The end of the Super Bowl is the unofficial starting point for Major League Baseball research, meaning it’s now time to dig into some baseball futures.
Given the length of the MLB season, I typically avoid tying up funds on preseason favorites. I'd rather take shots on teams and players that are undervalued and then adjust from there.'
The Braves and Dodgers, for example, are clear-cut World Series favorites. Every other team is available at 10-to-1 or longer. A bet on Atlanta or L.A. at something around +400 just doesn't move the needle much for your futures portfolio. If everything goes as expected, those teams likely head into the playoffs around +200 to win it all. There's just not much room for upside.'
I'm also going to avoid the super longshots. As we build out a portfolio, there's a sweet spot between favorites and lottery tickets. As someone making several preseason futures bets and even more in-season futures bets, I want to avoid wasting resources on bets with extremely narrow paths to victory.'