Who has the best odds to win NL Pennant?
Pitchers and catchers will be reporting to spring training soon and before you know it, Opening Day will be here in Major League Baseball.
Here’s a look at the three teams with the best odds to win the National League Pennant in 2016. The odds are provided from online sports book RealBet.eu.
3. Washington Nationals 11/2
The Nationals were the biggest disappointment in the National League last season, if not in all of baseball. Predicted by many to win the NL pennant, Washington finished seven backs back of the Mets in the East and 14 games out of a Wild Card spot. But with the amount of talent that the Nationals boast again this season, nobody would be surprised if they made a deep run in the postseason this year. The team signed last year’s playoff hero Daniel Murphy to play second base and return the likes of 2015 MVP winner Bryce Harper to their lineup. Their starting rotation remains filthy as well, thanks to the trio of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez.
2. San Francisco Giants 9/2
After failing to reach the postseason and finishing eight games back of the Dodgers in the NL West, the Giants reloaded this winter. They completely rebuilt their pitching staff by spending big on free agents Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija to team with ace Madison Bumgarner. They also recently added Denard Span to play centerfield and leadoff, which will shift injury-prone Angel Pagan to left field. The biggest boost that San Francisco could get this season is a healthy year from Hunter Pence and Joe Panik, who each missed significant time last season. If those two players stay healthy, they’ll join an already potent lineup that returns Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and 2015 surprise contributor Matt Duffy.
1. Chicago Cubs 9/4
No team is receiving more hype in the National League this season than the Cubs, who spent big on free agents Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey this winter. From Kris Bryant to Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber, the Cubs are loaded with young talent on offense. If Jake Arrieta can come anywhere close to the Cy Young form that he showed in 2016, a starting rotation of Lackey, Jon Lester, Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks could be formidable. Chicago also boasts one of the best managers in the game in Joe Maddon, who led the club to the NLCS last season when many pundits thought the Cubs were still a year away from being a contender. It’s easy to see why so many are high on the Cubs this year.
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