Red Sox Odds: Sportsbooks Rooting Against Sox In AL East Race

The Boston Red Sox are starting to make bookmakers nervous.

Armed with the best record in Major League Baseball (22-14), the Sox are still slugging their way to victories as they near the middle of May. Some pundits believed the offense would eventually cool down, but that hasn’t been the case. Boston leads the league in runs scored, hits, doubles, slugging and OPS.

Sportsbooks clearly didn’t forecast much success for the Sox in 2021 as their prices to win the pennant and World Series were as high as 35-to-1 and 75-to-1 before the season. The bloated prices to win the American League East were even more disrespectful.

Books hung prices like 20-to-1 and 25-to-1 on Boston finishing first in the division. Yet, here we are:

“The Red Sox, Royals and Giants are three teams that have seen their respective division odds improve the most since the baseball season began,” BetMGM sports trader Seamus Magee told NESN. “With long odds to start the season, Boston, Kansas City and San Francisco are currently our biggest liabilities.”

BetMGM opened the Red Sox at 25-to-1 and they’re currently dealing a price of +300. So that $100 that would’ve made you $2,500 around Opening Day only makes you $300 now. Sheesh.

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May 11, 2021

Circa Sports is currently dealing the best price in the country on Boston winning the AL East at +495. FanDuel and the Golden Nugget have +400 and everybody else is at +350 or lower. Always be shopping.

Red Sox odds to win the AL East
Circa +495
FanDuel +400
Golden Nugget +400
Bet365 +350
DraftKings +350
SugarHouse +350
PointsBet +350
William Hill +330
BetMGM +300

All this talk about the Sox winning the AL East has me feeling extra goosy because I only need 57 more wins to cash my Red Sox “Over” 78.5 wins bet. Sure, there’s a long way to go, but the boys are on pace for around 97 wins. Even with some regression, I absolutely love my chances to get to 79.

The mood isn’t as peachy behind the counters of American sportsbooks.

“We’ll take a bath if Boston finishes the fight,” one Las Vegas bookmaker told NESN. “We thought they would struggle to reach .500 this year because of the pitching staff, but that offense just pounds the baseball. And it looks like (Chris) Sale will be back in July. It could just be one of those years.

“We’re not nervous yet, but the Red Sox certainly have our attention.”