With so many betting options ahead of the MLB season, we asked PressBox’s Phil Backert, Stan “The Fan” Charles and Glenn Clark to share some of their favorite futures bets.
Phil Backert
Samuel Basallo To Win American League Rookie Of The Year (+1000)
Basallo struggled in his first taste of the big leagues, but the talent is legit. The Orioles believe in him, as they rewarded the 21-year-old with an eight-year, $67 million contract extension last summer. Basallo is a unanimous top-15 prospect, and the hope is he will take what he learned from his brief stint last season and improve in 2026.
Basallo will likely initially hit low in the order against right-handers and sit against most lefties, but there will be plenty of at-bats for him to make an impact at designated hitter, catcher and even first base. Projection systems have a wide range of outcomes for Basallo, but realistically, he should hit about 20 home runs this season.
I’m not against the idea of betting on Basallo’s teammate Dylan Beavers (+1500), either. He does everything well and could become an everyday right fielder for the Orioles. His ability to help in every category makes him a safer bet, but Basallo could easily go nuclear and show why he’s one of the best prospects in baseball.
Athletics Over 75.5 Wins (-114)
The Athletics hit this win total in 2025 and should be a better ballclub in 2026. The pitching will most likely finish in the bottom half of the league and be the reason they miss the playoffs. However, this is a loaded lineup led by reigning American League Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz and proven slugger Brent Rooker. If the A’s can navigate a tough early schedule, they will be set up to finish in the high 70s in victories.
Stan “The Fan” Charles
Detroit Tigers To Win World Series (+2200)
The Tigers signed Framber Valdez to a three-year, $115 million deal just before spring training. He now teams with back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal to give the Tigers a huge shot to coast to the AL Central crown and home advantage in the postseason. I am guessing as the season opens up, this is more like +1200.
Detroit Tigers To Win American League (+950)
For more than half of the 2025 season, the Tigers were the best team in the American League. No question the Tigers had some offensive question marks, but until starters Casey Mize and Reese Olson got hit with the injury bug, they were still very good. The double whammy of Skubal and Valdez makes me think at this price, they are well worth a bet that they’ll be in the World Series come October.
Kansas City Royals C/DH Carter Jensen To Win American League Rookie Of The Year (+800)
Jensen had a very solid 111 games at Double-A and Triple-A in 2025, hitting .290/.377/.501 with 20 home runs and 76 RBIs in 492 plate appearances. He then came up to the major leagues in September and collected six doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs in just 69 plate appearances. While his big league debut was abbreviated, he did hit .300/.391/.550. It looks as if the plan is for him to DH a lot and maybe catch between 30 and 40 games. I like that mix. Playing alongside Salvador Perez will make for a smooth transition, free of the immediate pressure of catching 100-plus games.
Glenn Clark
Seattle Mariners OR Toronto Blue Jays DOUBLE CHANCE To Win American League (+250)
Randy Arozarena started to look more like himself last year. The addition of Brendan Donovan was a sneaky good move. Cal Raleigh and the pitching are the known commodities. The Blue Jays still have to figure out how to replace Bo Bichette. But these appear to be the best teams in the American League, so I like the plus money here with the Yankees the betting favorites.
Shohei Ohtani To Win National League MVP (-135)
I just don’t understand how the number is only -135. I know it’s absurd to have better odds for any one player, but we’re really only talking about whether we think Ohtani is going to stay healthy. If he does, he’s winning the MVP. He’s won an MVP award in four of the last five seasons and was second the other year. There’s just no reason not to hold a ticket at -135.
Pete Alonso To Hit 40-Plus Home Runs (+124)
You want to hold a fun ticket. Alonso hit 38 home runs last year but if he had played all of his games in Baltimore, he would have hit 45. While he won’t play every game in Baltimore next year, the opportunity is there to improve this number. He will need Adley Rutschman or Taylor Ward (or Tyler O’Neill?) to provide legitimate protection, however.
Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox
Issue 297: February / March 2026
Originally published Feb. 18, 2026