2019 MLB Division Odds Tracker

• The 2019 season produced three upsets in the MLB’s  divisional races.
• The graphs below show how the divisional futures shifted for all 30 teams over the course of the year.
• When you are done living in the past, see this season’s MLB division odds.

 

Three of six divisions were won by the preseason favorites in 2019: the Astros (AL West), Yankees (AL East), and Dodgers (NL West) were all preseason chalk. But the Twins (AL Central), Braves (NL East), and Cardinals (NL Central) pulled upsets by winning their respective quintets.

The graphs below show how the odds changed over the course of the entire 2019 season. The odds were calculated by averaging the futures at all the reputable online sportsbooks. The tables underneath each graph show the final divisional futures offered (as of Aug. 26, 2019).

• AL East / AL Central / AL West
• NL East / NL Central / NL West

AL East

Aug. 26: Tampa continues to drop (+1500 to +1700). The Rays could have closed the gap a bit on the Yankees, but dropped 2 of 3 to the dreadful Orioles.

Aug 19:  The Rays (+1500) continue to play well, sitting 19 games over .500 with a +102 run differential, but just can’t make up ground on the hyper-consistent Yankees (-15000).

Aug. 9: Well, this is over. The Yankees lead Tampa Bay by 10.5 games and are now -12500 to win the East.

Jul. 29: An injury to Blake Snell and the ongoing absence of Tyler Glasnow have really tempered expectations for the Rays in the East, now sitting at +1600, compared to +1000 in early July.

Jul. 18: Maintaining a six-game lead, the Yankees’ odds keep getting shorter, moving from -2000 to -2500 as of July 18.

Jul. 8: Heading into the All-Star break, oddsmakers believe the Yankees effectively have the East sewn up, now sitting at -2000 (compared to -510 two weeks ago).

Jun. 26: The Red Sox have fallen to a distant third in the latest AL East odds.

Jun. 14: The Yankees are just 3-7 in their last 10 and only have a half-game lead over the Rays, but they remain heavy chalk to win the division.

Jun. 3: After losing two of three in the Bronx, the Red Sox’ odds to win the East took a hit, and the Yankees are now the shortest they have been all year.

May 22: The Yankees are now odds-on favorites to win the AL East despite losing Miguel Andujar for the remainder of the season.

May 6: The Yankees are still atop the divisional odds despite dealing with injuries to 12 rotational players.

Mar. 13: The Yankees have achieved some separation from the Red Sox after opening with nearly identical odds. Bookmakers appear to have concerns over the state of Boston’s bullpen after the team lost Joe Kelly and Craig Kimbrel to free agency, and Steven Wright to suspension.

Final AL East Divisional Odds

All odds on this page were last updated on Aug 26, 2019.

AL Central

Aug. 26: Cleveland is only 4-6 in its last 10, trailing Minnesota by 3.5 games, and just lost Jose Ramirez for the year. Their odds have dropped in turn (+100 to +150).

Aug. 19: The Twins (-200) have answered back, winning four straight to retake a 2.5-game lead on Cleveland (+100).

Aug. 9: And then there was one … game separating Minnesota and Cleveland. The new odds (Minnesota -180; Cleveland +130) reflect how tight a finish this is going to be.

July 29: Cleveland has trimmed Minnesota’s lead to just two games, and their odds continue to move closer together, sitting at +170 and -230 on average.

July 18: The race is back on! Cleveland is just four back with plenty of time left. The Tribe’s shiny new +400 odds illustrate just how well they’ve been playing.

July 8: Cleveland has stayed hot and continue to close the gap on a somewhat slumping Twins team. They are now +700 and -2800, respectively. That doesn’t sound too close, but just look at graph to see how much tighter it is than a month ago.

June 26: The Indians have seen their odds improve from +1000 to +900 after winning seven of their last 10 games.

June 14: While the Indians and White Sox have played better of late, the Twins refuse to slow down, maintaining an 11-game lead and now boasting the best run differential in all of baseball at +115.

