Which teams should you buy, sell after MLB All-Star break?
Already more than half of this MLB season has been played, and some teams have experienced dramatic shifts in their World Series odds. That leaves plenty of value on the board for bettors who were left behind, and some clear traps for anyone buying at too short of a price.
Here are the updated World Series odds from theScore Bet, along with a handful of teams we're buying and selling prior to the back half of the season.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +350 |
| Houston Astros | +600 |
| New York Mets | +700 |
| Chicago White Sox | +800 |
| San Diego Padres | +800 |
| Boston Red Sox | +1000 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +1200 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | +1400 |
| Oakland Athletics | +1500 |
| New York Yankees | +1800 |
| San Francisco Giants | +1800 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | +2500 |
| Chicago Cubs | +3400 |
| Atlanta Braves | +4000 |
| Cincinnati Reds | +5000 |
| Cleveland Indians | +5000 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | +5000 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | +6000 |
| Washington Nationals | +6500 |
| Los Angeles Angels | +7500 |
| Miami Marlins | +20000 |
| Minnesota Twins | +25000 |
| Kansas City Royals | +30000 |
| Seattle Mariners | +35000 |
| Baltimore Orioles | +75000 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | +100000 |
| Colorado Rockies | +100000 |
| Detroit Tigers | +100000 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | +100000 |
| Texas Rangers | +100000 |
Buy
Chicago White Sox (+800)
How could you not buy the White Sox right now? Chicago has been hit with injuries as bad as any team in the majors, yet it's still posted the best record in the American League and top-seven MLB marks in wOBA (.332) and opponent's wOBA (.295).
Eloy Jimenez is on a rehab assignment and already hitting dingers, and Luis Robert will likely join him in Chicago's lineup before the postseason. With a deep rotation and loaded bullpen, the White Sox are easily the best bet to emerge from the AL, and maybe to win it all.
Milwaukee Brewers (+1400)
We've been banging the Brewers' drum since before the season, when they were 50-1 long shots to win the World Series. Now oddsmakers are coming around on Milwaukee 53 wins later, but this price still sells the Brewers short.
Nobody can match the team's frontline pitching, as it's a threat to win any playoff series with one of Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, or Freddy Peralta taking the mound each game. The bullpen is still electric, and a former MVP winner in Christian Yelich - who has shown glimpses of his typical form in recent weeks - anchors Milwaukee's powerful lineup, though it can be inconsistent. Buy while you still can.
Sell
New York Mets (+700)
You can't talk about the Mets without praising Jacob deGrom, the most valuable player in the National League and maybe all of baseball. His 4.8 pitching fWAR leads the majors, and his team is a remarkable 11-4 during his starts despite shoddy run support.
But is deGrom enough to justify this price?
The Mets hold by far the worst playoff odds (76.8%) of any team priced 10-1 or shorter, according to Fangraphs, and their offense has produced the second-fewest runs in MLB. New York's hitters are surely more talented than that, but this group will eventually need to prove it's comprised of more than a superstar pitcher and a mediocre supporting cast.
Tampa Bay Rays (+1200)
What's up with all of this love for the Rays? This team entered the year with low expectations, and while the club has posted the AL's fourth-best record, it's done so against mediocre competition thus far.
As well as Brandon Lowe is hitting over the past month or so, the Rays' lineup is mostly devoid of star power. Tampa Bay's rotation is also uninspiring outside of Tyler Glasnow, whose health is a serious question mark down the stretch.
This would be a fun bet at 25-1. But stay away at this price.
C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at cjackson.cowart@thescore.com.