The Texas Rangers are the reigning World Series champions but did so as a Wild Card team. For the third year in a row and sixth year in the last seven, the Houston Astros won the AL West.
The Rangers last won the division in 2016, the Los Angeles Angels won it in 2014, and the Oakland Athletics won the division in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign. The Seattle Mariners haven’t won the AL West since 2001 when they set the record for wins in the regular season with 116.
Let’s take a look at who has the best odds at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the AL West this year and who could be a sleeper.
2024 MLB odds: AL West
Favorites
Houston Astros -110
Texas Rangers +230
The Astros head into another season with their foundation of Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker in tow. The first year of the Jose Abreu experience didn’t exactly pan out. Houston hopes that he bounces back and that it gets an added boost from Yainer Diaz and a Jeremy Pena resurgence. Justin Verlander is working his way back to the mound, and the Astros will look for Hunter Brown, J.P. France and Ronel Blanco to anchor the back half of the rotation in the meantime.
The Rangers’ quest to repeat will be a bumpy road. Jordan Montgomery remains a free agent, and Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer will both miss the start of the 2024 campaign due to injuries. Still, there is a lot to like about the Texas lineup when it is healthy. Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford are both frontrunners for the AL Rookie of the Year Award and should put up numbers alongside Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia and Corey Seager.
Sleepers
Seattle Mariners +285
The Mariners may have the best Opening Day pitching rotation in the division. Seattle acquired Jorge Polanco this offseason, and he should help the top of its batting order alongside J.P. Crawford, Julio Rodriguez and Mitch Garver. The Mariners will likely need to acquire a bat at the trade deadline, depending on the first half for Dominic Canzone and Ty France, but a reunion with Mitch Haniger should prove beneficial.
Odds
Houston Astros -110
Texas Rangers +230
Seattle Mariners +285
Los Angeles Angels +4500
Oakland Athletics +25000
Pick: Rangers +230
The injuries to the pitching rotation worry me, but the lineup is ready to win a division title. If it looks like deGrom or Scherzer are going to miss more time than anticipated, Texas could bring back Montgomery. The bullpen should be able to make up for any early existence, and they should be working with plenty of run support. All eyes will be on how Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford adjust this season and if they can sustain solid production, Texas could get out to an early divisional lead that they just have to maintain throughout the season.