The ring is the thing. Baseball's ultimate goal is the World Series, but you have to make it to October before you can start planning the parade. With expanded playoffs, the field is more wide open than ever before. And like always, you can still wager on one of the simpler markets available: will a team make the playoffs?
So let's look at a simple yes/no betting market and each team's MLB odds to reach baseball's postseason this October.
2024 MLB playoff odds
| Team | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
 Atlanta Braves |
-5,000 | +1,700 |
 Los Angeles Dodgers |
-1,600 | +1,000 |
 New York Yankees |
-450 | +370 |
 Philadelphia Phillies |
-370 | +300 |
 Baltimore Orioles |
-360 | +290 |
 Texas Rangers |
-180 | +155 |
 Chicago Cubs |
-145 |
+125 |
 Cleveland Guardians |
-145 | +125 |
 Toronto Blue Jays |
-140 | +120 |
 Seattle Mariners |
-120 | +100 |
 Houston Astros |
-115 | -105 |
 Milwaukee Brewers |
+105 | -125 |
 Arizona Diamondbacks |
+140 | -165 |
 Tampa Bay Rays |
+150 | -175 |
 Minnesota Twins |
+155 | -180 |
 Detroit Tigers |
+155 | -190 |
 San Diego Padres |
+170 | -205 |
 Cincinnati Reds |
+175 | -210 |
 St. Louis Cardinals |
+180 | -215 |
 New York Mets |
+200 | -240 |
 San Francisco Giants |
+200 | -240 |
 Boston Red Sox |
+250 | -300 |
 Kansas City Royals |
+310 | -390 |
 Pittsburgh Pirates |
+350 | -425 |
 Los Angeles Angels |
+1,200 | -2,500 |
 Miami Marlins |
+1,400 | -3,000 |
 Washington Nationals |
+2,500 | -20,000 |
 Chicago White Sox |
+2,500 | -20,000 |
 Colorado Rockies |
+2,500 | -20,000 |
 Oakland A's |
+2,500 | -20,000 |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of 4-23-24.
MLB playoff odds analysis
The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't looked quite right lately, going 3-7 in their last 10 games. While they still hold a slight lead in the NL West, they've hardly looked like the titan that was expected. This is what happens in a long season and though sportsbooks have adjusted expectations slightly, you won't find much value on them to make the playoffs with their numbers sitting at +1,600 to reach October.
We are reaching peak value for the Houston Astros, though. At 7-16, the Astros have hit rock bottom, even trailing the Oakland A's by two games in the AL West standings. Things could be looking up quickly, though. For one, the offense still ranks out as one of the 10 best in baseball thanks to Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena each hitting over .340 while Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker have also been swinging hot bats. The pitching has let them down, though. Whether due to injuries (Framber Valdez) or ineffectiveness (Hunter Brown), the rotation has been roughed up. But Justin Verlander is back and Josh Hader has been victimized by some rotten luck (his peripherals suggest a turnaround is imminent).
The Astros have not only reached the playoffs in seven straight seasons but they've made it to the ALCS each time. At -115 to make the playoffs, you could wait and see if it goes longer, but this roster can rattle off a big winning streak at any moment, so that's a risky hold.
It wouldn't be surprising to see the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, and Washington Nationals get removed from the board entirely in the coming days or weeks. The Rockies (5-18) and White Sox (3-19) are both given a big fat ZERO percent chance at making the playoffs in FanGraphs' playoff odds. The Nationals aren't much better at 0.4% while the A's have a robust 1.1% chance at reaching October.
The same can be said for the Atlanta Braves on the opposite end of the standings. With there being no value to speak of in betting on Atlanta to reach the playoffs at -5,000, FanGraphs projects the Braves to have a 98.9% shot at October baseball.
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MLB Postseason format
The MLB playoffs expanded in the 2022 season, adding an extra wild card to both the AL and NL, making it a total of 12 teams in the postseason.
The new format will see the top two division winners in each league (Seeds 1 and 2) get a first-round bye, while the third-best division winner (Seed 3) will host the third wild card (Seed 6) — and the two remaining wild cards (Seeds 4 and 5) will face off — in a three-game series.
Following the Wild Card Round, the No. 1 seed will face the winner of the two wild cards (Seeds 4/5), while the No. 2 seed will face the No. 3 vs No. 6 winner in the Divisional Round.
If the second-best record in the league does not come from a division winner (e.g. the San Francisco Giants in 2021), they will remain the top wild card — and not get a first-round bye.
MLB Postseason Odds FAQs
The Atlanta Braves have the best odds to make the playoffs.
MLB expanded its postseason for 2022 by adding an extra wild card to each league, meaning 12 total teams now make the MLB playoffs.
With the MLB regular season set to conclude on September 29, the playoffs are tentatively scheduled to get underway on October 2.
The 2024 World Series doesn't have a specific start date just yet.
