Baseball fans can begin to breathe a sigh of relief now that Commissioner Rob Manfred has revealed that the 2020 season will begin on either July 23 or 24 and will consist of a shortened 60-game format.
There will also be a ten-team playoff that will commence on September 27 and will feature five teams from the National and American leagues.
There have been no other specifics regarding the schedule structure, and all indications suggest that further announcements will provide additional details in the coming days, according to CBS Sports.
What has been revealed is that teams will remain inside of particular regions so that travel is restricted and games can be completed with minimal risk of COVID-19 infections. We’re guessing that these regions will be based on current American and National league divisions, but nothing is concrete as of yet.
There is not likely to be much, if any, inter-divisional or inter-league play. It was recently revealed that the National League has now adopted the designated hitter position, removing any differences that used to provide intrigue in National vs. American league contests.
Teams will play each franchise in their division ten times, for a total of 40 games. The remaining 20 games on the schedule have not been declared yet but could include teams from the other divisions in their league, or could be randomly assigned, regional teams.
This is great news for professional baseball fans as well as those that are interested in betting on MLB. Now that MLB has announced that the season will indeed occur, offshore sportsbooks have produced dozens of betting lines that can be wagered on right now.
Bovada sportsbook has provided the following betting line for the eventual World Series champion.
2020 World Series Champion
- Los Angeles Dodgers +325
- New York Yankees +375
- Houston Astros +800
- Atlanta Braves +1500
- Minnesota Twins +1600
- Tampa Bay Rays +1600
- Washington Nationals +1800
- New York Mets +2000
- Chicago Cubs +2200
- Oakland Athletics +2200
- Chicago White Sox +2400
- Los Angeles Angels +2400
- Cincinnati Reds +2500
- Cleveland Indians +2500
- St. Louis Cardinals +2500
- Philadelphia Phillies +2800
- Milwaukee Brewers +3300
- San Diego Padres +4000
- Boston Red Sox +4500
- Arizona Diamondbacks +5500
- Texas Rangers +7500
- Toronto Blue Jays +8000
- San Francisco Giants +15000
- Colorado Rockies +17500
- Kansas City Royals +20000
- Pittsburgh Pirates +30000
- Seattle Mariners +30000
- Baltimore Orioles +40000
- Detroit Tigers +40000
- Miami Marlins +50000
The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently favored to win the 2020 World Series title, and the odds also suggest that they will defeat the New York Yankees to do so.
There are also betting lines placed on each team in Major League Baseball asking bettors to choose the over / under for how many games they will win in 2020. Here is an example of that style of betting line for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are currently favored to finish above .500.
Arizona Diamondbacks – 2020 Regular Season Wins
- Over 31 -120
- Under 31 -110
There is also a betting line for each team that allows for wagering on whether or not they will make the playoffs. If the following odds are correct, then fans of the Miami Marlins are in for long season.
Miami Marlins – To Make The Playoffs In 2020
- Yes +800
- No -2000
Now that the announcement has been made for the beginning of the MLB season, one cannot help but notice that there are still four full weeks of inactivity before the opening pitch is tossed.
That leaves plenty of time for bettors to head over to one of our featured offshore sportsbooks and fill that void by placing some action on the 2020 MLB season. now