Early 2018 Season MLB Betting Odds & Expert Predictions

With a vicious cold snap currently hitting the east coast of the United States, it’s tough to think about the milder weather of spring. The reality is, though, that spring is just around the corner, and with some big moves being made by a number of MLB teams, so it’s never too early to start thinking about the upcoming baseball season. The World Series odds are up for the 2018 season, and the early favorites are not all that surprising. Let’s take a closer look at those MLB betting favorites, and perhaps also a dark horse to look out for this season.

Early 2018 Season MLB Betting Odds & Expert Predictions

Season Information

• Draft: June 4-6
• Duration: March 29 – October 31
• Number of games: 162 (per team)
• Number of teams: 30
• All-Star Game: July 17

The Favorites

New York Yankees

• MLB Betting Odds: +300

The Yankees made a return to form last year, but they are going to look a little different in 2018. Aaron Boone will be taking over as manager from Joe Girardi, and he was given a very early bonus when his team went out and acquired the services of Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Marlins.He will take some of the hitting pressure off of Aaron Judge in his second year, and he makes the Yankees potentially the hardest hitting club in the MLB.

Los Angeles Dodgers

• MLB Betting Odds: +400

The Dodgers are going to need to shake off the disappointment of losing in the World Series last year, but history has shown that this is a team that will spend any amount of money required to keep fans happy.They will actually have a little extra money to play with now that Carl Crawford’s $20 million plus salary is off the books, so look for them to perhaps do a little bit of wheeling and dealing prior to the start of the new season.

Houston Astros

• MLB Betting Odds: +500

The defending champions are going to be very good again this coming season, especially when you consider that this is still a comparatively young team. The question now is whether that group of young players can once again reach the summit of success in the MLB or whether they will fall prey to the type of season that the Chicago Cubs ended up enduring in 2017 after their meteoric rise to the World Series.It’s never easy to get back to the top, but with the pitching staff that the Astros have available to them, nothing is impossible.

Washington Nationals

• MLB Betting Odds: +550

This is a team that has been threatening to win the World Series for a few years now, but who always seem to come up short. They should once again win the NL East, although we have a dark horse pick coming later that might upset the apple cart but it is their ability to get the job done in the postseason that is the concern here.This may also be the final year we see Bryce Harper in Nationals colors, as the salary that he is going to demand after the 2018 season may be too rich for Washington. It would appear to be now or never for the Nationals.

Dark Horse Pick

Philadelphia Phillies

• MLB Betting Odds: +8000

Please keep in mind that we are not suggesting that the Phillies are going to win a World Series, as they still appear to be a year or two away from seriously challenging. What the Phillies may do is what the Twins did last season in making the leap from worst to first.Philadelphia has used their down years to acquire and develop a ton of young talent, and this may be the season when all those picks start to come good.

Last 10 Champions

• 2017: Houston Astros
• 2016: Chicago Cubs
• 2015: Kansas City Royals
• 2014: San Francisco Giants
• 2013: Boston Red Sox
• 2012: San Francisco Giants
• 2011: St. Louis Cardinals
• 2010: San Francisco Giants
• 2009: New York Yankees
• 2008: Philadelphia Phillies