Which MLB team is projected to have the most wins in 2020?
The seven-time defending National League West champion Los Angeles Dodgers have the highest projected MLB season win total for 2020. The Dodgers are coming off a season in which they won 106 games and then went out and traded for one of the best players in baseball: adding Mookie Betts to an already stacked lineup.
They were also able to add starter David Price in that deal to join a rotation featuring Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler. So, it should come as no surprise that the Dodgers are also among the favorites to win the World Series. The O/U win total for the Dodgers is a big 38.5.
This theme of this shortened 2020 schedule is ‘division,’ mainly that teams will play 40 of the 60 games within their division, plus 20 interleague games against their geographical equal. With the NL West lacking another truly elite competitor, it’s no surprise that the Dodgers have such a high projection.
The second-highest win total projection belongs to the New York Yankees at 37, also not surprising as the AL East features the miserable Orioles, the rebuilding Blue Jays and a Red Sox team that’s trending downwards, followed by the Houston Astros at 35, who are hoping everyone just forgets about their cheating scandal.
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Which MLB team is projected to have the least wins in 2020?
Oh, the poor Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles have won just 101 games combined over the last two full MLB seasons, so in this 60-game shortened season they are projected for a league-low 21 wins. And for good reason. The Orioles are still in Phase 1 of their rebuild and the farm system has a long way to go before it starts bearing any fruit.
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The Detroit Tigers aren’t set up much better than the O’s with an O/U win total of 21.5. The Tigers are followed by the San Francisco Giants and the Seattle Mariners, who each have a projected win total of 24.
2020 MLB Over/Under Win Totals
| Team | 2020 Projected Win Total |
|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 31.5 |
| Atlanta Braves | 33.5 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 21 |
| Boston Red Sox | 30 |
| Chicago Cubs | 32 |
| Chicago White Sox | 31.5 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 32 |
| Cleveland Indians | 32.5 |
| Colorado Rockies | 27.5 |
| Detroit Tigers | 21.5 |
| Houston Astros | 35 |
| Kansas City Royals | 24.5 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 31.5 |
| Miami Marlins | 24.5 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 29.5 |
| Minnesota Twins | 34.5 |
| New York Mets | 31.5 |
| New York Yankees | 37 |
| Oakland Athletics | 33.5 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 30.5 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 24.5 |
| San Diego Padres | 30.5 |
| San Francisco Giants | 24 |
| Seattle Mariners | 24 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 31.5 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 34 |
| Texas Rangers | 28.5 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 28 |
| Washington Nationals | 32.5 |
Odds courtesy of the Westgate Superbook
When does Vegas release MLB win totals?
Traditionally, sportsbooks open MLB regular-season win totals odds a few weeks before teams report to Spring Training facilities in February, once free agency has settled and we have a good idea of what rosters will look like. But some shops are offering these wagers earlier and earlier in the new year.
How to bet MLB Season Win Totals
Season win totals are pretty straightforward: you’re betting on how many wins a team will have that regular season.
Oddsmakers set a projected number of wins for each team - based on past success, returning personnel and strength of schedule - and offer Over/Under betting options, allowing you to wager on if a team will exceed that win total (Over) or fall short of it (Under). This total does not include postseason games.
On top of the season win total itself, oddsmakers set an assigned cost to the Over and Under bets – also known as vig or juice – depending on the implied probability of the team winning more or less than that total.
For example, oddsmakers calculate the Yankees to win 37 games this upcoming season but do feel like there’s a better chance of them winning 38 games rather than 36. Therefore, they set the Yanks with a win total of 37 but increase the vig on the OVER to -130 (bet $1.30 to win $1) and decrease the vig on the UNDER to +110 (win $1.10 for every $1 bet).
- OVER 37 WINS (-130)
- UNDER 37 WINS (+110)
Season win totals are considered futures betting odds and sportsbooks will take action on season win totals from the time they post the odds until the start of the season. Futures bets are then graded at the end of the season when all results are final.
