Buy or Sell: Can the Phillies Win it All?

The Philadelphia Phillies are flourishing at the right time. Since June 1, the reigning National League champions have the third-best record in baseball, behind the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. Bryce Harper is coming alive, Trea Turner has figured it out, the starting rotation is deep and reliable, and the rest of the lineup is mashing.

This team is dangerous and flying under the radar, but as we saw last postseason, they wouldn’t have it any other way. Can they finish the job this year?

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The Phils aren’t winning the NL East. The Braves are 12.5 games ahead and are too much of a juggernaut to collapse down the stretch. Still, how do the Phillies match up with the Braves in a potential postseason set? They won’t lack confidence after taking down the Braves in the NLDS last fall. However, the Braves are a different animal this season. It would be a heavyweight bout that we should all be rooting to see. Atlanta leads the season series 4-2, but seven games remain between the two teams that will must–see baseball. Maybe with a 7-0 sweep and a little help, the Phils might win the NL East.

In theory, the oddsmakers aren’t giving the Phillies, or anyone besides the Braves and Dodgers, a chance to win the NL. Atlanta and Los Angeles sit at +130 and +155, respectively, with the Phillies coming in at a distant third at +750. As good as the Braves and Dodgers are, it’s disrespectful to the Phillies to have them that far off, especially with their entire roster having postseason pedigree. We know what mayhem can ensue in postseason baseball, so getting +750 odds on the third-best team in either league to reach the World Series has value. Getting this Phillies team at that value is too good to pass up. Looking at the rest of the NL field, no one is behind them in the odds they should be worried about. Hammer this future.

We must give the Phillies props for how they looked against the Houston Astros last postseason. As miraculous as the Phillies run was, the Astros were on another level. That experience will pay dividends if the Phillies break through the Braves and Dodgers to make the World Series. The Astros are the current AL favorite, but looking at the playoff field, the Braves and Dodgers are the best teams in baseball. Last year, it was the Astros. If the Phillies can get by the Braves and Dodgers, whether it be the Astros, Rangers, or even Orioles, the Phillies would have already beaten the two best teams. That gives the Phillies higher World Series odds than last year. At +1400, you might as well sprinkle some money on it.

All odds courtesy of the FanDuel Sportsbook

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