People across the world have been able to celebrate the news that the MLB lockout has finally come to a close. After what felt like months of negotiations, things indeed are done and Opening Day has now been set for April 7. With that, the MLB lockout ending has big Vegas bets coming in, which should be no surprise whatsoever, as folks were ready for things to be finalized before getting in wagers.
Entering the new season, the Los Angeles Dodgers hold the top MLB odds to win the World Series. According to the best rated sportsbooks, they’ve been set at +600. According to local reports, the majority of the futures bets being placed through the Las Vegas sportsbooks have been made on the Dodgers. Once the lockout ended, LA was able to finalize a new deal with star pitcher Clayton Kershaw as well.
This was massive, as the Dodgers didn’t want to see the ace hurler head elsewhere. With Max Scherzer signing with the New York Mets too, this made it even more imperative for the Dodgers to re-sign Kershaw. He’s a fan favorite too and people in Los Angeles didn’t want to see him leave town. Those folks might have had a panic attack if he would have joined a National League rival. Luckily for them, that won’t happen.
What’s interesting for the Dodgers is that they’re also in on the conversations for Freddie Freeman. Freeman has been with the Braves for years, helping them win the World Series this past season. However, it looks like Freeman will be ready for a fresh start elsewhere. Should he sign with the Dodgers, it’s only going to increase the team’s World Series odds for 2022.
The question everyone has on their minds is which teams could compete with the Dodgers for the World Series? Los Angeles most definitely isn’t alone in the hunt to grab the title this year, as the Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees also have strong World Series odds with Opening Day less than a month away.
What’s important to note here is that there are still some free agency decisions that need to be made. For the Astros, the expectation is that Carlos Correa will be leaving town, potentially signing with the Yankees or Cubs. Despite that, Houston is still loaded with an insane amount of talent on its roster. This includes Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and so many others.
For the Blue Jays, there’s plenty of excitement surrounding this team. Vlad Guerrero Jr. figures to be in the race to hit the most homers this season, while big things are expected of Bo Bichette and George Springer. Per a report, Toronto is also looking to potentially trade for Cleveland Guardians slugger Jose Ramirez too. If that trade goes down, Toronto’s odds will go up.
Meanwhile, for the Yankees, there’s plenty of frustration among the fanbase with Brian Cashman and the rest of the front office. Yankees supporters are waiting to see if the team signs either Correa or Freddie Freeman. With Freeman being linked to the Dodgers, New York may have to go all-in to try and land Correa. If they miss on both star players, people in the Bronx are going to be furious.
When discussing MLB for Sin City, we’ve certainly got to discuss that Vegas baseball fans are still hoping for a new team, as there have been plenty of discussions on the matter in recent years. Things have really been heating up because it’s looking like the Oakland Athletics could be leaving the Bay Area. If that does happen, Las Vegas is being eyed as the new city for the club.
A baseball team would make sense for Las Vegas. We’ve seen the success of professional sports teams there, with the Golden Knights really making noise in the NHL, while the Las Vegas Raiders have impressed too. Allegiant Stadium is a fantastic place, and it’s been a popular tourist attraction for football fans out there. A new MLB team would provide plenty of excitement too.
While the odds for whether or not Major League Baseball will make its way to Sin City have been released yet, there’s growing popularity that it could happen within the next 2-3 years. Things just aren’t going well in Oakland for the Athletics, with attendance always being pretty poor for the home games. That would change in a big way if things moved to Las Vegas.
Only time will tell if the move happens, but the belief is Las Vegas will get an NBA and MLB team soon enough. Once that happens, bets are going to be pouring in for those teams. This will in turn result in so much more action for the sportsbooks online and in-person as well.
