2018 National League Pennant Odds
Before Major League Baseball heads into its Winter Meetings and the Hot Stove League heats up, let’s take a look at the most up-to-date National League Championship odds.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the defending National League champion Dodgers are favored to win next year’s pennant at 9/4. The Dodgers return most of the key components from their pennant run a year ago and could be a long-shot to land MVP Giancarlo Stanton, who reportedly wants to play for his hometown team. If Stanton joins the Dodgers then goodnight. The club is already favored to win both the NL and the World Series next year. If the Dodgers were to add Stanton they could be the closest thing to a super team in baseball.
Bet National League Pennant Odds
The team with the next-best odds to win the National League pennant next season is the Washington Nationals, who have 3/1 odds. They’ll return a starting staff that features Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, as well as a lineup with Bryce Harper (for at least one more year). With Harper set to become a free agent in 2018, the Nationals will be all-in next season.
The team that won the NL pennant and the World Series two years ago has the third-best odds to win the National League title this year. The Cubs currently have 9/2 odds, while their biggest rivals, the Cardinals, are listed right behind them at 8/1. St. Louis is also rumored to be interested in Stanton and even reportedly have swapped trade proposals with Miami.
Continuing with the odds, the Diamondbacks and Mets are both 9/1, respectively, to win the National League pennant next year. The Giants, yet another team reportedly in on Stanton, are 10/1 despite finishing with 100 losses a year ago. San Francisco returns Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford, so they’re not devoid of talent. But adding Stanton would put them right back into contention.
The Brewers were probably a year ahead of schedule when they were competitive in 2017 and are 15/1 to win the NL pennant in 2018. The Rockies, meanwhile, are 20/1 after playing in the NL wild card game this past season. The Braves are 30/1, the Phillies and Pirates are 40/1, respectively.
The three teams with the longest odds to win the National League pennant next year are the Reds, Marlins and Padres at 50/1, respectively.