MLB FUTURES ODDS FOR 2024

Bet on who will win the World Series, AL or NL Most Valuable Player, and AL or NL Rookie of the Year:

What is MLB Futures Betting?

Major League Baseball (MLB) futures betting consists of wagering on markets that will not be decided during the season. As a result, they are typically awards winners and team performance-based wagers that are determined after the season reaches its conclusion. 

One of the best aspects of MLB futures bets are that they can be placed at any point prior to the season beginning as well as during the regular season. 

Let’s discuss some of the most popular MLB futures bets that you can find at major sportsbooks:

Player Awards Futures

In the MLB, there are plenty of major player awards that fall into the category of futures betting. The most notable among these options are American League and National League Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year for both leagues, and Cy Young Award winners for both leagues.

Player Statistical Futures

Another option for MLB futures betting when it comes to players is to bet on statistical outcomes. This is a quite niche market that is not offered at all major sportsbooks for MLB, but can be an exciting one for sports bettors. Home run leaders, batting champions, and strikeout kings can all be wagered on in the player statistical futures market for MLB.

Team Futures

Team futures in the MLB market are usually the type of futures betting that draws the most handle at major sportsbooks. This is for good reason. Wagering on World Series champions, pennant winners, and divisional winners all exist in this area of futures. Additionally, bettors can place wagers on the over or under for a team’s end-of-season win total.


How do you bet on MLB Futures?

Betting on MLB futures is a quite simple process despite the large collection of possible bets that exist on the market. This can be overwhelming at first, but we assure you that after awhile of looking around on a sportsbook, you will find your way. 

Every major sportsbook offers some type of MLB futures betting, but there are variations for each one. For example, some will offer statistical futures on players while others will not.

There are also smaller awards that can be bet on at only the most extensive sportsbook catalogs like Manager of the Year.

When looking through an MLB odds page at a sportsbook, there will usually be a large number of players listed with associated odds.

This is the way that MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Cy Young Award betting is conducted. Something to keep in mind in addition to this is that you can often parlay futures together as long as they have little to no correlation on each other’s outcomes.

An example of a parlay for MLB futures betting would be to wager on Shohei Ohtani to win American League MVP and also bet on the Houston Astros to win the World Series.

Additionally, you can parlay between sports, meaning that you could add Patrick Mahomes winning NFL MVP to the same bet slip that contains Ohtani and the Astros.

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MLB Futures Breakdown

The MLB regular season begins in late-March and runs through the end of the World Series that concludes either during the final week of October or first week of November. The most popular futures bets for the MLB are team finishes:

World Series Champion

Betting on the World Series champion in the MLB futures market is one of the most exciting options for obvious reasons.

All teams are listed with associated sports at most major sportsbooks with the best teams typically falling in the +200 to +300 range and some of the worst teams in the league can typically be had at +10000 odds. This is the market where you can bet on the Houston Astros or San Diego Padres to win the title.

American/National League Champions

The next best achievement behind winning the World Series in the MLB is winning the American League or National League pennant.

Betting on who will win the pennant is a market that is open all year and works similarly to the odds with the World Series winner. This is the market where you can bet on the New York Yankees to win the AL pennant or the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the NL pennant.

Yes or No to Make Playoffs

One of the most popular markets for the MLB futures betting before the season starts is to bet on teams to make or not make the playoffs.

Most major sportsbooks take this type of betting off entirely once the season begins or will remove it from their platforms shortly after Opening Day.

There can be some valuable odds within this market if you personally believe a team will heavily outperform or underperform in comparison to what oddsmakers think.

Over or Under on Total Team Wins

In addition to playoff futures for the MLB, betting on the over or under on the total team wins for a team is extremely popular.

This works directly with the ‘Yes or No to Make Playoffs’ market as the results are correlated, preventing you from being able to parlay them in most cases.

However, the same type of value can be found in this market as a straight bet, too. This market does typically close after the first pitch of the MLB regular season, though.

Player Awards Futures Bet

AL/NL Most Valuable Player 

Because MLB is one of the only major sports leagues to hand out multiple MVP awards at the end of the season, the market for MVP futures is massive.

There is an AL MVP and NL MVP market that each include some of the biggest stars from each league. This is the market where you can bet on major names like Mike Trout for AL MVP or Ronald Acuña Jr. for NL MVP.

AL/NL Rookie of the Year

MLB has some of the most radical turnover with rookies and the Rookie of the Year awards futures reflect that.

Some of the most out-of-nowhere young players win the award all the time with the top prospects that draw the best odds falter. This is a volatile market, but it is a good one to watch throughout the regular season. 

AL/NL Cy Young Award

Cy Young Award voting can be just as volatile as Rookie of the Year voting with how many outstanding pitchers there are in each league.

Pitchers in general are a volatile position given the likelihood of injury that can cause them to drop out of awards races entirely by just missing a few starts. This is the market where you can bet on pitchers like Justin Verlander or Gerrit Cole to be the most outstanding pitchers in their respective leagues.

MLB 2024 Calendar

DateEventWhat is happening?
March 20-21 & March 27-28International Series:Regular season kicks off with Dodgers vs. Padres in Seoul, Korea, followed by Astros vs. Rockies in Mexico City.
February 22 – March 27Spring Training:Teams prepare for the season with exhibition games.
March 28Opening Day:All 30 teams take the field simultaneously.
April 15Jackie Robinson Day:League-wide celebration of Jackie Robinson and his impact on baseball.
August 18MLB Little League Classic:Yankees vs. Tigers play in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, at Bowman Field, the oldest professional ballpark in the U.S.
July 16All-Star Game:Mid-season exhibition featuring the best players from each league. (Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX)
July 31Trade Deadline:Teams bolster their rosters for the playoff push. (6:00 PM ET)
October 1-4Wildcard Weekend:Best-of-three series to determine the final division series teams.
October 5-13Division Series:Best-of-five series for the League Championship Series berths.
October 14-27League Championship Series:Best-of-seven series determine the American and National League pennant winners.
October 28 – November 10World Series:Best-of-seven series for the ultimate baseball championship.
September 15Roberto Clemente Day:League-wide recognition of Roberto Clemente’s humanitarian efforts and baseball legacy.
NovemberPostseason Awards:MVP, Cy Young Award, and other individual awards are presented.

FAQs

Each sport will have its own category in which you can place a bet. There will be subcategories for the types of bets within each of these sports categories, including futures, team futures, and awards. You can bet on the future of any player or team by clicking on their name.

Yes. It is possible to parlay most futures, such as the winner of separate awards (MVP and Cy Young Awards, for example). Parlaying heavily correlated futures, such as the World Series champion and AL Pennant winner, may not be possible.

MLB future bets include: World Series Winner, Most Valuable Player Awards in each league, Cy Young Award winners in each league, and Rookie of the Year. Furthermore, you can bet on how many games a team will win and whether they will make the playoffs.

There is a ton of risk in betting on MLB futures as a result of the role that injuries play in the sport. For example, when betting on a Cy Young Award future, there is a significant risk of a pitcher missing half a season or more due to injury. This can happen at any point in time during the season and can turn what looks like a winning ticket into a pure loser.

A futures market indicates the likelihood that a certain outcome will occur. What is the likelihood that the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series with Mookie Betts bringing home the National League MVP?