The Arizona Diamondbacks are the defending National League champions, going from 10 games below .500 in 2022 to the World Series 12 months later.
But they are not the favorites to repeat. They aren’t even near-favorites. In their division is the Los Angeles Dodgers, the winner of the N.L. West in 10 of the last 11 seasons. Over that stretch of success and 11 straight playoff appearances, they have only won the N.L. pennant three times. Only once did they win the World Series.
Still, as we enter 2024, the Dodgers, at +180 to win the N.L. and +350 to win the World Series are the agreed-upon favorites. In the National League West, there are almost no other choices. L.A. is -450 to win the division, with the Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants a distant +1000.
The Rest of the Contenders
The Dodgers are expected to run away with their division, but the rest of the N.L. will put up a fight for the pennant. The Atlanta Braves are +240 to go back to the World Series for the second time in four years. They were winners over the Houston Astros in 2021, and they are paying +450 to win the Series again.
The Philadelphia Phillies played in the World Series two years ago, and made it to the League Championship Series last year. They are paying +750 to win the LCS this year and make it back to the World Series. The season begins with the Braves at the Phillies in what is sure to be one the best division races in all of baseball.
A pretty good race is also shaping up in the N.L. Central between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs are +185 to win the division and +1500 to win the National League. The Cardinals are +190 to win the division and +1600 to win the National League.
The Cubs are incredibly strong up the middle, with Nico Hoerner at second base and Dansby Swanson at shortstop. The Cardinals were abysmal last season, finishing 20 games below .500 and 21 games out of first place. But if the revamped pitching staff can stay healthy, and 23-year-old Nolan Gorman can take another step forward, they will be competitive.
The sixth-shortest odds in the N.L. are a three-way tie between the Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, and Cincinnati Reds.
Postseason Award Favorites
MVP
The 2023 National League MVP was Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Braves. He is the favorite to win it again this year, paying +500. Mookie Betts is a former winner of the award in the American League, and the Dodgers outfielder/shortstop is paying +650 to add an N.L. award to his trophy case. Only Frank Robinson was an MVP-winner in both leagues, winning with the Reds in 1961 and the Baltimore Orioles in 1966.
Betts is hoping to be the second, as is his teammate, Shohei Ohtani, who has the third-shortest odds at +750. Even as controversy surrounds Ohtani and his since-fired interpreter, his odds of winning the MVP have remained steady.
Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres is +1000, Bryce Harper, a two-time winner of the award, is +1000, and 2020 N.L. MVP Freddie Freeman is paying +1200.
Cy Young
Braves right-hander Spencer Strider was the MLB leader in wins and strikeouts last season, which normally leads to a Cy Young. Instead, it was only good for fourth. Strider is only 25, and he is the favorite to win it this year, paying +450.
Zack Wheeler was sixth last year in Cy Young voting, and this year, the 30-year-old Phillies right-hander has the second- shortest odds at +800. Logan Webb of the Giants was last year’s runner-up, and he is +950. The Dodgers Yoshinobu Yamamoto is +1000, and Zac Gallen of the Diamondbacks is +1200.
Rookie of the Year
Yamamoto got knocked around in his season debut in South Korea, but he remains the March leader for Rookie of the Year at +260. The former star in Japan signed for $325 million this off-season, the largest contract for a pitcher in Major League history. He allowed five runs in just one inning against the Padres, but he did win three consecutive MVP awards in Japan, so we’re expecting him to rebound.
Jung Hoo Lee is from Korea, now playing with the Giants, and he also has an MVP award in his past. The five-time KBO Golden Glove winner is +500 to win what would be his second Rookie of the Year Award. He also won in Korea in 2017.
Jackson Chourio just turned 20 two weeks ago, and he’s already got an eight-year, $82 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. He makes his MLB debut this week, and is paying +600 to be the N.L.’s best rookie.
Shota Imanaga, the 30-year-old left-handed rookie for the Cubs, is at +800, and Jackson Merrill, the 20-year-old starting center fielder in San Diego, is +950.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
