“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” is a real old-timey turn of phrase that basically just means that you can’t guarantee something that hasn’t happened yet. But octogenarian farmers don’t have view counts they have to hit, so we’re going to spit in the face of that sound logic for a moment.
All the way back in February, I made three MLB win total predictions. In fact, all three were unders, as I picked the Royals, the Pirates and the Blue Jays to all have underwhelming campaigns. Well, at the All-Star break, two of those three bets look really good, while the third one comes with the asterisk of Vladimir Guerrero doubling back on his claim that he wouldn’t negotiate a contract extension during Spring Training. Don’t trust millionaires, kids.
We’re not just here to re-hash old bets, though. We’re here to make some new ones. Here’s three more win total predictions on the DraftKings Sportsbook that I like with the second-half of the regular season getting underway on Friday afternoon.
2025 MLB Team Win Totals Predictions, Picks
Atlanta Braves Under 78.5 Wins
I’m a little flabbergasted at how large this total is. The Braves came into the All-Star break 11 games below .500 at 42-53. So, with 67 contests remaining on its schedule, Atlanta would need to go at least 37-30 to hit this over. For context, that’s a .552 winning percentage — a figure that would put the Braves on pace for a 90-win season if prorated over a full 162-game schedule. That’s simply not going to happen.
Yes, Atlanta is far more talented that it’s terrible record, something evidenced as plainly as a positive run differential at the break (+2). The Braves also have 15 matchups left with the lowly Marlins and Nationals in NL East play. Still, despite all that, Atlanta possesses the league’s ninth-most difficult remaining schedule by opponent winning percentage (.508). It also just doesn’t have any starting pitching left. AJ Smith-Shawver (elbow) is out for the rest of 2025, while it’s unclear if either Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) or Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) will return by season’s end. Chris Sale (ribs) is expected back at some point, though he’s not able to be activated from the 60-day IL until August 17 at the earliest. Since putting Sale on the injured list on June 18, the Braves’ starters own an ERA of 5.77 — the third-highest mark in baseball. Woof.
Then there’s the matter of the trade deadline. Though Atlanta has said it doesn’t plan on a full-on rebuild, it’s very likely the team will at least deal away the expiring contracts of Marcell Ozuna, Raisel Iglasias and Rafael Montero. In short, this isn’t a squad that’s going to care too much about victories down the stretch.
Chicago Cubs Over 94.5 Wins
Let’s finally have an optimistic take, shall we?
The Cubs need 38 wins in their final 66 games to get over this number, and while that might seem like a daunting task, Chicago sports the National League’s easiest remaining strength of schedule by opponent winning percentage (.482). It’s done with the Phillies, the Dodgers, the Yankees, the Padres and the Tigers, which is great news for anyone taking this over or betting the Cubs to win the NL Central, which is currently -220 to happen on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
The other thing that Chicago has working in its favor in the second-half is the trade deadline. Whereas the aforementioned Braves will be selling, the Cubs will surely be looking to add to a roster that currently features All-Star Kyle Tucker on an expiring contract. With so much uncertainly surrounding the team’s key addition in the offseason, I’d expect Chicago’s front office to be among the most aggressive heading into July 31. Specifically, the Cubs will be looking for rotation help, as the club awaits for the return from Jameson Taillon from the IL, and a back-end bullpen arm with swing and miss potential to assist a crop of relievers that own MLB’s fourth-lowest strikeout rate (20.0%). It feels very do-able.
Los Angeles Angels Under 76.5 Wins
The confusion with the Angels at the moment is whether or not they’ll be buyers or sellers at the deadline. In my opinion, there is no confusion. This isn’t a good baseball team. Yes, Los Angeles has hovered around the .500 mark for the past six weeks, but the squad lost six of its final 10 contests before the All-Star break and now sits at 47-49 for the season as a whole, four games back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
The Angels have also been quite lucky in 2025. While there have been some storylines that get me excited — the true breakout of Jo Adell chief among them — this is a team that is currently outperforming its pythagorean record by five victories. It is also a club that has somehow had absolutely pristine health from it’s starting rotation, as Los Angeles only used the bare minimum of five starters throughout the first-half of the regular season. That’s a level of consistency that’s almost unheard of in baseball over the past century.
At the end of the day, the Angels rank 25th in team ERA (4.63) and 23rd in wRC+ (96), despite sitting fifth in MLB in home runs (139). No AL team has a higher strikeout rate than Los Angeles (25.9%), while no MLB team has accumulated fewer defensive fWAR at the All-Star break (-47.7). What exactly does this group of players do well? The Angels start the second-half with a six-game road trip at the Phillies and the Mets. By the end of that stretch, I feel pretty confident in saying this overall underwhelming team will know its direction at the trade deadline. The losses will pile up after that.
