MLB futures odds let you bet on your favorite MLB team to win the World Series or your favorite player to win an MVP at any point during the baseball season.
That’s why MLB futures bets are so popular. Bettors can align their season-long (or life-long) MLB fandom with their money.
The long-term nature of futures creates long odds early in the year. As the season unfolds, the odds tighten on the favorites and balloon for underdogs before they’re taken off the board entirely.
Here’s a complete guide to MLB futures at the top online betting sites.
Latest MLB futures odds
Check below for the latest MLB futures odds from the best MLB betting sites. Click on any odds to go to the betting site that posted them, sign up for a new account and claim your bonus.
What is an MLB futures bet?
MLB futures surround season-long accomplishments by teams and players. The most common are World Series futures odds, where you pick a team to win the World Series. However, MLB futures also include bets on:
- Odds to win a Division or Championship Series
- Odds to make the playoffs
- Over/under for regular season wins
- Odds to win Cy Young or MVP
- Odds to lead the league in statistical categories – hits, home runs, wins, saves, etc.
MLB futures markets are available all year long. Sportsbooks post odds at the end of the previous season, and these odds change throughout the year alongside each team or player’s chances of accomplishing the goal prescribed by the bet.
You lock in the odds as currently posted when you place a bet in any MLB futures market. For the most part, the odds start relatively long and shrink on the favorites as the season progresses.
That means the earlier you can get a bet down in any MLB futures market, the better the odds and your potential payout will be. MLB betting apps offer at least the following list of MLB futures:
MLB team futures
- To Win the World Series
- To Win the AL/NL Pennant
- To Win a Division
- To Reach the Playoffs
- Team Regular Season Wins
MLB player futures
- To Win the AL/NL Cy Young
- To Win the AL/NL MVP
- To Win the AL/NL Rookie of the Year
- Most Regular Season Hits
- Most Regular Season Home Runs
- Most Regular Season RBI
- Most Regular Season Stolen Bases
- Most Regular Season Runs Scored
- Most Regular Season Strikeouts
- Most Regular Season Saves
- Most Regular Season Wins
How do the payouts work for MLB futures?
Win any MLB futures bet, and you’ll get paid according to the odds as posted when you placed that bet.
That means if you bet $10 on the Houston Astros to win the 2022 World Series in the offseason at +900 odds, you earned a $90 profit and your $10 bet back when they won. It didn’t matter that the odds had dropped to +380 by the end of the regular season. You secured the +900 odds.
But what if you weren’t sure about Houston until the end of the summer when they locked up a playoff spot? Then, you would’ve earned a $38 profit and your $10 bet back when the Astros won it all. That tells you the earlier you bet, the more you stand to win.
Is early cash-out an option for MLB futures?
Sportsbooks will allow you to cash out most MLB futures bets early. If the bet is live and has a decent chance of winning, you can take the money and run.
It’s certainly something to think about if you’re losing confidence. Cashing out will mean locking up at least some profit and ensuring you don’t walk away empty-handed if the bet ends up a loser. Of course, you won’t get paid anywhere near what you would if you let it ride and the bet wins.
You’ll find the early cash-out option and the amount offered listed under your current bets. However, manually hedging the bet could be the better option. Hedging means betting against yourself to cover every other possible outcome.
You’ll lock in a smaller profit than you might make by letting it ride, but again, you ensure you won’t walk away empty-handed. Hedging can be a clever play in tight races with only two or three possible outcomes.
Do the math on hedging versus early cash-out first. Letting your MLB futures bet ride may be your best bet.
Most popular MLB futures
Let’s run through some staple MLB futures bets.
World Series futures
World Series futures are by far the most popular in this genre. Once this season’s World Series is over, sportsbooks will post odds on every team winning it next year. Every team is a long shot at that point, but the odds will change.
First, sportsbooks will make adjustments throughout the offseason based on free agent signings and other roster moves. Then, sportsbooks will make adjustments throughout the regular season based on more roster moves, injuries, performance, and the MLB standings.
You pick the team or teams you think might win the World Series and lock in the odds as currently posted when you place your bets. It doesn’t matter how much the odds change afterward.
AL/NL MVP futures
MLB hands out Most Valuable Player awards to the best players in the American League and National League every year. You can bet on who wins it. Sportsbooks offer odds on the top prospects to win the awards all year long.
Like most futures, every player is a longshot to win AL or NL MVP prior to the season, and the odds shrink on the players who emerge as favorites as the season moves ahead.
AL/NL Cy Young futures
MLB hands out the Cy Young Award to the best pitcher in the American League and National League every year. It’s the same drill as for MVP.
Every pitcher is a longshot to win the AL or NL CY Young before the season, and the odds shrink on the pitchers who emerge as the favorites as the season rolls along.
Why should I bet on MLB futures?
MLB futures offer an easy way to bet on baseball, and you can enjoy sweating your bets all year. Plus, bet early enough, and you might just turn a small bet into a significant win.
You aren’t likely to miss the $100 you bet on the Astros to win the World Series at +900 odds last spring. But you’ll never forget the $1,000 payout it provided.
MLB futures offer an accessible entryway into baseball betting. The ups and downs of a long season make picking MLB game-winners hard, but it’s easy for fans to get behind their favorite teams and players in the season-long MLB futures markets.
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