The 2025 MLB season is technically underway, but Opening Day is scheduled for Thursday, March 27.
That gives punters a few more days to put the finishing touches on their futures portfolio for the upcoming campaign.
We highlighted a pair of long shots to consider before the Boys of Summer return.
Pittsburgh Pirates to win National League (70/1, FanDuel)
We’ll start this one off with a bang, and before you just flip the page and call me crazy, there is a path for the Pirates in 2025. You just have to squint a bit to see it.
The most important thing to note for this punt — and remember, this is a 70/1 long shot — is that the NL Central is up for grabs. The Chicago Cubs are the odds-on favorite to top the set at -110, but the Cubbies are far from a behemoth.
If the Cubs struggle to live up to their modest expectations, this division gets blown wide open.
The Milwaukee Brewers are pegged for a down year, and nobody is expecting much from the Cincinnati Reds or St. Louis Cardinals, either.
The Pirates may be good enough to top this division, which is a big step toward giving this bet some legs.
Pittsburgh’s lineup may not strike fear into anybody, but the Buccos do have an emerging star to build around in Oneil Cruz (who is an intriguing long shot to win MVP at 150/1). He’s got some support in the form of Bryan Reynolds, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and Nick Gonzales.
It’s not a lineup full of household names, but the Buccos don’t need to lead MLB in scoring to have success.
Pittsburgh is set up to win games with its pitching, which means the offense won’t be asked to shoulder the load.
That will fall on Paul Skenes and the deep starting rotation backing him up.
And while every baseball fan knows how good Skenes can be, he’s not a one-man band in the Steel City. Mitch Keller is a solid deputy, and there are plenty of high-ceiling arms behind the two top dogs.
Trying to beat the Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, and Braves may seem like a fool’s errand, but the Pirates have the luxury of playing in a division that features none of them.
That, along with the talented arms on this pitching staff, gives the Buccos enough upside to make this a fun long shot to ride.
Kodai Senga to win NL Cy Young (50/1, FanDuel)
At this time last year, Kodai Senga was sitting at 15/1 to win the National League Cy Young.
The Japanese right-hander was coming off a terrific debutante season that saw him finish seventh in both Cy Young and Rookie of the Year voting.
Unfortunately, Senga’s sophomore season was derailed before it got going due to a shoulder injury.
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Senga was able to return for Game 1 of the 2024 NLDS, but he was ineffective in three postseason appearances for the Mets.
The injury and the October struggles have the betting market overlooking Senga going into 2025.
Not only is Senga fully fit, but he’s had an encouraging spring and should have every chance to headline the starting rotation for one of the best teams in MLB.
FanGraphs projects Senga for a 3.65 ERA and 2.4 WAR in 160 innings in 2025, but those numbers could be muted because of the 32-year-old’s injury in 2024.
The ceiling is high, the team is good, and the pedigree can be trusted. That’s enough to get me in on a 50-to-1 punt.
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
