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What a difference a month can make. It has been an exciting first month or so of the Major League Baseball season, but some clubs have simply not lived up to the hype of things. At the top of the list would have to be the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers entered the year with so much promise, but the bats are yet to wake up inside of the clubhouse. With that, the Rays are now favored over the Yankees to win the AL East.
Who in the heck saw this coming? While the Yankees have been terrible, the Rays have looked like one of the best teams in the bigs. Behind a strong rotation and fantastic lineup, Tampa Bay has gotten off to a 23-6 start, which is easily the best in the majors. Tampa Bay has opened plenty of eyes and its MLB betting odds have skyrocketed since Opening Day. This team is the real deal.
| AL East odds |  |  |  |  |
| Rays to win | -125 | -125 | -125 | -125 |
| Blue Jays to win | +250 | +250 | +250 | +250 |
| Yankees to win | +325 | +325 | +325 | +325 |
| Red Sox to win | +600 | +600 | +600 | +600 |
As for the Yankees, there have been too many headaches to count for veteran manager Aaron Boone. As of this writing, the Yankees are 15-14 on the year, tied for last place in the division. This is unreal. No one thought that the Yankees and Red Sox would be tied for the worst record in the AL East, but that’s how things have gone through the first 29 games of the season. We can’t believe it.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, Tampa Bay holds -125 MLB betting odds to win the AL East. The Blue Jays hold the No. 2 odds at +250, while the Yankees are at +325. What the Rays have been able to get done thus far in the season has been remarkable. It’s a big reason why so many people are betting on them to win the AL East. However, we’re not going in that direction.
"The Rays have 9 home runs in this series"
~ six pitches later ~
We now have 11 home runs in this series pic.twitter.com/9kZJFNRBmW
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) April 30, 2023
The Yankees remain our pick to win the AL East
Believe it or not, the Yankees remain our pick to win the AL East. Yes, the start of the season has been a nightmare for New York and things only got worse for them on Sunday vs. the Rangers. In a game New York should have won, they ended up losing 15-2. That’s an unreal amount of runs they gave up to a not-so-great Texas lineup. Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes has a day to forget, giving up seven earned runs in less than five innings of work.
FINAL: Rangers 15, Yankees 2.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 30, 2023
On top of that terrible loss to Texas, the Yankees continue to deal with a nightmare in terms of injuries. Giancarlo Stanton is on the Injured List with his hamstring issue and Aaron Judge wasn’t able to play on Sunday due to a hip injury. The hope is that Judge won’t have to go to the IL himself, as the slugger missing an extended period of time would be terrible news for Boone and his coaching staff.
Judge is simply too valuable to this team. Thankfully, his hip issue doesn’t look like it’s a serious one. As for Carlos Rodon, the star pitcher is still trying to work his way back from a back injury. Rodon, a big offseason acquisition for the Yankees, is yet to make his NY debut. However, there’s optimism that he’ll be able to get back on the bump later this month. That will be huge for New York.
The fact of the matter is that the Yankees are quite banged up right now. Once they get back to full health and develop some continuity in the lineup and the rotation, it’s only going to help them out. This team has also seen its World Series betting odds dwindle, but NY is simply too talented to give up. We think they’ll give the Rays a run for their money late in the year and find a way to win the division. They’re our pick.
The Rays have seen their World Series odds skyrocket
As you could have probably guessed, the Rays have seen their World Series odds skyrocket over the past month. Their incredible start has plenty of folks in Las Vegas thinking that they’ll be able to win it all, as they’re currently listed at +750. Despite holding the best MLB record right now, the Rays remain behind both the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros in terms of betting odds.
Atlanta holds the top spot, while the Astros are No. 2. With Houston, they won the Fall Classic last season and they continue to look like a powerhouse. Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman have fans believing that the AL West side will be able to go back-to-back in winning the World Series.
However, don’t forget about Atlanta here either. The Braves are looking like the class of the National League. It’s going to be tough for a team to bring them down later this year. Atlanta has all the tools to win the World Series. We’re not going to forget about the Yankees either. We think these four teams will surely be in the running to win it all once November rolls around.
