This year’s MLB trade deadline delivered in a big way, with winners and losers no one could have predicted back on Opening Day. Today we’re checking back in with MLB Odds and three best MLB bets we like post-trade deadline as the playoffs get closer. The wagers below are all available at the best online sportsbooks.
The New York Mets were the big story this year — the most expensive and disappointing team in the league offloading some of their biggest contracts to launch a rebuild in the middle of the year.
Some teams at the top, like the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, and LA Dodgers, made solid decisions that kept them in a solid position.
Other teams lower down the odds boards, like the Baltimore Orioles, saw their odds shorten significantly after the trade deadline. The Orioles’ odds to win the World Series went from +2500 at the All-Star Break to +1200 on Aug. 1.
Then there are teams that went the other way. The Arizona Diamondbacks saw their odds for the World Series go from +2500 to +5000. The Mets also saw their odds for this year drop from +6600 to +10,000, but that’s what happens when you decide to rebuild. They have their sights set on a few years down the road.
Here are three bets we like when it comes to the postseason. Before you make these wagers check out the top sports betting bonuses and use those to your advantage.
Houston Astros to Win the ALCS
The Tampa Bay Rays have held onto the top position in the odds to win the ALCS, but we like a pick for the Astros. The defending champs won in a big way at the trade deadline, reclaiming three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander. Verlander was with the Astros when they won the World Series in 2017 and 2022.
They also just got MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez and former MVP Jose Altuve back from the IL. Of course, they also had to deal out a few young talents to get 40-year-old Verlander. But the trade benefits them in the short term — this year — which is what these odds are about.
Now he joins a formidable pitching rotation led by Framber Valdez, who pitched a no-hitter the day they traded for Verlander. The rotation also includes rookie J.P. France, who is putting up an ERA of 2.75, and Cristian Javier, who is 7-2.
Here are the odds for the Astros to win the ALCS at the major sportsbooks.
Chicago Cubs to Win the NL Central
The Cubs are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, at just the right time in the season.
Since the trade deadline, the Cubs have lost just one of six games. They defeated the team with the best record in baseball, the Atlanta Braves, taking the series 2-1.
Going into the trade deadline, the Cubs were on an eight-game win streak, which turned them into buyers instead of sellers. Some feel they made the wrong decision not to offload Marcus Stroman and Cody Bellinger for their max value, but they seem to be opting for an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” strategy.
Seems they were right. In their 6-4 win against the Braves on Sunday, Aug. 6, Bellinger hit a double in the bottom of the fifth to put the Cubs up 5-3. Now the Cubs are inching up on the Milwaukee Brewers, just 1.5 games behind the NL Central leaders.
Atlanta Braves to Win the World Series
Here’s a bet that hasn’t changed since the trade deadline. The Atlanta Braves simply look unbeatable in the World Series picture this year, despite their recent loss to the red-hot Cubs.
The Braves avoided shaking up too much in the trade deadline. They’ve already got the NL MVP front-runner Ronald Acuña Jr. leading a stellar clubhouse. Matt Olson leads the NL in home runs and RBIs, and Spencer Strider leads the league in strikeouts. Max Fried is back from the IL in superior form.
At this point, the World Series is the Braves’ to lose.
