Opening Day is this Thursday, so the first week of the 2023 Major League Baseball campaign is officially here. Settle in for the 162-game marathon that is baseball and get ready for some fun. Will the Houston Astros go back-to-back? Will the Atlanta Braves reclaim the World Series title that they captured in 2021? Can the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets overcome injury issues and live up to lofty expectations? Can Aaron Judge carry the Yankees to the Fall Classic?
There are a whole host of questions to be answered, but for now, we are focusing on the regular season. Let’s take a look at the odds and best bets to be made on compiling the best record in baseball.
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2023 MLB best record odds
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Atlanta Braves +500
Los Angeles Dodgers +500
Houston Astros +550
San Diego Padres +850
New York Yankees +850
New York Mets +950
Philadelphia Phillies +1200
Toronto Blue Jays +1600
Tampa Bay Rays +1900
St. Louis Cardinals +2700
Milwaukee Brewers +3900
Cleveland Guardians +3900
Minnesota Twins +4200
Seattle Mariners +4200
Los Angeles Angels +4800
Best bet for MLB best record: Houston Astros (+550)
Only 3 teams are minus-money odds in their division: Houston, the Dodgers and St. Louis. When that is the case, you can assume either the division is pretty bad or the favorite is really good – or both! In the case of the Astros, it’s both. Seattle and the Angels are somewhat formidable, but Oakland and Texas stink. Houston’s schedule won’t be very difficult and the defending World Series champions are still absolutely loaded from a roster standpoint even though Justin Verlander is gone and both Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez are injured to begin the season. The rotation remains stout and guys like Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker can pick up the offensive slack for the time being.
Some of the best teams in baseball reside in the National League East, but even now that teams don’t play division rivals quite as many times it still makes for a rough schedule. Thus, I don’t see a ton of value with the Braves, Mets and Phillies. Houston, the defending World Series champion, is my best play as a +550 third favorite.
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Best longshot play for MLB best record: Toronto Blue Jays (+1600)
Toronto just bludgeoning its way to not only the AL East title but also the best record in baseball would not be the most shocking thing in the world. It’s certainly not expected, but that’s why you can get the Blue Jays at +1600 odds. And I think it’s worth a shot. This lineup can absolutely rake. George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk combined to hit .279 last year as Toronto scored the 4th-most runs in Major League Baseball.
If their pitching can simply improve from mediocre to good, the sky is the limit for this team. Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah are now joined by Chris Bassitt, so there is some potential. If you want a longshot, Toronto is it.
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