Giants 2018 Postseason Prediction
After a disastrous 2017 season, will the San Francisco Giants rebound and make the postseason in 2018? Here’s a breakdown of their odds.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book YouWager, the Giants have 3/2 odds to make the postseason in 2018 and 20/37 odds to miss the playoffs again after finishing in last place a year ago. San Francisco completely retooled its lineup this offseason but challenges remain.
Bet MLB 2018 Postseason & World Series Futures Odds
Let’s start with the additions the Giants made this winter. They acquired third baseman Evan Longoria via trade from the Rays and made a deal with the Pirates to acquire right fielder Andrew McCutchen. With the addition of McCutchen, Hunter Pence moves to left field and Andrew Jackson was signed to main spacious center field at AT&T Park. Prospect Steven Duggar will also have an opportunity to earn playing time in center if the Giants feel as though Jackson is best suited for the fourth outfielder role.
Even though the Giants didn’t get any younger this offseason, there’s no question they’re better. Longoria and McCutchen’s best baseball is behind them but they provide significant upgrades at their respective positions. Longoria joins an field that already possess Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik, Brandon Belt and Buster Posey, while the outfield looks dramatically better with the addtions of McCutchen and Jackson.
From a pitching standpoint, the Giants will get a healthy Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Mark Melancon back in 2018. If those three stay healthy all year (they didn’t last season, which contributed to the club’s demise), then San Francisco will see its win total boost significantly. Tony Watson was also added to the pen and Will Smith, who was acquired a few years ago in a deadline trade with Milwaukee, is a nice depth piece if he can stay healthy.
Questions still remain, however. As of this writing, Ty Blach and Chris Stratton are the team’s No. 4 and No. 5 starters. Stratton was a first-round in 2012 but he has yet to make an impact and Blach could wind up losing his spot to 2014 first-rounder Tyler Beede. Health also remains a massive question mark for the entire roster due to the collective age of the Giants’ core.
Nevertheless, even with the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Rockies in their division, I see a bounce back for a Giants team that should at least contend for one of the two wild card spots. At 3/2 odds to make the playoffs, I see a nice value for bettors taking San Francisco to reach the postseason.
MLB Playoff Prediction: San Francisco Giants Yes 3/2