June 3: The biggest division lead in all of baseball belongs to the Twins, who are 11.5 games up on  both the Indians and White Sox. This race is over, barring a monumental collapse by Minnesota, which has the best run differential in all of baseball.

May 22: The Twins have leapfrogged the Indians after winning seven of their last 10.

May 6: Here come the Twins! Minnesota has the best record in the AL Central after winning seven of its last 10 games.

March 13: Cleveland’s short odds have gotten even shorter, going from -190 to -420. It’s a surprising development after the Indians depleted their roster in the offseason to trim their payroll.

Final AL Central Divisional Odds

AL West

Aug. 26: Houston’s lead continues to over around 9 or 10 games and time is running out for the A’s  to make up the ground, which is why their odds went from +1500 to +2700.

Aug. 19: The A’s (+1500) kept this race alive, ever so slightly, by taking 3 of 4 from Houston last week. They remain 7.5 games back, though.

Aug. 9: Like the Yankees in the East, the Astros have a massive lead (9.5 games) and odds that reflect it (-20000). Only the A’s are within single-digits of the division lead.

July 29: The Rangers’ odds have absolutely cratered, going from +2800 ten days ago to +6700 today. The Cinderella run is over as the trade deadline approaches.

July 18: A little mid-season swoon precipitated by starting-pitcher injuries has brought the Astros’ odds back to earth. That said, they’re still -4200.

July 8: The A’s have re-established themselves as the biggest threat to the Astros in the West, surpassing the Rangers as the second-favorite in the division, though there’s a huge chasm between them and Houston.

June 26: So much for the Mariners’ red hot start. Seattle is now 15.5 games behind the division-leading Astros and has dropped to a +50000 longshot.

June 14: Houston is still without Jose Altuve, George Spring, and Carlos Correa, yet has extended its lead to 9.5 games in the West. Their divisional odds are now shorter than ever, despite the Rangers maintaining their surprisingly strong play and sitting four games over .500.

June 3: The injured Astros just won’t slow down. Despite Oakland’s recent 10-game win streak and Texas’ surprising first half, Houston still holds an 8.5-game lead over the field in the West.

May 22: It’s only May, but the AL West is officially the Astros’ to lose. Houston’s odds have improved from to -1100 to -5500 since May 6th.

May 6: The shine is officially off the Mariners as Seattle has dropped seven of its last 10 games.

March 13: Bookmakers are bullish about the Astros, adjusting the team’s odds to -670. Houston now has the shortest odds of any Major League team to win its respective division.

Final AL West Divisional Odds

NL East

Aug. 26: Winners of five straight, the Nats (+470) are the second-hottest team in baseball, right behind the Braves (-680), who have won eight in a row. Bummer.

Aug. 19: The Nats’ (+490) refuse to go away, as hard as their bullpen is trying to scuttle their season. Washington is 5.5 back of Atlanta after the weekend.

Aug. 9: The Mets are en fuego! Winners of seven straight, they have jumped into a tie with the Phillies in the NL East odds at +1500.

July 29: The Braves’ lead in the division continues to hover around five games. Horrendous relief pitching plus a lingering injury to Max Scherzer has led to stagnation from the Nationals (+620).

July 18: Just like the Indians in the AL Central, the Nats are playing closer to preseason expectations and continuing to surge up the odds, currently at +630. They were +1100 six weeks ago. But it’s still going to be hard to catch Atlanta (-850).

July 8: Don’t look now, but here come the Nats! Left for dead when they were ten games under .500 back in late May, Washington is just six games back of the division-leading Braves after going 8-2 in the last ten.

June 26: Injuries are killing the Phillies, whose NL East odds have lengthened considerably from +140 on June 10th to +610 on June 26th.

June 14: The Braves have surged past Philadelphia in the odds, now better-than-even-money to win the NL East at -110, thanks to a seven-game win streak and the addition of Dallas Keuchel.

June 3: The East remains a two-horse race between Philadelphia and Atlanta. They are separated by one game in the standings, with the third-place Mets a full four games back of second.

May 22: The Braves (+210) continue to push the Phillies (-150) after winning seven of their last 10 games.

May 6: The Phillies now have a narrow 1.5 game cushion over the surging Braves after winning seven of their last 10.

