The regular season for Major League Baseball is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. With 162 games to play, every team starts the season with hope for the future. For some teams, that hope will be dashed within a few weeks. For others, the plan starts to come together. But again, it’s a slog and the day-to-day action can be difficult.
For bettors, single-game matchups are the key, but so are trends. A team can get hot for a week or a month, and then fade back into oblivion. It’s these ups and downs that make MLB so addicting and potentially profitable.
But the bet that many gamblers like to make is the Over/Under total wins for the season. While they still might make plays on a daily basis, it’s that totals bet that keeps their interest game after game. And for casual bettors that aren’t that involved in every game during the season, it maintains their interest often enough through the waning days of September.
Sometimes the sports book handicappers are wildly off when it comes to predicting totals. That’s not surprising since every year is different and every team is different. So let’s break it down into segments. All odds are via Caesars SportsBook. But as always, shop around. Totals can vary widely, as well as the odds.
Top Tier Contenders
The Dodgers are clearly in a league by themselves, as the two-time defending champions only got stronger following their World Series win.
Los Angeles Dodgers — 102.5 wins
Over: -120
Under: +100
New York Yankees — 91.5 wins
Over: 91.5 -120
Under: +100
New York Mets — 90.5 wins
Over:+105
Under: -130
Philadelphia Phillies — 89.5 wins
Over: -115
Under: -105
Seattle Mariners — 89.5 wins
Over:-140
Under: +120
Upper-Mid Tier Contenders
American League champions Toronto Blue Jays were one out away from a World Series win last fall. But are the handicappers showing them enough respect?
Chicago Cubs — 88.5 wins
Over: -125
Under: +105
Toronto Blue Jays — 88.5 wins
Over: -105
Under: -115
Boston Red Sox — 87.5 wins
Over: +100
Under: -120
Atlanta Braves — 87.5 wins
Over: -105
Under: -115
Houston Astros — 85.5
Over: +110
Under: -130
Baltimore Orioles — 85.5 wins
Over: -110
Under: -110
Detroit Tigers — 85.5 wins
Over: -120
Under: +100
Middle Tier Contenders
Most of the National League West is in this group for the simple reason that they have to face the Dodgers 13 times each. How they play during those games will largely determine how successful their seasons will be.
Milwaukee Brewers — 84.5 wins
Over: -120
Under:+100
Texas Rangers — 83.5 wins
Over: -135
Under: +115
San Diego Padres — 83.5 wins
Over: -110
Under: -110
Kansas City Royals — 82.5 wins
Over: -120
Under: +100
San Francisco Giants — 82.5 wins
Over: -110
Under: -110
Cincinnati Reds — 80.5 wins
Over: -125
Under: +105
Arizona Diamondbacks — 79.5 wins
Over: -105
Under: -115
Cleveland Guardians — 78.5 wins
Over: -115
Under: -105
Pittsburgh Pirates — 78.5 wins
Over: -125
Under: -105
Lower Tier Contenders
At the bottom of the barrel, several teams could stand out this year, or could sink into further oblivion. The choices bettors make in this tier could make or break their season.
Tampa Bay Rays — 76.5 wins
Over: -135
Under: +115
Athletics — 76.5 wins
Over: -115
Under: -105
Miami Marlins — 72.5 wins
Over: -110
Under: -110
Minnesota Twins — 72.5 wins
Over: -110
Under: -110
Los Angeles Angels — 70.5 wins
Over: +105
Under: -125
St. Louis Cardinals — 69.5 wins
Over: -110
Under: -110
Chicago White Sox — 67.5 wins
Over: -120
Under: +100
Washington Nationals — 64.5 wins
Over: -110
Under: -110
Colorado Rockies — 56.5 wins
Over: -115
Under: -105
Five Best Baseball Bets
So what five bets seem to stand out the most when considering this list? There are more than five, obviously.
How about the Dodgers under 103? Last year, with essentially the same team, they only won 93. They were devastated by injuries in 2025 and have added some more good players this year, but a 10-game differential?
The Mets, the hapless Mets. Can they get to 91 wins when they only won 83 last year? Their pitching staff has changed quite a bit, and while they added a couple of position players, they lost Pete Alonso and his 38 homers.
The Athletics? The Las Vegas-bound A’s played in a minor league park in Sacramento, California, and recorded 76 wins. Can they win one more this year with better pitching and the top two rookie of the year finalists in 2025?
You can make a case for lots of these teams, but these are our picks for the best Over-Under totals for 2026.
- Seattle Mariners Under 89.5 wins. The team had a breakout season last year. They won 90 games but everything went right for them. Can Cal Raleigh duplicate his historic home run total? Will Julio Rodríguez stay healthy all year? And will the pitching staff perform at the same high level? With competition from the Houston Astros and the vastly improved Texas Rangers, the Mariners still might make the playoffs, but winning 90 games again is asking a lot.
- Detroit Tigers Over 85.5. Detroit won 87 games last year and missed out on winning the division by one game over the Cleveland Indians. The tribe has not improved for the 2026 season, so if the Tigers and Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal can continue to progress, they should be able to take the division and win at least 86 games. The Twins, White Sox, and Royals aren’t good enough to compete.
- Arizona Diamondbacks Over 79.5 wins. The Dbacks are in the National League West, companions to the Dodgers. But the D-backs have always played the Dodgers tough. And the Giants aren’t as good as experts think; the Padres are stuck in neutral; and we all know Colorado is probably the worst team in baseball, so believe Arizona will at least play .500 ball in 2026, for at least 81 wins.
- Philadelphia Phillies Under 89.5. The Phillies won 96 games last year in a division that may have been the weakest in baseball. The Atlanta Braves disintegrated in ’25, the Mets disappointed, and the Marlins and Nationals are immediate also-rans. But if the Braves and Mets are at least competitive, the Phillies may have some issues. Bet the Under.
- Minnesota Twins Under 72.5. The Twinkies have done nothing to improve their team in 2026. They won 70 games last year with a better team. They’ve shed veteran players at the trade deadline in ’25, and that continued in the off-season. Management is uncertain because the ownership of the team is shaky. The Twins could be one of the worst teams in MLB this year.
21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
