’d get a payout of $1,600 – your original $100 is returned, along with your winnings of $1,500. On the other hand, the same bet amount on the Astros or Yankees would give you a payout of $475 – you get your $100 back, plus the winnings of $375. Our odds calculator can help you determine how much you’d pocket depending on the odds and the amount bet.