AL Pennant Current Odds: Who's the Favorite?

When you have a season that runs 162 games long, you are going to see fortunes swing back and forth, sometimes rather dramatically

AL Pennant Odds | MLB Expert Analysis on Top Teams to Win the American League

No team, no matter how good they are, can maintain a high level of performance for that long without having some dips in form. The ability to keep slumps to a minimum is what tends to separate the teams that win divisions and make the playoffs from the rest of the pack, We are still in the very early stages of the new season, so we still have to wonder of the teams who are unexpectedly underperforming are just slow out of the gate, or whether it is the sign of a bigger issue. Similarly, teams who are playing unexpectedly well may struggle to stay near the top when reality kicks in. That is all a roundabout way of saying that the odds we are going to discuss today will change as the season progresses, but for now, let’s take a look at the current odds to win the AL pennant.

New York Yankees +370

We have said countless times before that it’s never a good idea to get too up or down about the performance of any team in the very early part of the season. Despite that, a lot of people were quick to jump on the Yankees bandwagon after they came storming out of the gate and straight to the top of the AL East. They have cooled off of late, going just 5-5 over their last 10 games, and now it suddenly looks as though winning the division is going to be as tough as we expected. In fairness, the Yankees 15-8 record is not to be sneezed at, and while they might not get on the same type of roll that they did to start the season again, I think they will be in the battle for top spot all the way.

Yankees MLB Betting Lines Today
New York Yankees Vegas odds

Baltimore Orioles +550

The Orioles refused to push the panic button after a bot of a wobbly start to the season, and that has paid off, as they are now back on top of the division that they won last season. While the Yankees have stumbled of late, the Orioles have won 3 in a row and 7 of their last 10 to move to the top of the East, albeit just by a half game at the moment. One thing that you really have to like about this team is their ability to get runs across the plate. Baltimore has driven in 126 runs through 22 games, which leads the American League. They are also top 2 in the AL in run differential, which may well be a sign that this team is going to be tough to knock off the top.

Orioles MLB Betting Lines Today
Baltimore Orioles Vegas odds

Houston Astros +600

If I was to pick one team that really doesn’t deserve the odds they are sitting at right now, it would be the Houston Astros. I think we have all been adopting a wait and see attitude for this team from day one of the season, which they do deserve given how consistently good they have been over the past few years. At what point, though, do you simply give up and accept that this team might not be as good as we all believed them to be? As it stands now, they are a rather miserable 7-16, which has them dead last in the West. Yes, the division as a whole is not great at the moment, but the Astros continue to drift further away from the lead and are now 5 games back. If they don’t start winning soon, these odds are going to begin to lengthen quite quickly.

Astros MLB Betting Lines Today
Houston Astros Vegas odds

Texas Rangers +650

The defending World Series champions are sitting atop their division, and while that certainly sounds good, the reality is that they have been far from convincing. The AL West as a whole has been mediocre in the early going and the Rangers are on top despite being just a single game over .500. It’s tough to know whether this is going to be a down year for the West or if a couple of teams will suddenly find their feet and go on a positive run of form that pulls them away from the pack. Right now, the biggest issue for the Rangers is on the defensive side of things, as they have surrendered 114 runs already. If they are to take control, that needs to change.

Rangers MLB Betting Lines Today
Texas Rangers Vegas odds

Seattle Mariners +1100

From these odds, it is clear that the bookies thought the AL West was going to be a good deal stronger than it looks at the moment. Again, we have to reiterate that we are still in the early stages of what is a very long season. The Mariners have been playing .500 ball to start the season, but that has them just a half game back of the Rangers at the top of the division. One thing to note here, though, is that Seattle might be getting into something of a groove, as they have now won 7 of their last 10 games. They look defensively sound but have also had trouble getting runs home. If the offense can find a way to come to life in the coming weeks and months, they might well be a dangerous proposition.

Mariners MLB Betting Lines Today
Seattle Mariners Vegas odds

Toronto Blue Jays +1100

Over the past few years, the Blue Jays have been one of the most explosive offenses in the league, but their pitching has let them down. They are not scoring as often as we have become used to, but they are still having some defensive issues. Despite all of that, the Jays are finding ways to win and are sitting at 13-10, which has them 2 ½ games out of the lead in the East. It always felt as though this team might need to go the Wild card route to get into the playoffs, and if that is indeed the case, then they are in prime position at the moment. I think Toronto has the potential to be a real dark horse in the AL.

Blue Jays MLB Betting Lines Today
Major League Baseball Betting for Regular Season