The MLB playoffs begin on Tuesday with four Game 1s in the Wild Card Round.
Before that, though, it's time to dig into the futures market now that the 12-team field has been set.
The Atlanta Braves have been World Series favorites for most of the season, but there are some sneaky good bets to be found outside of Atlanta for those looking to get in on the action in the month of October.
Here are our best future bets for the MLB playoffs.
MLB Playoff Best Bets
Futures bets allow users to bet into markets that offer large payouts for little money wagered, although the probability of the given outcome may be lower than a straight bet. Bets like these are great for using bet credits that you receive when you use our bet365 bonus code.
In the table below, you'll find each of our NFL staff's top player prop picks from today's slate of games. Click on any pick or team logo to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our MLB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | |
Rays to Win World Series
+1300 at FanDuel
By D.J. James
The Tampa Bay Rays have been flying under the radar in the last couple of months. They did not win the American League East, but the Rays are in the top-10 in virtually every relevant statistic while seeming undervalued in comparison to others in a similar bucket.
Tampa Bay owns a 3.59 xFIP in the starting rotation since August 1. This is the best mark in the majors. The Rays have a combined 26% strikeout rate against a 5.3% walk rate. Even with a plethora of injuries to the pitching staff, they have solid arms throughout.
In relief, the Rays have a 3.61 xFIP since August 1. This ranks second only to the Dodgers. They have a 27.7% combined strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate. Essentially, the entire pitching staff misses bats consistently and does not give batters free passes.
Finally, their lineup has been solid in that same timeframe. They have a team 118 wRC+ and .774 OPS.
This combination with the potential return of José Siri is an added boost. This team can hit, field and pitch. They have similar stats to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves in the final stretch of the season. They just need to get by the Rangers at home first.
Take the Rays to win it all.
Twins to Win AL Pennant
+800 at Caesars
The pitching depth at the top of the American League is quite thin at the moment.
Baltimore has two great rookies and a lot of questions behind them in a longer series. Houston has the big name pitching from last year's World Series title, but those pitchers haven't pitched at the same level this season.
No one in the AL playoffs has more pitching depth than the Twins, who have three frontline starters with Pablo Lopez, Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan and a ton of versatility behind that.
Kenta Maeda and Bailey Ober are potential fireman options or fourth starters if needed in a longer series too and both are better than most No. 3 starters in the AL playoffs. The Twins also added Chris Paddack into the bullpen as a potential multi-inning fireman throwing 100 mph.
Minnesota has an elite closer with Jhoan Duran, Caleb Theilbar is good against lefties and Griffin Jax's stuff is still elite. The Twins were tied with the Rays for the best reliever strikeout rate in the month of September.
The Twins and Rays have the two best pitching staffs in the AL and while Minnesota does strike out a lot, they're expected to get Royce Lewis back and have gotten solid production from three rookies (Edouard Julien, Lewis and Matt Wallner) to supplement the solid group of position players they have.
Carlos Correa will need to take a step forward, but we just saw a boom-or-bust offense make the World Series last year in Philadelphia and the Twins are a top-five offense in ISO that is second in barrel rate and second in xwOBACON. They're high variance because of the Ks, but the lineup has a really high ceiling.
I'd bet Minnesota to win the American League at +750 or better.
By Doug Ziefel
The AL Central may not be the strongest division to come out of this season, but we cannot overlook the Minnesota Twins.
The Twins are a complete team that is due for positive regression both at the dish and on the bump.
Let's start on the mound. The Twins have a trio of starters that can match up with any team in the AL. Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, and Sonny Gray are going to be tough to beat in an extended series, and that depth will give them the edge after the aces of Toronto and Houston go.
As a staff, bullpen included, the Twins are tough to touch. They led the majors in K/9 and xBA during the regular season. On the other side, The Twins finished the regular season second in xWOBACON. This means they can make consistent when hard contact.
While making contact has been an issue overall, their pop gives them the potential to strike at any moment.
If Minnesota can cut down on the strikeouts in the postseason, they are a dangerous club to face in October and have all the tools to make a run for a pennant.
Twins Over Blue Jays in Wild Card Round
-105 at Caesars
By Sean Zerillo
In terms of how this series price plays out, I actually project the Twins at 58 percent. I project Pablo Lopez as a better pitcher than Kevin Gausman — that may surprise some people.
I make their series line closer to -140, so if you can get -130 or better on Minnesota that is the one series bet that I like.
