Current mlb playoff odds
The MLB Post Season Probabilities table presents the probabilities that your team will proceed to different playoff rounds. MLB playoff odds ; Phillies Philadelphia Phillies, · + ; Rangers Texas Rangers, · + ; Cubs Chicago Cubs, · + ; Astros. Baseball playoffs odds ; Houston Astros, YesNo +, YesNo + ; Kansas City Royals, Yes +, NoYes +, No ; LA. Discover current mlb playoff odds latest betting odds for the teams vying for the MLB Playoffs, as our expert analysis highlights the favorites & evaluates.
Current Betting Odds to Make the MLB Playoffs in 2024
MLB Playoff Odds
The strike zone is a dangerous place to be against the Braves: Their OPS on pitches in the zone was nearly points better than that of any other team. For Sonny Gray , Pablo Lopez and the rest, throwing strikes while staying out of the middle of the plate is their best hope of keeping the Braves in the ballpark and, perhaps just as important, keeping runners off base so when Atlanta does go deep, it's a solo shot.
The one thing that will decide their October fate: The bullpen. The Rangers have the worst bullpen ERA of any of the playoff teams and rank 26th in the majors in bullpen win probability added. Will Smith lost his job as closer weeks ago and Aroldis Chapman and Jose Leclerc have shared closer duties in September.
Both do have strikeout stuff and the ability to dominate -- when they're not walking everybody. And who sets them up. Andrew Heaney has been pitching out of the bullpen and will get key innings. Jonathan Hernandez had to relieve Chapman in a key spot in Seattle and gave up a game-losing bases-loaded double. The lack of depth also means it's imperative for the starters to give Bruce Bochy some length.
Jordan Montgomery has been able to do that, but Nathan Eovaldi had been slowly ramping up since his return from the injured list before a strong showing to open the postseason. And Max Scherzer. The Rangers haven't ruled him out of the postseason -- and you don't want to bet against Scherzer -- but his return appears unlikely.
The Cardinals had basically given up on him, and so in December of , the Rangers picked him up for mere cash considerations. He didn't establish himself in the major leagues until , his age season, but he has improved every year since with his OPS jumping from. As the Rangers have lifted themselves into championship contention, Garcia has emerged as one of the sport's most menacing power hitters.
He also has become a lot more discerning within the strike zone. The Rangers, with that very shaky bullpen situation, are going to have to hit their way through October, and Garcia will be a big part of that. Why you should root for them: The Braves' offense has understandably received much of the national attention, but the Rangers aren't far behind in runs scored -- although they've benefited from a huge home-park advantage with 53 more home runs at Globe Life Field than on the road.
Like the Braves, they have ridiculous depth from No. Oh, and keep an eye on year-old outfielder Evan Carter , who has torn the cover off the ball since his September call-up. Current mlb playoff odds What they do that could take down the Braves: The Rangers bashed their way to a breakout season for much of the summer. They won 11 games by 10 or more runs, far and away more than any other team.
That includes the homer-happy Braves. If the Rangers survive the AL bracket, it's almost certainly going to be because they've touched the offensive ceiling they displayed earlier in the campaign. The pitching staff, especially the bullpen, has to be better than it was for much of the post-trade-deadline part of the season.
But if the Rangers win the World Series, it's going to be because Marcus Semien , Seager, Garcia and the rest are turning the scoreboard. In particular, that is their formula for beating Atlanta. The one thing that will decide their October fate: Suddenly there are big concerns about Atlanta's starting rotation.
Max Fried missed his last couple of starts of the regular season with a blister problem. Charlie Morton has already been ruled out of the division series with a finger issue. Even Spencer Strider has had some mediocre outings down the stretch and seen his MLB-leading strikeout rate drop in the final two months.
On top of that, the bullpen has some injury issues and had its worst month in September, which puts even more pressure on the rotation. Ready for his October closeup : Ronald Acuna Jr. He had made it back when they returned to the postseason in , but he clearly wasn't himself yet.
This year, he has reached a new level. 
He's the NL MVP front-runner, the first member of the club and a far more disciplined hitter than he ever has been. At 25, he is the best baseball player on the planet non- Shohei Ohtani division. And his prowess from the leadoff spot is the biggest reason this Braves lineup has become historic.
When the games matter most, Acuna can impact them with his majestic power and blazing speed and rocket arm, and he's sure to do plenty of that in October. The Brooklyn Dodgers of the s. The Big Red Machine. The "Idiot" Red Sox of With a World Series title, the Braves have a chance to cement their place in history as one of the most fearsome lineups of all time.
They dominated the regular season -- tying the single-season home run record -- with a lineup that became the first to feature four players with plus home runs. They've been the team to watch all season and now that greatness will be tested in October. Why they are the team to beat: The offense is just too good to keep down.
And while we've seen offensive powerhouses falter before in the crucible of October, the Braves' attack looks airtight. Their numbers hold up no matter how you split them up. They mash at home and on the road, against lefties and righties, against all kinds of pitch profiles. They have power at every spot in the lineup. Earlier in the season, it looked like the Braves might have become too reliant on homers for scoring, a trait that doesn't always hold up well in the playoffs.
But Atlanta's offense has gradually become more varied as the season has progressed and right now appears to be without weakness. Sure, the Braves have question marks around their pitching staff, but if their offense is putting up five or more runs a game, that might not matter. The one thing that will decide their October fate: Sure, they'll need this patched-together starting rotation to step up, but let's face it: Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have carried this team all season with their all-around brilliance and L.
