Season of Surprises

After 2,430 total regular season games, MLB’s 2023 regular season is finally over. In the face of sky-high payrolls and win projections, some of the sport’s biggest favorites will fail to play in a 163rd game this season 👇

• The three most expensive teams in baseball — the Mets, Yankees, and Padres — all missed the playoffs

• For the first time in 30 years, the playoffs will go on without at least one of the Yankees, Red Sox or Cardinals

• The Marlins are the first team EVER to finish last in the AL or NL in runs scored and still make the playoffs

Here’s how baseball’s playoff bracket will look at the start of the first round 🧢

Predictably, Vegas has given the four teams with first-round byes the best chance of winning a World Series. Tap in below for a full look at odds for all 12 teams 👀

2023 World Series Winner Odds

• Braves: +250

• Astros: +450

• Dodgers: +450

• Orioles: +650

Baby Birds

Despite winning what is arguably baseball’s toughest division, the Orioles enter the postseason with the worst odds of any top-two seed to win the World Series 🤔

Led by a group of young studs, there are reasons to believe Baltimore’s resurgence is the new normal 👏

• 25-year-old catcher Adley Rutschman was the best switch hitter in baseball by wRC+, the best catcher in the American League by fWAR, and he had the 14th-best pop time in all of baseball

• 23-year-old starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez had the fifth-best ERA between early August and the end of the season, evening out a rocky start to his big league career

• 22-year-old Gunnar Henderson was baseball’s third-best third baseman by fWAR, providing elite value as both a hitter and fielder

After each spending some time as one of baseball’s top prospects, all three of these rising stars look like they are set to make good on, or even eclipse their massive potential. Still, there are a couple of legitimate reasons why Vegas might be smart to fade the Orange Birds 🦜

• They won seven more games than their expected total, more than double the most of any other division winner

• Felix Bautista, the best reliever in baseball this season, just underwent Tommy John surgery and won’t pitch in the bigs until at least late next season

Even if they can’t bring a championship back to Baltimore, the Orioles have the young talent to remain in championship contention for the foreseeable future 📈

Trivia Question: How long has it been since the Orioles last won the World Series?

For My Parlay Gurus

October baseball is finally here, and in what is the longest season in professional sports, I am for sure fired up for it. If you want to get in on the Wild Card action set to kick off today here’s what I’m going with 👇

• Rays ML vs. Rangers -152

• Blue Jays ML @ Twins +104

• Brewers ML vs. Diamondbacks -184

• Phillies ML vs. Marlins -168

$100 on this bet would win you $733 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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Trivia Answer: It’s been exactly 40 years since the O’s won a championship, with their last win coming in 1983

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