This article was contributed by BetMGM. For more sports betting insights, check out BetMGM.com.
Playoff races typically garner the most attention during the final weeks of the regular season, particularly since an extra Wild Card spot was added to open the door for six postseason teams in both leagues.
However, the latest odds at the BetMGM online sportsbook indicate that the playoff picture could already be set before all the fun begins on Sept. 30.
A lot can change in the final few weeks, but the teams in the current playoff bracket have minus odds of holding onto their spot. Meanwhile, all the teams chasing them are +200 or longer.
Of all the teams outside the playoff picture, the Texas Rangers have the best odds to make it at +200 for an implied probability of 33.33%. They are 1 1/2 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League. The Rangers’ playoff odds were -130 in the preseason.
Further back in the AL Wild Card hunt, the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals trail the final spot by 3 1/2 and four games, respectively. The Guardians are +1400 (6.67%) to make it, while the Royals have a +1800 (5.26%) value.
The Seattle Mariners currently sit sixth in the AL, trading at -650 for an implied probability of 86.67% to hold onto their playoff spot. They are one game behind the Houston Astros for the division lead in the AL West and the No. 3 seed. Houston is -450 to make the postseason, suggesting an 81.82% chance.
As the only other AL team listed in the playoff market, the Boston Red Sox are -5000 to notch their first postseason berth since 2021.
In the National League, the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants have climbed to a two-game deficit of the final Wild Card spot. The Reds are +475 to secure a playoff berth, giving them a 17.39% chance. The Giants are +700 with a 12.5% implied probability.
Both teams are chasing the New York Mets, who have -325 odds of holding them off for the final postseason spot. New York has an implied probability of 76.47% to make the postseason after entering the year with a -250 value.
No other NL team is currently listed in the latest MLB playoff odds market at BetMGM.
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