On Tuesday, PointsBet was the first sportsbook to release win totals for the 2020 season. They didn't stay put for long, though, as the Gerrit Cole signing on Tuesday night, followed by the Anthony Rendon signing 24 hours later, resulted in big swings for the Yankees and Angels, respectively.
The offseason is off to a much quicker start than last year, in which Bryce Harper and Manny Machado's waiting games resulted in uncertainty in the MLB futures market for months on end.
Odds as of Dec. 12 at 5 p.m. ET and via PointsBet, where Action Network users can access an exclusive promotion to get a 200% deposit match (deposit $50, bet with $150).No strings attached. No rollover required.
2020 MLB Win Totals
[In New Jersey? Bet now at PointsBet]
Published on Dec. 11:
At 100.5, the Yankees are now the only team in the league with a triple-digit win total. They could go over their total and still do worse than they did in 2019, but there's an element of regression built into every team's total that eclipsed 100 wins last year. In fact, it's fairly unheard of to have a win total north of 100 to begin with.
Now down to 97.5, the Astros' win total is nearly 10 games worse than their record last year. Other than Justin Verlander, Houston's rotation now has several question marks heading into the season. Its starting lineup remains one of, if not the best in baseball, but an aging Verlander and an otherwise questionable rotation could lead to some bumpy stretches.
Among teams expected to make a big jump in 2020 — excluding the absolutely horrendous teams that are expected to improve just due to the fact that it's difficult to win fewer than 60 games in a season — are the Red Sox, Padres and Angles.
The Red Sox are in an interesting spot, as they underperformed last year following a 2018 World Series win, but are not expected to make any major additions this offseason. In fact, rumors of trading players such as Mookie Betts, David Price and Jackie Bradley Jr. have been floating around. With Dave Dombrowksi out, it's very possible Boston looks more towards the extended future rather than a 2020 World Series title.
San Diego, on the other hand, is a team loaded with young talent that many feel is on the up-and-up. With young stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Chris Paddack already making names for themselves last year and several other highly touted prospects available to trade or make an impact this year, the Padres could make that big step that some expected to happen last year.
The Angels lost out on Gerrit Cole, but will be welcoming Shohei Ohtani back into their rotation this year. It's possible their win total drops a bit if they can't land one of the other big names in free agency such as Anthony Rendon or Madison Bumgarner, but they should be due for a rebound year even if they fail to make a big splash.
In the cellar are the Tigers and Orioles, at 59.5 and 57.5, respectively. Like I said, these teams are expected to "improve," but like I said, teams that win as few games as they did last year can improve just by luck. In a game like baseball, it's fairly difficult for a team to win fewer than 55 games in back-to-back seasons. As the Orioles showed last year, though, nothing's impossible.
2020 MLB Win Total Opening Odds
(Dec. 11 via PointsBet)
- New York Yankees: 100.5
- Los Angeles Dodgers: 98.5
- Houston Astros: 97.5
- Boston Red Sox: 93.5
- Tampa Bay Rays: 92.5
- Oakland Athletics: 91.5
- Cleveland Indians: 91.5
- Minnesota Twins: 90.5
- Atlanta Braves: 90.5
- Washington Nationals: 89.5
- Chicago Cubs: 88.5
- St. Louis Cardinals: 88.5
- New York Mets: 86.5
- Philadelphia Phillies: 85.5
- San Diego Padres: 84.5
- Los Angeles Angels: 83.5
- Milwaukee Brewers: 82.5
- Cincinnati Reds: 82.5
- Chicago White Sox: 80.5
- Arizona Diamondbacks: 80.5
- Colorado Rockies: 75.5
- Texas Rangers: 75.5
- Pittsburgh Pirates: 73.5
- Toronto Blue Jays: 73.5
- San Francisco Giants: 68.5
- Seattle Mariners: 66.5
- Kansas City Royals: 66.5
- Miami Marlins: 64.5
- Detroit Tigers: 59.5
- Baltimore Orioles: 57.5
