Odds to Win the 2018 American and National League Pennants

Entering the 2018 MLB season, the odds to win the American League and National League pennants indicate that each league has three standout contenders. In the AL it’s the Astros (+270), Yankees (+325) and Indians (+350) who are separating themselves from the pack, while the Dodgers (+300), Cubs (+350) and Nationals (+375) are the clear favorites in the NL.

While any of those six teams is worthy of a wager to win its respective pennant, there’s a few teams that might not be on your radar that are providing fantastic bang for your buck. 2017 was a super chalky season, but I think we could be in for a few surprises this season.

Here’s my favorite sleeper picks to win a league championship in 2018 along with one GIGANTIC ripoff that you shouldn’t waste your money on:

American League Sleeper Picks

Twins +1400

No respect for the Twinkies. Well, calling them the Twinkies probably isn’t very respectful either, but among 2017’s AL playoff teams, they easily have the worst odds to win the pennant this year. Thanks to the Tigers going into extreme rebuild mode and the Royals pinching pennies and not re-upping with their star free agents, the Central is easily the AL’s shallowest division, which should give the Twins another shot to make a run at a playoff spot.

They’re essentially returning the same roster as last season and the lineup features a few breakout-star candidates in Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios. Yes, this team lacks the sexiness of the Yankees and Astros, but make no mistake about it, they’re trending in the right direction.

Blue Jays +1500

Of course, you are most likely thinking that Toronto doesn’t stand a chance of competing with the Red Sox and Yankees in the AL East. There’s no doubt about it, both of those teams are better on paper, but let’s not forget the Blue Jays are just a year removed from back-to-back appearances in the ALCS.

They are coming off a disappointing season in which everything that could have gone wrong did — most notably getting just 36 innings out of Aaron Sanchez, along with Josh Donaldson missing a significant chunk of time in the first half. Presuming those two all-stars are in for the long haul in 2018, expect the Jays to get back to their winning ways of 2015 and 2016.

Odds as of March 28 at Bovada

National League Sleeper and Ripoff Picks

Rockies +2000

Colorado is my favorite sleeper pick of 2018 and I expect the Rockies to look a lot more like the team that finished 13 games above .500 in 2017’s first half as opposed to the team that finished one game below .500 in the second half.

The National League’s best offense from last season shouldn’t miss a beat and it’s reasonable to expect the young starting rotation to show some progression. Pair those facts with a rebuilt bullpen and we have ourselves the makings of one of the most complete lineups in the game. Dethroning the defending NL champion Dodgers won’t be easy, but Colorado did have a winning record vs its divisional rival last season.

Giants +1500

No, San Francisco isn’t a sleeper, they’re the biggest scam in MLB betting entering the 2018 season. That might come off as a little harsh, but how does a team that finished tied for the most losses in baseball last season have the eighth-best odds to win the National League pennant?

Yes, the addition of Andrew McCutchen will help, but he’s hardly the MVP-caliber player that he was a few seasons ago. As for their other big offseason acquisition, Evan Longoria, he was 84th in WAR last season, ranking him among the likes of Matt Chapman and Yolmer Sanchez.

They’re already off to a bad start with Madison Bumgarner set to miss a chunk of time due to a fractured pinkie finger, so pump the brakes if you’re expecting them to improve by 25 wins and push for a playoff spot.

Odds as of March 28 at Bovada