Major League Baseball is set to start the 2021 regular season with a normal 162-game schedule after a 60-game 2020 season and an expanded postseason format. This means that baseball’s regular season is back to a marathon, rather than a sprint, and so if you are considering MLB futures in your online betting, we have some thoughts about how you should proceed.
MLB News: 2021 Betting Tips
Should you bet on the favorites?
The Dodgers and the Yankees are the favorites in the National League and the American League, respectively. Given the fact that the Dodgers have appeared in three of the last four World Series, I see them as a lot stronger candidates to return to the Fall Classic this season. They have strengthened an already ironclad starting rotation. The Yankees added two major gambles to their rotation (Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon), so to me, there is a lot more room in the AL for a team to knock them off before the Series.
Who are the other top NL contenders?
On September 14 of last year, San Diego was just 1 ½ games back of the Dodgers. Then the Padres cooled off, dropping six of their last 11 games to finish the season, but they did make the playoffs. Adding three quality starters to their rotation makes them a much stronger contender in the senior circuit.
The Atlanta Braves had Darren O’Day, Shane Green and Mark Melancon leave the bullpen during the off-season and did not do much to replace them. They did bring Drew Smyly and Charlie Morton to the back of their rotation — and they got to Game 7 of the NLCS a year ago.
The Washington Nationals will have Stephen Strasburg back and healthy, and the team added Kyle Schwarber and Josh Bell to the lineup, so that Juan Soto will be able to get some quality pitches to hit. What will Carter Kieboom and Victor Robles do with their chances at the plate? Is Joe Ross a legitimate starting pitcher? Those questions will determine whether the Nats can contend.
The St. Louis Cardinals fleeced the Colorado Rockies to bring Nolan Arenado to town, which means the Cards have a solid 3-4-5 in their batting order, with Dylan Carlson and Paul Goldschmidt. With solid starting pitching, the Cardinals could win this division easily.
The Mets added Francisco Lindor, as the Cleveland Indians continue their fire sale, and they brought in James McCann to catch. Bringing Carlos Carrasco into the rotation was a touch that, suddenly, has the Mets interesting again.
Who are the other top AL contenders?
The White Sox are sitting now where the Astros were six years ago. They both have just finished a rebuild, and they have a ton of terrific young talent. Interestingly, both of those teams both had Dallas Keuchel. The Sox also added Lance Lynn to bolster their rotation in what may turn out to be the most underrated move of the off-season.
The Tampa Bay Rays caught lightning in a bottle last year and rolled to the World Series, but then Charlie Morton and Blake Snell left the rotation, leaving Chris Archer, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill as the Rays decided not to leverage one great season into another, instead deciding to cut costs. At the plate, though, Wander Franco and Randy Arozarena could make the team more competitive than you might think.
The Oakland A’s brought in Elvis Andrus and Adam Kolarek via trade, and they have added Mitch Moreland, Sergio Romo and Trevor Rosenthal. Houston took a step back with George Springer leaving town, so the A’s actually look like a favorite to win the AL West.
The Minnesota Twins brought back Nelson Cruz, and bringing in Andrelton Simmons to play shortstop solves a major defensive problem. J.A. Happ and Matt Shoemaker will eat up innings at the back of the starting rotation, and Alex Colome shores up the bullpen. The Twins will push the White Sox hard in the AL Central, and if the young Sox falter, the Twins will win the division.
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