Best bets to make, miss MLB postseason

With the MLB campaign just days away, it's the ultimate hype season for every team's playoff chances. In reality, only 10 will make it, which means there's plenty of value if you can identify the teams that are built to crack the field.

Here are the odds to make and miss the postseason and our favorite bets for each.

Best bets to make the playoffs

Houston Astros (-128)

No team has a wider gap in the way it's viewed by the market versus analytics than the Astros - which makes sense, given how much the general public loathes the organization. Dig a little deeper, though, and there's a lot to like.

We discussed reasons to buy Houston in our AL divisions preview. Its lineup is loaded. The rotation is intriguing and has the potential to pop if young arms Jose Urquidy (25) or Cristian Javier (24) put it all together. You may not like the Astros, but if you like money, you'd be wise to back them.

Milwaukee Brewers (+140)

I love what the Brewers bring from a roster standpoint in 2021, which is why they're one of my favorite long shots to win it all. Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff are studs atop the rotation, while the bullpen is downright nasty with Josh Hader and Devin Williams closing games.

The biggest question with this group is whether Christian Yelich can return to MVP form or if his disastrous 2020 is a sign of what's to come. I'm willing to bet that 60-game sample was just a blip for the superstar slugger, which should mean at least a handful of wins' worth of production for a team already riding a three-year postseason streak.

Boston Red Sox (+290)

Look, this rotation isn't going to win anybody over. Eduardo Rodriguez has ace potential if healthy - which is a major question - and Chris Sale is still a mystery as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. One look at this lineup should tell you all you need to know, though.

Xander Bogaerts was a bright spot for the Red Sox in 2020 and should be healthier to start this season. Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez were uncharacteristically bad, but both have MVP potential. If Boston can avoid terrible luck and get even average production from its arms, this is a playoff team with an also-ran price.

Best bets to miss the playoffs

Tampa Bay Rays (-134)

Is it generally smart to fade one of the majors' more consistent and innovative organizations? Probably not. But the Rays haven't done much to replace their departed talent from last season's runner-up roster.

Tyler Glasnow hasn't started more than 13 games in a season over his five-year MLB career, and he'll be expected to headline a rotation that lost Blake Snell and Charlie Morton. This lineup was never a strength, and while it's healthier than it was at this time last year, it also isn't much better. Fade perception in favor of a decent price on Tampa Bay's demise.

Oakland Athletics (+108)

The Athletics have been so underrated over the last five seasons that they might actually be overrated now - especially with the upside across the rest of AL West.

Marcus Semien is gone. Liam Hendriks is gone. Without them, Oakland's elite lineup and shutdown bullpen is now a good lineup and a good bullpen - which puts a lot of pressure on a young rotation yet to meet expectations. The Astros and Angels are both lurking with more talent; it's easy to see the A's taking a step back - especially at these odds.

C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.