Last season, the Tampa Bay Rays had their first 100-win season and entered the American League postseason as the 1-seed with home-field advantage.
But the Rays’ third-straight playoff trip ended short of a title again, this time in a 3-1 AL Division Series loss to the division rival Boston Red Sox.
Below, we look at the Tampa Bay Rays’ MLB futures odds, including their projected 2022 win total and World Series odds at Tipico Sportsbook.
The Rays didn’t make much offseason noise in free agency, but Tampa re-signed a lot of its core players to 1-year deals to avoid arbitration.
Can the Rays get back to the World Series for the second time in three years and third time in franchise history?
Tampa Bay Rays’ 2022 World Series odds
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday, March 28 at 2:38 p.m. ET.
Odds: +1300 (bet $100 to win $1,300)
SPRINKLE on RAYS (+1300) to win the World Series because there’s so much upside with this team.
SP Shane Baz is listed as one of the rookie pitching breakout candidates entering 2022 and is MLB’s 11th overall prospect. Baz is expected to return in May from arthroscopic elbow surgery and is a future top of the rotation guy for the Rays.
Tampa’s starting rotation is its biggest question mark as SP Tyler Glasnow isn’t expected to return from Tommy John surgery. The Rays are relying on breakout seasons from Baz and SPs Shane McClanahan and Luis Patiño for their rotation to be elite.
However, all four of the batters at the top of Tampa’s lineup could be in the All-Star Game and SS Wander Franco could be in the AL MVP discussion.
Tampa’s organization has been one of the best in baseball for years now and there’s value in a RAYS (+1300) ticket to win the World Series.
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Tampa Bay Rays’ 2022 playoff odds
Will the Rays make the playoffs: Yes -220 | No +175
PASS because there’s rarely value in a future with a -220 line. If Tampa gets out to a slow start perhaps you could get a better number for the Rays to make the playoffs in-season.
Either way, there are too many juicy futures to sprinkle before risking more than 2-to-1 on your potential return for Tampa to make its fourth straight postseason.
Tampa Bay Rays’ 2022 win total
Over/Under: 89.5 (O: -125 | U: -105)
BET the RAYS OVER 89.5 wins (-125).
On paper, Tampa’s recent success doesn’t make much sense but the Rays have cashed five straight regular-season win bets entering 2022.
Tampa has as much upside as any team not named the New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Dodgers. Also, the Rays excel in two areas I look at before betting a team’s regular-season win total: Organizational depth and bullpen pitching.
Most seamheads rank Tampa’s farm system no lower than fifth in the MLB and the Rays have six prospects in the top-100, according to FanGraphs.
Tampa’s bullpen was undoubtedly the best in baseball last season and there’s no reason for regressions. The Rays’ bullpen led the MLB in WAR and FIP and ranked fifth in exit velocity and fourth in hard-hit rate (per FanGraphs).
Finally, Tampa was actually slightly better than its record indicates in 2021. For instance, the Rays had a minus-1 luck factor, which means Tampa should have had another win on its resume based on run differential.
BET the RAYS OVER 89.5 wins (-125) because they have the depth to sustain injuries and the arms in the bullpen to win close games in a tough division.
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Odds to win AL East Division
- Toronto Blue Jays +170 (bet $100 to win $170)
- New York Yankees +230 (bet $100 to win $230)
- Tampa Bay Rays +240 (bet $100 to win $240)
- Boston Red Sox +480 (bet $100 to win $480)
- Baltimore Orioles +20000 (bet $100 to win $20,000)
The range of outcomes in the AL East is too wide to justify wagering on the Rays (+240) to win the division. That said, Tampa should be the favorite to win the AL East so, in that sense, there’s value in the Rays (+240).
But, if Toronto improves as the market expects, Yankees SP Gerrit Cole is in Cy Young form and Boston’s lineup continues to rake then the AL East race will be a crapshoot.
PASS ON AL EAST ACTION.
Odds to win American League
Odds: +650 (bet $100 to win $650)
PASS because I like the juiciness of Tampa’s World Series ticket more so than its odds to win the pennant. If the Rays get into the fall classic then there’ll be some hedge options available, if that’s your sort of thing.
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