2023 MLB Playoffs Betting Odds

In 1903 the Boston Americans defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first-ever World Series championship.

The original playoff format for MLB back in those days was to simply have the American League and National League send their best team at the end of the regular season directly to the World Series.

This format continued until 1969 when each league was split up into regional divisions.

The new playoff format expanded to have two American League teams and two National League teams play each other, with the winners of each series meeting in the Fall Classic.

In 1995, MLB once again expanded the playoff format by adding a third division. Because three division winners make for an uneven number of teams, they also added a wild card team to the playoff mix, meaning each league would have four teams make the playoffs.

In 2012, as an effort to increase more excitement for fans, MLB expanded again, adding another wild card team to the playoff mix.

In 2022, for the first time in MLB history, the National League and the American League will each send six teams to the playoffs. There will be three division winners and three wild card spots up for grab this season.

With six available playoff spots up for grabs in each league, let’s dive into the 2022 MLB Playoff odds and see what teams are expected to be playing October baseball and of course which teams are not.

2023 MLB Playoffs Betting Odds

Favorites

Los Angeles Dodgers – The Los Angeles Dodgers trail only the New York Yankees as the franchise that has made the most playoff appearances in MLB history.

However, if we look at just the past 10 seasons, no team can match the nine postseason appearances the Dodgers have made.

Despite winning 106 games last year, Los Angeles failed to win their division and qualified only as a wild card team.

This year, the Dodgers are the betting favorite to win the NL West division and most expect them to be playing baseball in October, very few expect them to enter as a wild card team again.

Houston Astros – The Houston Astros have won four of the last five AL West division titles. In 2020, the Oakland Athletics surprised many when they claimed the West crown during the shortened 60-game season.

With Oakland in full-on rebuild mode, that leaves Seattle and Los Angeles as the two most likely teams to push Houston in the West.

Both teams did upgrade over the offseason and any team that has Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on it will be good. But is LA good enough to catch Houston and win the West this year? The odds suggest no.

Chicago White Sox – In 2020, the White Sox snapped a drought of 11 seasons without a playoff appearance. In 2021, the Sox won the AL Central division for the first time since 2008.

With a lineup full of young stars, nobody was surprised Chicago took home the Central crown last year and nobody will be surprised if they repeat in 2022.

The Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians are both stuck in the middle of a rebuild. However, the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers spent a lot of money this past offseason in hopes of bridging the gap between themselves and the White Sox.

Chicago will be pushed more this year than last. It will be fun to see if the Tigers or Twins did enough to catch them.

Contenders

Toronto Blue Jays – The Toronto Blue Jays missed out on last year’s playoffs by a single game. Instead, they watched division rivals Tampa Bay, New York, and Boston all make it in.

Once again the AL East is expected to be the strongest division in all of baseball.

Toronto had an offseason that saw them lose reigning Cy Young winner Robbie Ray and MVP candidate Marcus Semien.

The Blue Jays did add Kevin Gausman and Matt Champman to replace Ray and Semien and they expect a full season from George Springer.

Will it be enough to make the playoffs while playing in the deepest division in baseball? I vote yes, but might be biased as I live in Toronto.

New York Yankees – If the New York Yankees don’t make the playoffs this year, it won’t be because they didn’t spend enough money.

Once again New York is near the top of the MLB payroll list. Last year all that money earned them a wild card spot they didn’t lock up until the last game of the regular season.

The biggest news for New York this past offseason was the lack of progress made between the club and Aaron Judge on a long-term contract.

Judge might be motivated to have a huge year with free agency staring him in the face. An extra-motivated Judge could be the difference between New York getting in the playoffs or sitting out the October schedule.

It could also make for a good futures AL MVP bet, but that is a different article.

Atlanta Braves – Last year the Atlanta Braves lost Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuna during the season, replacing them with Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler.

With no disrespect to Mr. Rosario or Mr.Soler, they are no Ozuna and Acuna.

With both Acuna and Ozuna back in the lineup this year, it’s hard to think a team that has made the postseason in four consecutive years will take a step back this year unless of course you have New York Mets fever and believe there is a new sheriff in the NL East division now.

Spoiler alert – we don’t.

Longshots

Minnesota Twins – The Minnesota Twins finished with an AL Central worst 73 wins last year, but went out and dropped $105 million on a new shortstop, Carlos Correa.

The Twins roster is full of potential and if everything were to go right, a path to the playoffs might be possible.

Byron Buxton showed he has superstar potential, before getting hurt last year. Will he find a way to stay on the field? Can Gary Sanchez recapture his old form in a new uniform?

Can Sonny Gray take the bump 30 times in a season and be the Twins ace?

The answer is definitely maybe to all of those questions and if all three happen, the Twins could go from worst to first by the end of this year.

Los Angeles Angels – I’m going to go out on a limb here and say not many opposing pitchers will be excited to take the mound when the Angels roll out a lineup with both Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout at the top of the order.

Anthony Rendon is only a couple of years removed from being a part of the NL MVP conversation and could be in line for a big bounce-back season. Jared Walsh put up impressive numbers in his first full 162 game season.

Los Angeles could at least have Houston looking over their shoulder in the NL West race.

MLB Playoff Odds Betting Strategy

MLB Playoff odds betting is all about being able to predict the future.

We don’t have any secrets that will guarantee you what the future looks like, but we do have some thoughts and ideas about being a successful futures bettor.

When it comes to betting on MLB Playoff odds and predicting whether a team will or will not make the playoffs, the first thing you have to do is invest some time and effort into doing your research.

There are some amazing resources available to help with this process, we like to start with FanGraphs.com.

Finding sources who provide predictive data on how many games a team will win is a great way to give yourself an understanding of whether they have a realistic shot at a playoff spot.

Last year in the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays finished sixth overall with a record of 91 wins and 71 losses. Now we have an idea of how many wins it takes to make the playoffs.

The secret sauce is obviously up to you. We can find data telling us what teams are “expected” to do this year based on other people’s algorithms, but what do you think?

Is Carlos Correa the final piece Minnesota needed to claim one of the three wild card spots? Or is Correa not enough of a difference-maker to help Minny take such a big leap?

If you are on the side that thinks Correa brings great value to the Twins, then Minnesota at +180 to reach the playoffs might be the bet for you.

How To Bet On MLB Playoff Odds

If you live in a State or Province that has legalized sports betting, then every legal operator licensed in your area will offer this type of MLB futures bet.

Once you have navigated your way to the MLB section of your sportsbook, simply click on the futures tab you should then see this bet, along with several other long-term MLB futures bets, such as League MVPs, teams to make World Series, and others.

Most MLB Playoff Appearances All-Time

Franchise	Total Appearances
New York Yankees	57
Los Angeles Dodgers (Brooklyn)	35
St. Louis Cardinals	31
Oakland Athletics (Philadelphia / KC)	29
Atlanta Braves (Milwaukee / Boston)	27
San Francisco Giants (New York)	27
Boston Red Sox	25
Chicago Cubs	21
Minnesota Twins (Washington)	17
Pittsburgh Pirates	17