March 13: Philadelphia’s odds have shortened significantly after a busy – and expensive – offseason in which they added former MVPs Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen, and proven All-Stars Jean Segura and JT Realmuto.

Final 2019 NL East Divisional Odds

NL Central

Aug. 26: For the first time since May 6, the Cardinals (-110) are favored to win the Central, narrowly ahead of the Cubs (+120).

Aug. 19: Red-hot pitching from Jack Flaherty has helped the Cardinals (+140) right back into the thick of this race, now back to a tie for first with the Cubs (+100).

Aug. 9: And just like that, the Cubs (-190) have a 3.5-game lead in the division. The -190 price on Chicago is the new season-high for any NL Central team.

July 29: The separation the Cubs had ten days ago is gone. The Cardinals are now tied for first and have seen their division title odds improve, going from +280 to +190.

July 18: A modicum of separation has come to the NL Central, where the Cubs now have a 2.5-game lead and their shortest odds of the year.

July 8: The current odds reflect just how tight this division still is. The five teams are separated by only 4.5 games.

June 26: The Cubs still have the division’s best odds, but for how long? Chicago has just a one game lead over Milwaukee and has lost five of its last 10 games.

June 14: The Cubs and Brewers are gaining separation. Milwaukee holds a one-game lead over Chicago, and a five-game lead over third-place St. Louis. The updated odds reflect the Cardinals’ deficit.

June 3: The Central is the tightest division in all of baseball. The Brewers have surged, and they now hold a 1.5-game lead  in the standings while pulling even with the Cubs at the top of the odds.

May 22: The Cardinals are fading fast. Their divisional odds have lengthened from +140 on May 6th to +380 on May 22nd.

May 6: The Cubs are back atop the AL Central thanks to an impressive seven-game winning streak  against the Cardinals, Mariners and Diamondbacks.

March 13: The Cubs have pulled ahead of the Cardinals and Brewers by the narrowest of margins. Oddsmakers are counting on bounceback seasons from All-Stars Kris Bryant and Yu Darvish, both of whom struggled with injuries in 2018.

Final 2019 NL Central Divisional Odds

NL West

Aug. 26: The NL West futures are off the board at all of the sportsbooks we are tracking.

Aug. 19: The fierce battle … for second … rages on in the NL West. The Giants (+20000) hold a one-game lead over the D-Backs (+25000), but that will only realistically matter in the Wild Card race.

Aug. 9: The Giants’ surge has tapered, and their odds have dropped significantly (+5300 to +10300). It was fun while it lasted, Bay Area.

July 29: The Dodgers (-75000) are not going to be caught, but the Giants’ surge is notable. Now second in the division (but still 14.5 back of LAD), San Francisco’s odds are now +5300 on average.

July 18: The one-horse race goes on in the NL West. But the Giants are fun story all of a sudden, moving into 3rd in the division ahead of San Diego and Colorado.

July 8: Not much to see here. LAD continues to lead the division by 13.5 games. Arizona, San Diego, and Colorado will be in the Wild Card hunt, but the division title is already out of reach.

June 26: No team has shorter divisional odds than the Dodgers, who also have Major League Baseball’s best record (55-26) and largest run differential (+131).

June 14: The Rockies and Diamondbacks are firmly in the hunt for a Wild Card berth in the NL, but have a 9.5-game hole to the Dodgers in the division, hence their long odds.

June 3: The  Dodgers keep rolling, so despite a hot streak from the Rockies, Los Angeles has become a prohibitive -10000 favorite, thanks to a nine-game lead in the West.

May 22: Can anyone catch the Dodgers? LA’s NL West odds have improved from -680 to -2300 over the past three weeks.

May 6: So much for 2019 being a rebuilding year for the Diamondbacks. Arizona sits just one game behind LA in the tightly-packed AL West.

March 13: The Dodgers retooled on the fly this winter by acquiring All-Stars AJ Pollock and Russell Martin and hard-throwing World Series champ Joe Kelly. The NL West is theirs to lose.

Final 2019 NL West Divisional Odds