Best 2026 American League East Season-Long Future Betting Predictions

Baseball has officially arrived! At least the Spring Training variety. We even have some games on tap later this week. 

So let’s get started here with some season long props. 

I am going to highlight my favorite picks in each division, beginning today with the powerful AL East.

Orioles Yes to Make the Playoffs (+105 BetRivers) Win AL East (½ unit, +475 bet365)

No team “won” the offseason like the O’s did. Their fan base and the baseball community writ large has implored them to put their chips in while the young core is still affordable. And it finally happened. Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward address the lack of RH pop in the lineup in a huge way as they combined for 74 homers in 2025. Their best player Gunnar Henderson says he’s now fully healthy after playing through a shoulder impingement for ¾’s of last season. If they can ever get everyone on the field it's one of the best lineups in ML. But unfortunately that’s not happening at least until mid April. Jackson Holliday is out after hamate bone surgery (and far from proven yet anyway). Also 3B Jordan Westburg and his .330 career wOBA may miss the early season as well as he’s down with an oblique injury.

Pitching, or lack thereof, was the true issue holding the O’s back. But the staff now looks great. Kyle Bradish returned from TJ surgery late in 2025 and was encouragingly excellent, albeit in just 32 innings. 

He had a 2.53 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with a whopping 37.3% K%. It's really just a question of workload with him as he’s got ace level upside when healthy. Speaking of aces, no one expects Trevor Rogers to repeat his 1.81 ERA, 0.90 WHIP numbers, but a mid 3’s ERA is absolutely in the cards. But wait, there’s more! The O’s traded for the always promising Shane Baz, signed Chris Bassitt and re-signed Zack Eflin, who now returns fully healthy (his words) from back surgery that corrected a problem that has held him back in recent years.

Baltimore also supplemented the bullpen, bringing in Ryan Helsley to close, and Andrew Kittridge back from a de facto loan to the Cubs to set up.

It’s the toughest division in MLB, but this deep and talented team should stay right up near the top.

Blue Jays Under 88.5 Wins (-105 DraftKings)

Nothing against the Jays. Really, I’m not going to diss them at all here. It’s just that they are in the AL East and someone likelly has to go Under, and they may regress a bit.

I love the addition of Dylan Cease at the top of the rotation, but they will really have to the ace version of him now as Shane Bieber may or may not get back on the field. They’re also going to need Trey Yesavage to replicate his incredible 27.2 postseason (3.58 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 35.8% K%) over a full season. The rest of the rotation is now two declining sort of stars in Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios as well as Cody Ponce back from Korea. Now Ponce was incredible in the KBO last year, but it's always a big unknown how that translates.

The offense looks down a tick from 2025. George Springer will likely not repeat his 2025 explosion, and Bo Bichette has taken his talents to Citi Field. Plus there’s also the question of how if they have a bit of a hangover after coming heartbreakingly close to winning the World Series. I think they still make the playoffs, but with fewer wins than the betting total.

Yankees Over 90.5 Wins (-120 Caesars)

Much to the chagrin of the Yankees hyper fanbase, they are just running back their 2025 team, almost to a man. What their fans forget is that the team was really good. 

The pitching depth is very shaky early in the season. They really need Ryan Weathers, their one major offseason addition, to stay upright. But if they can survive the first couple months, they should get Carlos Rodon and Gerritt Cole back, and add them to Max Fried and Cam Schlittler and you have a great rotation. 

And last I checked Aaron Judge still plays for them. The Yankees also will not have the luxury of coasting through the regular season like, say, the Dodgers. Give me the Over.