MLB Futures: Best & Worst Values to Win 2019 AL Pennant

Pitchers and catchers have started to report, and with that, the 2019 MLB season is quickly approaching. We’re just over a month away from the first real games being played. While a few of the key free agents have yet to find a landing spot this offseason, we are here to provide an early look at MLB futures and odds for teams to win the 2019 AL and NL Pennants. To begin, we’ve asked our experts for their best and worst values to represent the American League in the 2019 World Series. Here’s a look at the odds for each AL club:

New York Yankees	11/4
Houston Astros	14/5
Boston Red Sox	3/1
Cleveland Indians	6/1
Oakland Athletics	15/1
Tampa Bay Rays	15/1
Chicago White Sox	20/1
Los Angeles Angels	30/1
Minnesota Twins	35/1
Texas Rangers	100/1
Toronto Blue Jays	100/1
Kansas City Royals	250/1
Seattle Mariners	250/1
Baltimore Orioles	500/1
Detroit Tigers	500/1

Best value to win 2019 AL Pennant

New York Yankees: 11/4
“I was expecting the Astros or Red Sox to be the favorite, but Vegas has it correct here. New York may not win the most games, but they have the best playoff team in MLB this year. They have power coming out their ears, but more importantly, they carry the single best bullpen in MLB history and that isn’t hyperbole. That will go a long way to cover for their mediocre rotation in a short series.”
– Bobby Sylvester (@bobbyfantasypro)

“At 11/4 or 2.75 to 1, the New York Yankees are my best value pick. I was a little disappointed in the odds but it shows that the Yankees are indeed the betting favorites to win the AL pennant. With a bullpen they can bully people with, the Yankees’ starters will not be required to pitch deep into games. While they have not made the big-splash addition this offseason, they have added some impact pieces in DJ LeMahieu, Troy Tulowitzki, Adam Ottavino, and Zach Britton. I am aware that they do not stand out like an underdog play would, but the purpose of my exercise is to find the best value for my money. To me, that means getting a return on my investment and actually winning my futures bet. The Yankees have some heavy competition for the pennant, namely from the Houston Astros and defending champ Boston Red Sox. The depth of the Yankees puts them over the top as they will be able to continue to thrive despite key injuries. My favorite longshot bet is Tampa Bay who will likely not even finish first in their own division, negating the upside of a possible play. In an AL East where winning the division often means winning the pennant, the Yankees are the play here.”
– Raju Byfield (@FantasyContext)

Tampa Bay Rays: 15/1
“When thinking about a value pick to win the pennant, I wanted to find a team in either a weak division or one that could do damage as a wildcard. The Twins and Athletics were certainly on my mind, but I’m going to pick the Rays for this one. While some teams are playing checkers, the Rays are out there playing chess with their pitching rotation…and it just got better with the addition of Charlie Morton from the Astros. Morton has held his SIERA under 4.00 in every season since 2013, and the only real concern with him has been his health. Joining the Rays is the perfect solution, as their analytical approach will lead to fewer, but more effective innings from the injury-prone right-hander. The Rays finished last season tied for 10th in FiveThirtyEight’s ELO rankings, were tied for third in the league with a 0.630 home record and were one of the best teams over the past decade to not make the playoffs. If either the Red Sox or Yankees don’t keep their foot on the pedal, the Rays are going to make them pay.”
– Nick Zylak (@nickzylakFFA)

Oakland Athletics: 15/1
“I would have chosen Tampa Bay but their path to the playoffs is exponentially more difficult than Oakland. Barring a total collapse, Boston and New York have more than enough talent to lock up the AL East and home-field advantage in the Wild Card round. So I’m going with Oakland here. Arguably one of the best power lineups in all of baseball, the A’s shouldn’t run into any issues scoring runs in 2019. Khris Davis, Matt Olson, and Matt Chapman should all hit over 30 home runs if they stay healthy. Plus, Jed Lowrie was an absolute stud in the middle of their lineup, totaling a 4.8 WAR in 2018. If he can replicate anything remotely close to that level of production in 2019 then Oakland should find themselves atop a sub-par AL West once again. I don’t love their starting rotation, but they will get Sean Manaea back from injury around the All-Star break and I would be surprised if they didn’t attempt to make a move for an additional starting pitcher if they are contending for the playoffs around that time. At 15/1, I’m not saying they are going to win the pennant. But they should find themselves in the thick of the playoff hunt if they remain healthy. Their lineup is good enough to carry them into the playoffs, but they will likely have to make a move to acquire better pitching if this ticket is going to cash.”
– Shane Davies (@sbdavies7)

Worst value to win 2019 AL Pennant

Chicago White Sox: 20/1
“There will surely be plenty of chumps jumping on this bet with the expectation that the White Sox will be significantly better. While that may be true, that doesn’t mean they have enough to get past the Indians even if they do land Machado or Harper. What’s more, is that they would somehow have to beat a combo of the Astros, Yankees and Red Sox too. To be frank, it ain’t happenin’.”
– Bobby Sylvester (@bobbyfantasypro)

Los Angeles Angels: 30/1
“The Angels are the definition of mediocre. Ohtani is an exciting part of their future, but he’s only going to be hitting this season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. While a Trout/Ohtani combo is scary to begin a lineup with, the rest of their lineup is nothing more than average. The Lucroy signing is a lateral move at catcher…Simmons, Fletcher, and Pujols all project below a 100 wRC+…and they don’t have a single starter that projects for below a 4.00 xFIP according to Steamer. Not only would they need to beat the Astros to win the division but also an up and coming Athletics team. And that’s just their own division. They would also need to beat at least two of Boston, New York, and Cleveland. You might as well donate to charity instead of giving your money away with this bet.”
– Nick Zylak (@nickzylakFFA)

Toronto Blue Jays: 100/1
“The Toronto Blue Jays are my selection for the worst value futures bet. The Jays have no chance to win their division, never mind the pennant. The fact that they are only 100/1 when they will finish no better than fourth in their own division is mind-boggling. GM Ross Atkins continues to push the envelope down the line actively bludgeoning the clubs chances of competing in 2019. As a club paying $35 million to Troy Tulowitzki and Russell Martin not to play for them, the Jays are going nowhere fast. They also jettisoned their best player in former MVP Josh Donaldson last August to Atkins’ former club in the Cleveland Indians. At 500/1, where they should be listed, the Blue Jays still would not present a good value. At a poorly set line of 100/1, the Blue Jays are not a play anyone should be considering.”
– Raju Byfield (@FantasyContext)