With the start of spring training here and the MLB regular season opener set for April 1, it’s time to take a look at the value-packed MLB NL Pennant odds.
Odds to Win the NL Pennant – MLB Betting Analysis
Can the San Diego Padres challenge the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers after making some impressive offseason additions to upgrade their roster? Will the Atlanta Braves be able to overcome their epic collapse against LA in last season’s NLCS to challenge for the NL pennant in 2021?
Could the New York Mets challenge for the NL East crown and eventually the NL pennant after making their own series of offseason additions? Is it possible a middle of the pack pennant hopeful or straight-up long shot beat out all of the aforementioned teams to pull out a surprise NL pennant win?
Let’s find out.The Favorites
Analysis: The Dodgers (43-17) won the NL West by six games over San Diego (37-23) last season and added reigning NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer in the offseason. The blossoming Padres gave Fernando Tatis Jr. a massive, 14-year deal to be the new face of their franchise – and all of baseball for that matter. Atlanta (35-25) won the NL East and had the Dodgers down 3-1 in the NLCS before collapsing. The Mets (26-34) made some offseason additions they believe will put them in the NL pennant mix (they won’t).
Contenders
- St. Louis Cardinals +1200
- Washington Nationals +1500
- Cincinnati Reds +1500
- Chicago Cubs +2000
- Philadelphia Phillies +2000
- Milwaukee Brewers +2000
Analysis: St. Louis went 30-28 last season to finish second in the NL Central last season. The good news is that the Cardinals upgraded their roster in a big way by adding superstar Nolan Arenado in the offseason. I also wouldn’t count out a Washington Nationals (26-34) team that won it all two years ago and should be way past their World Series hangover from last season.
Cincinnati (31-29) finished third in the NL Central a year ago. The Cubs (34-26) won the division, but made a bunch of offseason moves that I don’t believe improved their chances of competing for the NL crown this coming campaign. Philly went 28-32 to finish third in the NL East while Milwaukee (29-31) finished fourth in the NL Central.
Long Shots
- Miami Marlins +3000
- Arizona Diamondbacks +5000
- San Francisco Giants +5000
- Pittsburgh Pirates +6000
- Colorado Rockies +6000
The top longshot in this group has got to be the Miami Marlins after they went 31-29 to finish second to Atlanta in the NL East last season. Arizona finished last in the NL West while Pittsburgh finished with the fewest wins (19) in all of baseball last season.
Prediction
It’s going to be extremely difficult to beat out the absolutely loaded Dodgers, so LA is my top pick to win the NL pennant in 2021. If there is one team that I believe could beat the Dodgers, it’s the same Atlanta Braves team that came up agonizingly short of dispatching the Dodgers in last season’s NLCS. It’s LA first, followed closely by a Braves team I picked to come out of the NL a year ago.
MLB Baseball Betting News
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