For a true baseball fan, there’s nothing like Opening Day. Even in cities where the temperatures won’t crack 40, opening day is special. Spring training is over and the hopes and expectations that went along with it are now on the table. It’s time for reality to set in.
This year, the “pre” Opening Day happened in Tokyo on March 18-19 when the world champion Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Chicago Cubs in two games. Even though it was in another country, it conjured up the days when Opening Day in America consisted of the Washington Senators at home with the president throwing out the first pitch in the American League, and for the National League, the Cincinnati Reds going at it at home.
In the modern era, however, the significance of Opening Day has not changed. The hope that each club feels isn’t affected that much by the massive amount of money the Dodgers have invested in its players. Even though they won the World Series last year, it was really the only one—not counting the 60-game 2020 season—that the Dodgers have won since 1988. So the hopes and dreams of your favorite franchise are alive and well on Opening Day.
Betting on Baseball
And now, with legal sports betting, you can actually put your money where your mouth is. You can bet what teams will win the division, the league, or the World Series. You can bet on who will be the MVP, the Rookie of the Year, or the Cy Young winner. And of course, you can bet all the individual games to your heart’s desire.
Best Baseball Bets
But let’s start at the top and check out the odds of teams winning the World Series. While the reigning champion Dodgers are clearly the heavy favorite at +240 at BetMGM. Then you have the drop all the way to +900, where the Braves and the Yankees lie. The Phillies are next at +1100.
The Dodgers have been the Opening Day favorite to win the World Series every year since they won that shortened season’s crown. Here’s how their Opening Day odds stacked up.
2025: +240
2024: +360
2023: +750
2022: +550
2021: +400
Whenever a team wins the championship, they usually are the favorite to win the next year, but why are the Dodgers so heavily favored this year? Well, considering they limped through the season last year with almost every pitcher getting hurt, they bolstered their starting pitching this year with two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and the highly regarded Japanese ace Roki Sasaki. The venerable Clayton Kershaw should be back by mid-year, along with Tyler Glasnow and Tony Gonsolin. They improved an already good bullpen by adding Tanner Scott.
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And who can question their lineup that starts with Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani (who will also pitch this year), Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, and Will Smith? Adding Tommy Edman and Michael Conforto were also good moves.
Betting the Long Shots
Anyone looking for a long-shot bet? How about the Boston Red Sox at +1800? It’s been four years since the Bosox made the playoffs and fans are getting restless. Aggressive offseason moves have made them more believable. And their chief rivals, the New York Yankees are limping out of spring training having lost their ace, Gerrit Cole, and last year’s Rookie of the Year, Luis Gil, for the season. The always-injured Giancarlo Stanton started early this year and will be gone for at least half the season.
The Red Sox pulled off a blockbuster trade to land 25-year-old ace Garrett Crochet from the White Sox, also signing two-time All-Star and last year’s World Series champion Walker Buehler, and finally landed proven winner Alex Bregman on a three-year, $120 million deal. Adding them to a lineup that starts with Rafael Devers and Trevor Story, and rising stars Tanner Houck, Triston Casas, and Jarren Duran, and it’s a team that can not only contend but can dominate.
BetMGM Baseball Bets
Odds to Win the 2025 World Series
TEAM | ODDS |
Dodgers | +240 |
Braves | +900 |
Yankees | +900 |
Phillies | +1100 |
Mets | +1200 |
Orioles | +1600 |
Red Sox | +1800 |
Astros | +1800 |
Mariners | +2500 |
Rangers | +2500 |
Diamondbacks | +3000 |
Cubs | +3000 |
Tigers | +3000 |
Padres | +3000 |
Guardians | +3500 |
Twins | +3500 |
Royals | +4000 |
Brewers | +4000 |
Rays | +5000 |
Blue Jay | +6000 |
Reds | +8000 |
Giants | +8000 |
Cardinals | +10000 |
Pirates | +12500 |
Athletics | +20000 |
Nationals | +20000 |
Angels | +25000 |
White Sox | +50000 |
Rockies | +50000 |
Marlins | +50000 |
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