MLB 4/1/18

TOR -110 (3u) W

CIN +125 (3u) L

STL -145 (2u) W

PIT GM1 +100 (2u) W

Sunday Night Baseball:

SF +1.5 -115 (2u) L / over 7.5 -115 (2u) W

MLB 3/31/18

Early games:

PIT +100 (3u) PPD

STL +110 (3u) L

TOR -105 (3u) W

CIN +1.5 -120 (2u) L

OAK +100 (2u) L

Late games:

TB +115 (2u) L

MIN -115 (2u) W

Futures - World Series

All lines taken from Nitro on 3/27.

The main criteria that I look for World Series winner is their likelihood of winning the division. With the way the Wild Card set up was changed several years ago, the sudden death play-in game makes it difficult to back any team that doesn't have a relatively clear path of winning their division outright. Also, pitching wins championships so I tend to prefer teams with the elite top of the rotation pitchers rather than the offensive powerhouse that could get cold during the final stretch. That being said, my pick for the 2018 World Series champion...

Boston Red Sox to win the World Series +1200 (2u)

This shouldn't come as a surprise if you read my two previous posts, but I like the Red Sox to win the AL East and even if they don't, I like the AL Cy Young favorite Chris Sale to win me the play-in game. At odds over +1000, it also gives me the option to hedge out in the ALCS or the World Series for a nice profit. 

Side bets:

Washington Nationals to win the World Series +1000 (1u)

New York Mets to win the World Series +2900 (0.5u)

Futures - Division Winners

All lines taken from Nitro on 3/27. Placing 5u on each.

Boston Red Sox to win AL East +180

I love the value with the Red Sox here with the general public flocking towards the Yankees with Judge and Stanton. Boston's projected W/L puts them at just 2 wins behind New York with their marquee signing of JD Martinez. This division race will be the one to watch all season long and I don't mind grabbing the Red Sox at +180.

Los Angeles Dodgers to win NL West -185

Even though I mentioned several different ways the Dodgers won't reach their season win total, I don't see a scenario where they aren't winning the NL West. The Giants and Padres won't be competitive and the Rockies and Diamondbacks still aren't considered serious contenders even though they made the playoffs last year. They're projected to win the division by double digit games and I'm surprised this line isn't closer to -300. Even with all of the injury concerns, this price is too good to pass up for the Dodgers to win the division again.

Chicago Cubs to win NL Central -175

Another value bet similar to the Dodgers, with the Cubs signing Darvish this offseason and will presumably fix his pitch tipping issues that plagued him in the World Series. They have a 9 game difference in the projected standings with the Cardinals, and the other 3 teams in their division are expected to finish below .500. At -175 there's enough value for me to take the Cubs to win the Central behind their young core. 

Futures - Season Win Totals

All lines taken from Nitro/MyBookie on 3/27. 

San Francisco Giants - under 83.5 wins (5u) -182 [Nitro]

This is easily my favorite futures play for 2018. The Giants finished 2017 tied for the worst record in the MLB due to several key injuries and lackluster performances from just about everyone on their roster. They made some big splashes this offseason by signing some former all-stars who are past their primes in McCutchen and Longoria but still have some question marks in the back of their rotation and their bullpen, both of which were strengths during their World Series runs earlier this decade. In the final week of spring training, the Giants also lost Bumgarner to a fractured finger on his throwing hand and Samardzija to a pectoral strain after posting a double digit ERA over four Cactus League starts. With the core of the team well past their primes and their entire starting lineup featuring just ONE player under the age of 29 (!!!), the Giants shouldn't be expected to have a bounce back season as many expect, especially in a tough division.

Los Angeles Dodgers - under 97.5 wins (4u) -182 [Nitro]

The Dodgers were 9 innings away from their first championship since 1988 but came up just short to an Astros team that came up clutch in crucial situations. They may be the best NL team on paper this upcoming season but they should be prime candidates for regression, at least regarding regular season wins. All 5 pitchers in the starting rotation spent time on the DL last season due to various injuries, with their ace Kershaw dealing with back stiffness which is likely to flare up at some point this season. The Dodgers will be careful with him this season as they prepares for another deep playoff run and can't afford to begin October without him. With Hill nearing 40 years of age and the myriad of injury concerns with this team, it's tough to rely on another 100 win campaign from the Dodgers. Their Pythagorean W/L is pegged at only 93 wins so I'll gladly grab the under here. 

New York Mets - over 81.5 wins (4u) -118 [Nitro]

The Mets had by far the most talent lost to DL stints last year and look to bounce back in what should be by far the weakest division in baseball. They'll get to play 3 of the worst 9 teams in the league (Phillies/Braves/Marlins) a total of 57 games this season, with the Marlins expected to be the worst team in the league at 64 projected wins. They also shored up their bullpen quite a bit so with just a little bit of luck with the DL, Syndergaard and DeGrom should be able to carry this team to at least a .500 record.

Boston Red Sox - over 90.5 wins (3u) -167 [Nitro]

Everyone's clamoring over the Yankees' acquisition of last year's MVP Stanton but the Red Sox made plenty of moves this offseason to hang in there with their rivals. They have a ton of young talent mixed with veteran leadership, and should once again be one of the most exciting teams to watch in the league this season. Behind AL Cy Young favorite Chris Sale, I like the Red Sox to exceed their projected win total in a relatively weak AL East this season. 

New York Yankees - under 94.5 wins (3u) +114 [MyBookie]

The Yankees are going to be all over ESPN this year with Judge and Stanton, but last year was Stanton's 3rd healthy season in his 8 year career and Judge has looked vulnerable for long stretches of last season with his 4th worst K% in the league. With a shaky starting rotation and a bullpen that showed signs of inconsistency last postseason, I'm fading all the hype surrounding this team and taking the under on the Bronx Bombers. 

Miami Marlins - over 64.0 wins (3u) +111 [MyBookie]

This one is a little tough to swallow since the Marlins, at least on paper, look like the worst team in the league by far. They shipped off most of their talent under the new Jeter regime and will feature zero players over the age of 30 in their starting lineup on Opening Day. That being said, they benefit from playing in the weakest division in baseball as mentioned above, and I'm willing to buy low on the bad news with all the negative drama surrounding this team's offseason sale.