MLB Best Bet – Syndication Server

The Milwaukee Brewers will take aim at a third straight trip to the postseason in 2020. A return to health for OF Christian Yelich will be the biggest key after he missed the final part of the 2019 campaign, including the National League Wild Card Game against the Washington Nationals. Today, we focus on the Brewers’ 2020 regular-season win total and World Series odds. Do the Brewers have what it takes? Let’s analyze:

Milwaukee Brewers 2019 wins

The Brewers finished 2019 at 89-73 and second in the NL Central behind the St. Louis Cardinals. They lost 4-3 to the eventual World Series champion Nationals in the single-game wild-card matchup in Washington.

Milwaukee finished the regular season with a plus-3 run differential, a home record of 49-32 and a 40-41 mark on the road.

Milwaukee Brewers offseason

The Brewers’ main offseason move was the trade acquisition of 2B Luis Urias from the San Diego Padres in exchange for OF Trent Grisham. They signed free agents Eric Sogard, Justin Smoak and Avisail Garcia. The starting rotation was largely untouched and will be the biggest question heading into the season.

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Milwaukee Brewers odds to win NL West division

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 1 p.m. ET.

The Brewers head into the season with the third-best odds to win the NL Central at +260. The St. Louis Cardinals (+210) remain the favorites, while the Chicago Cubs (+250) are expected to be back in the mix after a disappointing 2019 campaign. The upstart Cincinnati Reds are in the running at +380, but the Pittsburgh Pirates are heavy longshots at +6500.

The Brewers last won the division in 2018 and are a good bet in 2020 at nearly a 3-1 return on the investment after finishing just two games back of the Cards last season.

Milwaukee Brewers World Series odds

The Brewers have the second-longest odds to win the 2020 World Series among last season’s playoff teams at +2200. Only the Oakland Athletics, +2500, are viewed as bigger longshots to win it all.

It makes the Brewers a reasonable value, as teams like the Philadelphia Phillies (+1800) and New York Mets (+2000) have better odds after failing to qualify for the National League playoffs last year.

How many games will the Brewers win in 2020?

Take the OVER 83.5 (+110) at plus-money. The 2020 projection is 5.5 wins below the Brewers’ 2019 total, and they’re just two years removed from a 96-win 2018 campaign, which saw them capture the NL Central title.

Manager Craig Counsell proved to be one of the best in the game at handling pitching usage last year. Look for it to be another strength of the Brewers in 2020.

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The San Diego Padres look to finally take a significant step forward in 2020 in their quest to make the MLB postseason for the first time since 2006. Manager Jayce Tingler will lead a squad flush with young, top prospects with several notable additions made over the offseason. Today, we focus on the Padres’ 2020 regular-season win total and World Series odds. Do the Padres have what it takes? Let’s analyze:

San Diego Padres 2019 wins

The Padres struggled to a 70-92 finish in 2019 after landing prized free-agent addition 3B Manny Machado last winter. They finished last in the National League West for the third time in four years and were 19 games back of the final wild-card spot in the NL. They were 36-45 at home at 34-47 on the road.

San Diego Padres offseason

The Padres open 2020 with a new-look outfield. Tommy Pham was acquired via trade from the Tampa Bay Rays and Trent Grisham joins the Friars from the Milwaukee Brewers. Wil Myers is the only returning member expected to have a starting role.

SP Zach Davis also came over from the Brewers and RP Emiliano Pagan was part of a separate trade with the Rays. INF Jurickson Profar was brought over from the Oakland Athletics.

Machado and youngsters Fernando Tatis Jr., Francisco Mejia and Ty France will be also counted on to lead the Padres to the promised land.

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San Diego Padres odds to win NL West division

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Lines last updated at Friday at 12:20 p.m. ET.

The Padres have the third-best odds to win their division at +1200. They trail the Los Angeles Dodgers (-1000) and Arizona Diamondbacks (+1000) and are well ahead of the Colorado Rockies (+5000) and San Francisco Giants (+10000). They haven’t won the division since going back-to-back in 2005 and 2006, and they haven’t even finished second since 2010.

Leave the Dodgers be as commanding favorites in the NL West. The Padres’ best route to the postseason will be via the wild-card race.

San Diego Padres World Series odds

Pitching will be the biggest question for the Padres this season after failing to land one of the marquee No. 1 starters available in free agency this winter. They’re entering the season with +4000 odds to win the 2020 World Series, putting them on par with the division-rival Diamondbacks and ahead of the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays (+6600).

The Padres will need everything to go right for their rotation to hold up through the full season, but the offense is stacked with depth at every key position. The bullpen is another strength to begin the season and will allow Tingler to get creative with his pitcher usage. The Padres are a great value pick and bettors shouldn’t be looking at longer odds.

How many games will the Padres win in 2020?

The Padres’ win total is set at 82.5 to begin the 2020 season. The 83 wins needed to hit the Over would be their most since the aforementioned 2010 campaign when they went 90-72. Still, the OVER 82.5 (-132) is the bet to make for what should be one of MLB’s most-improved teams this season.