Best bets to win each NL division: Fade favored Mets after deGrom injury

The MLB season starts Thursday, and we're breaking down every relevant futures market ahead of Opening Day. Here are the odds to win each NL division and our best bets for each:

NL East

For the second straight year, the Mets are favored to win this division despite posting a losing record the season before. Sure, the talent is there, but so are the question marks: This lineup scored the fourth-fewest runs last year, and star pitcher Jacob deGrom is on the mend for at least a month. With his injury history, he could be out even longer than that.

That leaves some value on the rest of this division, especially the teams at longer odds. The Phillies added perennial star batter Nick Castellanos to a lineup already anchored by reigning MVP Bryce Harper and high-upside bats Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins, while the one-two punch of Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola is among the best in baseball. The Marlins are worth a look behind their potential aces, but the best bet here is Philly's offense carrying it to 90-plus wins and its first division crown since 2011.

Best bet: Phillies +575

NL Central

There was incredible value on the Brewers a year ago when the market was still undervaluing their elite pitching trio of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta. The masses have caught up, sapping much of the value from the prohibitive favorites.

There's only one problem: Who else are you going to bet? The Cardinals are a compelling option - especially if Tyler O'Neill continues his MVP ascent - but their rotation is littered with injury prone arms, some of whom are already on the IL. Every other team in the division is actively shedding talent and payroll costs. It's never fun laying a short price before the year, but the Brewers have better than a 56% chance of winning this division, as these odds suggest.

Best bet: Brewers -130

NL West

On paper, the Dodgers are the best team in this division and likely the entire National League as well. They were the best team last year, too, but the Giants' unlikely bid for 107 wins foiled the Dodgers' 106-win campaign, obscuring one of the great regular-season records in MLB history.

Los Angeles should enter this season with an added fire, especially after falling short in its World Series quest in 2021. Max Scherzer is gone, but midseason acquisition Trea Turner heated up late in the year and should be a massive boost to this lineup over a full season. So will Freddie Freeman, who is just two years removed from winning NL MVP.

This is an awfully short price to pay, and I can't fault anyone for taking a shot on the Padres' talented but enigmatic roster once again. Still, there are so many question marks in San Diego - namely about injured star Fernando Tatis Jr. - and very few with the Dodgers, who have won eight of the last nine NL West titles.

Best bet: Dodgers -190

C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at [email protected].