The American League West has been dominated by the Houston Astros in recent seasons. But last year, the division and the World Series were claimed by a different team in the division. Here, we look at this year’s AL West futures odds and recommend bettors see where the teams in this division stand in this year’s World Series odds as well.
2024 AL West Futures Betting Odds
Seattle Mariners: AL West Favorites
The Seattle Mariners came up just short of making the playoffs last season. This season, they jumped out to an early lead in the AL West standings. The big reason for that has been their pitching, as they have three starting pitchers who can all realistically win the AL Cy Young award this season. The big question for the Mariners will be whether they can sustain what they have done so far over the course of an entire season.
Houston Astros: Back In Contention
This season, the Houston Astros were once again favored to win the AL West at the start of play, but they got off to a dreadful start to their season. As a result, they had some ground to make up in the standings, but they have made up most of that ground and are firmly back in contention to win the AL West title. Houston’s offense needs to be more consistent in the second half of the season than it was in the first half, but that should be doable.
Texas Rangers: Texas Two-Step For Second Place?
Last year, the Texas Rangers not only won the AL West, but they won the World Series as well. But the Rangers still trail the Mariners and Astros in AL West futures markets so far in the 2024 season. Pitching health could determine whether or not they can get to the top of the mountain again, as the Rangers only recently got Max Scherzer back on the hill. But for now, the Rangers have some ground to make up if they want to win this division once again.
Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels: There’s Always Next Year
The bottom two teams in the American League West are the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels. The Angels lost a great pitcher and hitter when Shohei Ohtani left them for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the offseason. Meanwhile, the A’s continue to look directionless as their roster didn’t improve in any tangible way heading into a year where the only thing they have to look forward to is getting closer to being out of Oakland. Unsurprisingly, these teams are already at the bottom of this division’s standings and should stay there for the foreseeable future.