MLB best bets to make/miss the postseason
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At this time of year, it's easy to be swept away by the peak of the college basketball season, as well as the NHL and NBA playoff races, but spring training is in full force and MLB Opening Day is rapidly approaching.
A new season means a clean slate for all 30 teams vying for a spot in the postseason. With the MLB playoff field changing from year to year, there's a lot of value to be found in betting on which teams will and won't be playing October baseball this season.
| Team | No | Yes |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks | -220 | +180 |
| Atlanta Braves | -110 | -110 |
| Baltimore Orioles | -5000 | +2000 |
| Boston Red Sox | -250 | +210 |
| Chicago Cubs | -180 | +160 |
| Chicago White Sox | -225 | +185 |
| Cincinnati Reds | -200 | +170 |
| Cleveland Indians | -170 | +150 |
| Colorado Rockies | -1000 | +700 |
| Detroit Tigers | -5000 | +2000 |
| Houston Astros | +290 | -350 |
| Kansas City Royals | -2500 | +1400 |
| Los Angeles Angels | -220 | +180 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +2000 | -5000 |
| Miami Marlins | -2500 | +1400 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | -300 | +250 |
| Minnesota Twins | +185 | -225 |
| New York Mets | -145 | +125 |
| New York Yankees | +1400 | -4000 |
| Oakland Athletics | -145 | +125 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | -230 | +190 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | -1500 | +1000 |
| San Diego Padres | -290 | +245 |
| San Francisco Giants | -1500 | +1000 |
| Seattle Mariners | -1250 | +800 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | -130 | +110 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +100 | -120 |
| Texas Rangers | -500 | +400 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | -800 | +600 |
| Washington Nationals | +105 | -125 |
Arizona Diamondbacks - Yes (+180)
The Diamondbacks might be the best team no one is talking about heading into the season. There are a handful of clubs that were busy this offseason and are getting a ton of praise heading into 2020, so why not the DBacks? They added Starling Marte and Kole Calhoun to an already potent lineup that features the vastly underappreciated Ketel Marte and Eduardo Escobar, but their rotation is even more impressive.
Acquired at last season's trade deadline, Zac Gallen put together a terrific campaign and is a prime breakout candidate heading into the season. He joins a deep rotation that also added Madison Bumgarner this offseason. In a weak NL West, Arizona's a good bet to reach 90 wins and clinch a postseason berth.
Cincinnati Reds - Yes (+170)
Only the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals allowed fewer runs in the National League last season than the Reds, who have a playoff-worthy rotation anchored by a pair of Cy Young candidates in Luis Castillo and Trevor Bauer. Cincinnati pitchers are going to miss a lot of bats this season.
The Reds' issue last year was scoring runs, but they addressed that problem in a close to flawlessly executed offseason. Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos were brought in over the winter and will be injected straight into the heart of a suddenly lethal lineup that includes home run king Eugenio Suarez and exciting youngsters Nick Senzel, Jesse Winker, and Aristides Aquino. The sky is the limit for Cincinnati in a wide-open NL Central.
Minnesota Twins - No (+185)
There aren't a ton of new faces on the Twins this year, who lost valuable production with the departures of C.J. Cron, Jonathan Schoop, Kyle Gibson, and Martin Perez. Josh Donaldson and Kenta Maeda were brought in, but at 34 years old, Donaldson will be hard-pressed to replicate last campaign's numbers - his best season since 2016 - and Maeda has averaged just 138 innings pitched over the last three seasons. It's also unrealistic to expect another 41 home run and 108 RBI campaign from Nelson Cruz, who turns 40 on July 1.
This isn't to say the Twins are a bad baseball team, because they aren't. Yet, it's reasonable to expect them to take a step back this season in the AL Central, especially with the Chicago White Sox drastically improved and in a legitimate position to pip them to the top of the division.
Oakland Athletics - Yes (+125)
The Athletics are one of my favorite teams heading into this season. They have all the makings of not just a playoff team, but a serious World Series contender. There are no weak spots in their lineup which boasts some serious power and should be even better this season with Ramon Laureano healthy, Matt Olson a full year removed from a hamate fracture, and Khris Davis primed for a bounce back.
All that means is plenty of run support for a rotation with boundless potential. Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas are poised to enter the conversation of MLB's elite pitchers, while there's a lot to like about the young arms of Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk - two more breakout candidates. There's enough talent on this Oakland team to challenge the Houston Astros for the AL West crown, and make a deep postseason run.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.