The Rockies currently have +50,000 odds to win the World Series, which means a $100 bet would net you $50,000 in winnings. The team's odds to win it all in 2023 were +20,000 and +30,000 at most sportsbooks.
"Even a surprise beyond all wildest expectations likely leaves the Rockies behind in the World Series conversation," a Rockies analysis reads on FanDuel.com.
Bud Black's 2023 squad finished with an abysmal 59-103 record, the worst in Rockies history and third-worst in the league behind the Royals and Oakland Athletics. Colorado had never lost more than 100 games before last year, with its previous record-setting slopfest back in 2012 (64-98).
The Rockies kick off the 2024 season with an away game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, March 28, at 8:10 p.m. Like last year, Colorado isn't in a sucky league of its own: most sportsbooks, including heavyweight gambling apps like Fan Duel and DraftKings, also have the Athletics at +50,000 odds to win the World Series.
After the A's and Rockies, five more teams bring up the betting rear with odds in the five-figure category: The Chicago White Sox are at +30,000 on Draft Kings and +25,000 on Fan Duel; the Washington Nationals are +25,000 on both sportsbooks; the Pirates are +17,000 on Draft Kings and +20,000 on Fan Duel; the Los Angeles Angels are +17,000 on Draft Kings and +18,000 on FanDuel; the Royals are +13,000 on Draft Kings and +15,000 on Fan Duel.
On the other end of the gambling spectrum, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves are the two big favorites out of the National League, with odds of +350 and +450, respectively. The Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees are the American League favorites at +750 and +1110, respectively.
There's not much disparity this year between mid-tier MLB teams, with many only being separated by a few hundred in the odds department. Out of the thirty franchises in the majors, teams six through ten on Draft Kings and Fan Duel futures lists are only separated by +600 odds.
On Draft Kings, the Philadelphia Phillies are at +1400, the Texas Rangers are +1500, the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins are +1900, and the Toronto Blue Jays are +2000. On Fan Duel, the Phillies are +1500, the Rangers are +1400, the Mariners are +2000 and the Blue Jays are +1800.
Rockies Have Shocked the World Before
History lesson: The last — and only — time the Rockies made it to the World Series (in 2007), the team had preseason odds of +9000. According to Fan Duel, Colorado holds the record for longest preseason odds of any team to ever make it to a World Series."They nearly pulled off the greatest season-long upset in MLB history in 2007," Fan Duel writes in its 2024 Rockies analysis, noting how "baseball's funhouse can lead to some wonky results."
The 2007 Rockies finished with a record of 90-73 after starting the season with +9000 odds to win it all.
Colorado Rockies 2024 Media Guide
According to Fan Duel, the 2003 Florida Marlins have the longest preseason odds of any team to ever win a World Series at +7500.
The biggest and best thing going for Colorado right now, Fan Duel says, is a healthy return from Kris Bryant after playing in just eighty games last year. Rockies veterans Charlie Blackmon, Ryan McMahon and Elias Diaz are also expected to be deciding factors in the team's 2024 success.
Fan Duel points out that the Rockies failed to pick up any big names in free agency this year and accuses the franchise of operating as a "budget organization that never works to dramatically improve." This has led to progressively bad baseball, the analysis says.
"Expectations are so drastically low in 2024," Fan Duel explains, noting how the Rockies win total is set at 59.5. "Similar to Moneyball, they'll make a movie about the 2024 Rockies if they simply end up making the playoffs (+5500)."
