2022 AL East Odds and Betting Predictions
2022 AL East Betting Preview
After months of negotiations and a brief lockout, the MLB owners and players finally put their differences aside and signed a new agreement to keep both parties happy. For now. WagerTalk MLB analyst Eric Pauly shares his thoughts on the 2022 version of the American League East.
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2022 AL East Division Odds
One of the best things about the start of any new season is the variety of future bets available in the market. As a bettor, there is value to be found in the market if you believe a team is either better or worse than the odds listed in the sportsbooks.
When taking a dive into the American League East this season, the Red Sox (+500) to win the division stuck out to me like a sore thumb. Let’s take a look at why I believe the Red Sox are poised to win the American League East this season.
The Red Sox have the second-longest odds to take home their division this season, so let’s evaluate the three teams that currently have better odds than them: The Blue Jays (+185), the Yankees (+225), and the Rays (+185). The Orioles have +15000 odds to win the division, meaning the oddsmakers do not believe a universe exists where this ball club wins the American League East crown in 2022.
| 2022 American League East Odds | Courtesy of Caesars as of March 28 |
|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays | +185 |
| New York Yankees | +225 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +290 |
| Boston Red Sox | +500 |
| Baltimore Orioles | +15000 |
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays have the best odds in the division due to the improvements they made to their team this off-season. After coming in fourth in the division last year with an impressive 91 wins, Toronto decided they needed to improve on all levels to take the next step.
The Blue Jays added All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman and starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to their stellar core of young players. The last time the Blue Jays won the AL East was in 2015.
New York Yankees
The Yankees made the playoffs last season, but all New Yorkers have a “World Series or bust” mentality for this team every season. The Yankees have not won a World Series since 2009 and have only won the AL East crown four times in the last 13 years.
While they are usually big spenders, the Yankees were relatively quiet this off-season and kept their spending down. They have missed out on most of the big-name pending free agents and their most noteworthy move was trading for aging 3B Josh Donaldson.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays have won back-to-back AL East titles, but Vegas expects this team to decline this season. The Rays work on a tight budget and rarely make big money splashes in free agency.
Despite winning 100 games last season, the Rays are expecting to take a downward slide due to injuries to pitchers Tyler Glasnow and Yonni Chirinos as well as the rest of the division improving.
The Case for Boston
The Red Sox are no strangers to doubters and non-believers. Just last season, the Red Sox were also projected to finish fourth in the AL East. What happened last season? The Red Sox put together a remarkable campaign that saw them winning 92 games, finishing second in the AL East, and playing in the American League Championship series. Unfortunately for Boston, they were beaten in six games by the Astros.
The Red Sox just signed arguably the best free-agent position player in the MLB, Trevor Story. Boston already boasts superstar shortstop Xander Bogarts, but Chiam Bloom, the Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer, thought it was imperative for the Red Sox to bolster their offense. Keep in mind, the Red Sox finished third in the majors in batting average, fifth in runs batted in, third in hits, and tenth in home runs.
One thing the Red Sox lacked last season was quality pitching from their entire staff. The Red Sox finished 15th in ERA, 23rd in WHIP and 19th in total quality starts, which clearly has room for improvement. In order to bolster their staff, Boston signed veterans Michel Wacha, James Paxton, and Rich Hill.
Though their staff still leaves something to be desired, Boston taking the AL East at +500 seems like a great bet. No other team in the division improved dramatically and the Blue Jays are betting on breakout seasons from multiple players. Boston has the lineup, the depth, the fielding, and a good enough staff to warrant this bet.
Interested in placing a bet on the 2022 AL East division odds? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
MLB Betting Tips
What stats should you be looking for in the box score to help you determine a pitcher’s performance? Kelly Stewart sat down with MLB bettor Dave Cokin to go over three key areas when assessing a pitcher in the betting market: Changes in velocity; hard-hit and contact rates; and patterns of fatigue.
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Meet the Author
Eric Pauly, @slimeaction on Twitter, graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Finance. Eric is a die-hard Washington Commanders and New York Knicks fan and enjoys watching and writing about the NFL, NBA and MLB. His favorite gambling movements include hitting a +1000 future on Washington to win the NFC East in 2020 and predicting Jonathan Taylor’s breakout season with a +900 ticket for him to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Aside from the sports betting industry, Eric also enjoys good eats, dynasty fantasy football leagues, daily fantasy sports and playing the guitar.
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