MLB odds: Surprising team popular with bettors to win World Series

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Are you ready for a spring training curveball that we're betting you'll swing and miss at?

You can dig your heels in the batter's box and prepare to take a big cut at the question as the opening of the MLB season looms (with odds via FOX Bet).

According to BetMGM's director of trading Jeff Stoneback, the MLB team with the most futures tickets written at BetMGM is …

The Seattle Mariners.

The team that last reached the postseason in 2001.

The lone MLB franchise to never play in the World Series.

The squad with the longest active MLB postseason drought (20 seasons), which is twice as long as the next-closest team (10 seasons, Philadelphia Phillies).

Stoneback said the Los Angeles Dodgers are second and New York Yankees third for most MLB futures tickets written at BetMGM.

"The Mariners were very popular last year, too. We've got a lot of liability on them," Stoneback said. "I'm from Seattle and I have no explanation for this when I pulled it up the other day."

The Mariners are currently listed at +3300 (bet $10 to win $340) in MLB futures at FOX Bet to win the World Series.

"I do understand why bettors are optimistic about Seattle," FOX Bet sports trader AJ Devine said. "Last season they won 90 games, vastly outperforming their preseason win total of 72.5. 

"This season most books still only have their win total in the low-80s. They got better this offseason by adding Jesse Winker and Robbie Ray, among others. With Julio Rodriguez officially making the opening-day roster, there is a lot to like about this Mariners team."

At FOX Bet, the Dodgers are the top betting choice at +500 (bet $10 to win $60).

The Toronto Blue Jays, the other member of MLB's 1977 expansion class with the Mariners, are second on the odds board at FOX Bet, at +900 (bet $10 to win $100).

The Blue Jays have twice won the World Series (1992, ‘93) and made the postseason eight times, including three times since the Mariners last made the playoffs (2015, ’16, '20).

Devine described the Mariners at +3300 as a "juicy price" with a projected win total of 83.5.

"The Mariners won 90 games despite a minus-51 run differential in 2021, winning 14 games more than their Pythagorean expectation," Devine said. "In essence, they got kind of lucky. 

"If that luck normalizes this season, the bullpen regresses to the mean a bit and things don’t break quite as well as they did in 2021, we think we’re looking at a team that is capable of winning about 80-85 games – which may still be enough to make the expanded playoffs."

Stoneback's takeaway from Seattle's popularity with the betting public?

"I'm a Mariners fan," Stoneback said, "so I hope they're right."

So will Seattle actually contend this season? Head over to FOX Bet to place your MLB wagers now!

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