Yes, those two have supporting offensive characters in Max Muncy and J. Martinez , who both topped 30 home runs, and Will Smith , but this has been the Mookie and Freddie show. It's hard to envision a path to the World Series that doesn't revolve around those two both having big October runs.
Ready for his October closeup : Clayton Kershaw and Lance Lynn will be limited in their starts and the likes of Emmet Sheehan , Ryan Pepiot and Ryan Yarbrough will be used mostly to soak up the middle innings. But Bobby Miller -- the year-old power right-hander, the best of an emerging young core of starting pitchers -- will essentially be counted on to be the Dodgers' ace. He has the electric stuff, and the Dodgers believe he also possesses the poise, a la Walker Buehler.
Miller dominated at the outset, allowing only two runs in 23 innings through the first four starts of his major league career. He hasn't been as effective since, but he had a solid month of September. He'll need to take it to another level in October. Why you should root for them : I get it: The Dodgers are here every year, they're a blue-blood franchise with a high payroll and you're about as tired of them as you are of the Astros.
But you also have to respect what this organization has accomplished, tying an MLB record with a third straight win season a stretch that almost certainly would have been five in a row if the entire season had been played. And yet, their only World Series title during this dynastic run carries an asterisk because it came that shortened campaign with playoff games at neutral sites and the whole weirdness of that season.
So, yes, there is part of me that would like the Dodgers to win a World Series in a real season, with fans in the stands, with Mookie hitting home runs, Freddie hitting doubles and maybe even Kershaw dialing up Father Time and having his best October ever. What they do that could take down the Braves: While the Braves might be scrambling to fill out an injury-riddled rotation, the Dodgers have been doing that all along.
So there doesn't appear to be an advantage for Atlanta in starting pitching and the Dodgers' bullpen is deeper and better. If that translates to lower-scoring games than the Braves prefer, the chances of one or two performances tipping the series rise.
And for all of Ronald Acuna Jr. Their combined brilliance this season has been breathtaking and the postseason context for both of them is by now old hat. The one thing that will decide their October fate: Home runs. This is true of every team, of course, that you need to hit home runs to win in the postseason, but the Phillies spent the first four months of the season not hitting enough homers.
Through the end of July they were 21st in the majors in home runs, topping out at 33 in a month. Hot dog eating champion prize money Then they hit 59 in August and 46 in September to tie the Braves for the most home runs over the final two months. That team -- like the one we saw last October with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber leading the way -- is a team that can return to the World Series.
Ready for his October closeup : Phillies fans rallied behind Alec Bohm last year and watched him go from being a mess defensively to a very capable third baseman who became an integral part of a World Series team. He then got a supportive standing ovation from the home crowd , and went off in August and September. It's probably no coincidence. When Turner is right, he is one of the most dynamic players in the sport.
We saw it early this year during the World Baseball Classic. Soon, he'll get his chance to become a true Philly legend. Why you should root for them: Come on, this is a fun team. Harper is the straw that stirs the drink and he's must-watch TV in October. Schwarber had one of the wildest, weirdest seasons of all time , with a sub-.
Turner got red hot the final two months. Rookie Johan Rojas is electrifying and may be the best defensive center fielder in the game. The bullpen is often a high-wire act, so every Phillies game -- whether they're leading or trailing -- feels undecided until that final out. What they do that could take down the Braves: The Phillies have star power in the lineup and the collective long ball ability to go toe-to-toe with the Braves.
Their outfield defense has improved with personnel changes through the season. The rotation is in much better shape than Atlanta's injury-marred group. But the most underrated aspect of the Phillies, and where they may have a decisive edge over the Braves, is the bullpen. In Rob Thomson, they have a skipper who proved last year that he knows how to deploy a bullpen in October.
If the Phillies can turn a series against the Braves into a successive battle of the bullpens, look out. The one thing that will decide their October fate: The starting pitchers not named Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly -- but what happens after that. The only other starter with an ERA under 5. Zach Davies was actually in the rotation until he was designated for assignment just a few days before the season ended.
Starting in July, our MLB postseason picture will be updated daily. Related: MLB stadium rankings No MLB teams have clinched a playoff spot in Opening Day is in March and in a game season, no team will clinch a playoff spot until September. Stay tuned for updates. Current mlb playoff odds Related: Best MLB players of all time. The first round of the MLB playoffs is a best-of-three series. Each Wild Card team that records two wins first advances to the Divisional Round.
Related: Longest home run ever. Related: MLB schedule. In the new MLB playoff bracket, 12 teams make the playoffs. There are six teams in the American League and six teams in the National League, with the two division-winning teams with the best records receiving a first-round bye and automatically advancing to the Divisional Round.
Related: Best batting average ever. The top two division winners with the best record in the AL and NL each receive a first-round bye, while the No. Major League Baseball expanded its playoff field in the COVID-shortened season but the playoffs returned to the standard team format in Related: MLB Draft order, top prospects.
The World Series typically ends in November, depending on how long the series goes. Related: MLB mock draft Yes, MLB uses a team bracket with six teams from the National League and six teams from the American League separated into two sides of the bracket. The winner from each side of the bracket then meets in the World Series.
Related: MLB Award predictions. There are six wild card teams in the MLB playoffs. Under the new MLB collective-bargaining agreement, the postseason was expanded starting in There are three wild card teams in the NL and the teams in the AL. Each wild card team with the lowest seed faces the division winner with the lowest record.