Michigan sports bettors are about a month away from Opening Day of the 2024 Major League Baseball season, and that means there’s plenty of action available on top sportsbooks.
We have your full rundown of the teams favored to win the World Series and who the real contenders and pretenders are. In Michigan, the Detroit Tigers have constructed an intriguing roster of young talent and are expected to be in the mix for the AL Central title.
The biggest storyline of the 2024 MLB season is the Los Angeles Dodgers. They signed the biggest free agent in history: Shohei Ohtani, even though Ohtani won’t be able to pitch this season and star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a record 12-year, $325-million deal from Japan.
FanDuel has the Dodgers (+375) to win the World Series, followed by the Braves, Astros, Yankees and Orioles.
BetMGM has the same four teams at the top with the Dodgers (+360) leading the way.
BetRivers has the Dodgers as the favorite at +375, followed by the Braves, Astros and then the Orioles.
On paper, the Dodgers have one of the best line-ups Major League Baseball has ever seen with Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and now Ohtani in the mix. The rotation looks strong. The Dodgers also brought in Tyler Glasnow from the Rays on a big deal to join Walker Buehler.
But playoff baseball has been cruel to the Dodgers lately. LA last won the World Series in 2020 (Covid season). In 2021, they won 106 games and lost in the NLCS to the Braves. In 2022 and 2023, they won over 100 games but lost in the NLDS each time.
The Braves are still in the Dodgers way in the NL. Atlanta features reigning NL Most Valuable Player Ronald Ocuna Jr. and ace Spencer Strider. If any team can match the Dodgers, it’s Atlanta.
The Astros won the World Series in 2022 and are still the dominant team in the AL. Star Jose Altuve just signed a big deal, and Houston still has sluggers Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez.
It wouldn’t be baseball season without some talk of the Yankees, right? The Yankees went out and got slugger Juan Soto from the Padres. He’s on a one-year deal before he becomes a free agent and expects to break the bank. Soto joins Aaron Judge to create a fearsome line-up, and the Yankees have AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole to lead the staff.
Oh, by the way, the Rangers didn’t exactly lose a lot after winning the World Series last year, but star Corey Seager is dealing with a hernia and may not play until Opening Day. Remember, Texas won it all last year without star pitcher Jacob deGrom, who is expected back sometime this summer.
Born and raised in Louisiana, Darren Cooper has a fond appreciation for bayous, Mardi Gras beads and the sports betting industry. Darren has worked for multiple print and online publications since 1998, primarily as a sports columnist in the Northeast. He’s covered a Super Bowl (it was a blowout), the World Series (same) and the NBA Draft (man, those guys are tall). For the last few years he’s dug deep into the sports gambling industry as it exploded across America, learning how the legal sausage is made and how while all the sportsbooks look the same, they all have different identities and styles. He’s learned to always bet within his means -- and take the under. When not in front of his computer creating, Darren spends time with his three boys. He runs, reads and is always looking for the next big thing to write about.
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