Red Sox Odds: Futures Bets To Consider Before Boston Begins Second Half
How much faith do you have in the Red Sox down the stretch?
The Boston Red Sox limped into the Major League Baseball All-Star break, dropping six of their final seven games to close out the first half of the 2022 season.
The stretch — a four-game sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays and losing two of three to the New York Yankees — certainly raises questions about Boston’s ceiling with the MLB trade deadline approaching, but it also might present a betting opportunity for those with faith in the Red Sox.
Here are the Red Sox’s odds in several futures markets (per DraftKings Sportsbook) before beginning the second half Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park:
To win World Series: +3500
To win American League: +1600
To win AL East: +8000
To make playoffs: Yes -115, No -105
Regular-season wins: Over 84.5 -115, Under 84.5 -105
It seems highly unlikely the fourth-place Red Sox will catch the first-place Yankees in the AL East, as New York sits 16 1/2 games above Boston in the standings. The Bronx Bombers hold a 13-game lead over the second-place Rays and a 14 1/2-game advantage over the third-place Blue Jays. The Baltimore Orioles sit in last place, 18 games behind the Yankees, although they were surprisingly plucky in the first half and entered the break with a .500 record (46-46).
You’re probably better off looking toward a World Series or American League championship wager if you believe the Red Sox will turn things around down the stretch. Or just a straight-up postseason bet.
The Red Sox currently are two games behind the Blue Jays for the AL’s third and final wild-card spot, still very much in the playoff race. And once you reach October, almost anything can happen, as Boston proved in 2021 by going on a deep run before falling to the Houston Astros in the ALCS.
The Red Sox have a 48-45 record through 93 games. They’ll need to go 37-32 in their final 69 regular-season games to cash the Over on the 84.5-win total.
