Odds To Win The AL Pennant: Pinstripes Leading The Charge

The chalk is about to be laid on the diamonds with the MLB schedule right around the corner. After the gigantic signing of Gerrit Cole, the New York Yankees are favored to win the 2020 American League pennant at +165. This coincides with the Yanks also being the early favorites to win the 2020 World Series.

Online sportsbook Bovada has the Bronx Bombers as the +165 favorites to secure the AL pennant, followed by the Houston Astros at +250, the Boston Red Sox at +850, the Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays at +1000, the Minnesota Twins at +1200 and the Oakland Athletics at +1400 to round out the top teams on the oddsboard.

Here’s a look at the NL pennant odds.

Why Are The Yankees Favored?

In what may come as a bit of a surprise, although New York has won the most AL pennants (40), the Yankees haven’t won one since 2009. That said, the Yanks have competed for the pennant four times over that span, including last year when they fell to Houston in six games in the ALCS. If you can’t beat ‘em, take one of their best pitchers, I guess, and that’s what the Bronx Bombers did by signing 2019 AL Cy Young runner-up Gerrit Cole, who played with the Astros last year. Pitching was a bit of an issue last season for the Yanks, whose starters ranked 15th in the league in ERA at 4.51. Perhaps the biggest factor was the loss of ace Luis Severino, limited by injury to only three starts in the regular season.

Injuries were an issue all over for the Yankees in 2019, with sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton missing large chunks of the season, yet they scored the most runs and slugged the second-most homers in the majors. With a healthy Severino and with the addition of Cole to the front end of that rotation, this Yankees team is very well-balanced and will be tough to knock off.

What Team is Providing Better Value?

This may be a bit of a shock but a team that could be extremely feisty and the team I’m eyeing to have a breakout season is the Chicago White Sox at +1600. The South Siders have a very underrated rotation, bringing in Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez in the offseason to slot in around young arms Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and 2014 first-rounder Michael Kopech. The bullpen is an area of concern for me, but that could be addressed via trades in the season if they are a playoff contender come July.

Offensively, the White Sox brought in catcher Yasmani Grandal, outfielder Nomar Mazara and designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion via free agency, adding 81 home runs to a club that hit the sixth-fewest dingers last season. Throw in young power hitters in Eloy Jimenez and Yoan Moncada and you have a dangerous lineup to combine with their underrated pitching staff. A sub-.500 club in recent times, this team should turn heads early and at +1600 I think they are providing fantastic value.

For more betting information, check out our MLB page.

Here’s a look at the full list of odds for the 2020 American League pennant:

Odds as of January 11 at Bovada