The Yankees’ hot start has solidified their status as the favorite in the competitive American League East.
The Bronx Bombers are currently a -140 favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook to win the division despite the disastrous spring training loss of ace Gerrit Cole to an elbow injury.
Despite Cole’s absence, the Yankees have rocketed out to a 13-6 start to the season after a comeback win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
It’s tied for their best 19-game start since the 2003 season when the Yankees won 16 of their first 19 games en route to the AL pennant.
The Yankees’ early-season run has quelled some concerns from oddsmakers that cropped up throughout the spring.
In February, the Yankees were favored at +145 (BetMGM Sportsbook) to retake the division from the 2023 AL East champion Baltimore Orioles.
But the Cole news forced oddsmakers to lean toward the O’s, and by late March, the two teams were dead-even at +180.
Aaron Boone’s club has proven to be formidable thanks to Juan Soto’s MVP-caliber play, Anthony Volpe’s star turn and a rotation that’s held up without its No. 1 starter.
Baltimore, which remains the second-favorite at +230, is hot on the heels of the Yankees though.
The Orioles sit a half-game behind in the AL East standings with a 12-6 record following a recent four-game winning streak.
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Even with yet another strong AL East, the Yankees are an overwhelming favorite to return to the postseason after falling short in 2023 for the first time since the 2016 season.
The Yankees easily have the best playoff odds (-580) in the AL, outpacing the Orioles (-295), Rangers (-220) and Astros (-205), who are the only other teams with odds better than -200.
Oddsmakers are even giving them a shot at being the class of the big leagues with +800 to have the best record in baseball, trailing only the Dodgers (+165) and Braves (+200).
