White Sox flip the betting board as Mets sink at midseason
ESPN reports Chicago has become MLB’s best moneyline bet, while New York has burned backers through a 40-57 first half.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The Chicago White Sox have gone from automatic fade material to the team giving sportsbooks a headache.
ESPN reported that Chicago reached the All-Star break at 50-45, tied with the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the American League Central. That is a sharp turn from 2024, when the White Sox were among the worst teams in MLB history and some bettors made a habit of betting against them every game.
The numbers have moved fast. According to DraftKings lines cited by ESPN, the White Sox opened the season at 16-1 to make the playoffs and 35-1 to win the division. By the break, those prices had been cut to -115 for a postseason spot and +200 for the AL Central.
Chicago also entered the season with a preseason win total of 67.5. At 50 wins by the break, the club was well on pace to clear it.
For everyday bettors, the White Sox have been the best moneyline team in baseball. ESPN reported that a bettor backing Chicago on the moneyline in every game would be up 11.59 units, tops in MLB, with the team carrying average moneyline odds of +112.
Sportsbooks are feeling it in the futures market, too. ESPN said bookmakers at BetMGM, Caesars and DraftKings described the White Sox as one of their largest liabilities in multiple markets.
Caesars Sportsbook baseball lead Eric Biggio told ESPN that Chicago has forced the book’s biggest adjustments across World Series and division prices. He said smaller bets placed at long odds, including division tickets at 25-1, have piled up into meaningful risk for the book.
DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello told ESPN that bettors are still placing White Sox futures even after the odds shortened. BetMGM told ESPN that Chicago is its biggest liability to win the American League pennant.
The Mets have gone the other way
The New York Mets are sitting at the other end of the betting counter.
ESPN reported that the Mets hit the All-Star break at 40-57, better than only three teams in MLB. Their preseason win total was 90.5, tied for the second-highest in the majors before the season.
Their World Series odds have collapsed as well, moving from 13-1 before the season to 400-1, according to ESPN.
Backing the Mets every day has been brutal. ESPN reported that a bettor taking New York on the moneyline in every game would be down 32.40 units, the worst mark in the league, with the Mets averaging -123 on the moneyline.
Biggio told ESPN the Mets made money for Caesars early in the season because bettors kept backing them as favorites while they kept losing. Avello said bettors now show far less confidence in New York, though some still take shots when the Mets are underdogs.
Dodgers and Yankees still lead the title chase
The World Series board remains topped by familiar names. ESPN reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers, who opened at +230, are still favorites at +190. The New York Yankees moved from 10-1 to +550 and remain second.
BetMGM told ESPN that the Dodgers have drawn 21.9% of World Series handle, with the Yankees second at 9.1%. The book also said both teams lead money wagered in their league pennant markets.
Other clubs could still sting the books. ESPN reported that the Boston Red Sox opened at 16-1, slid into the 100-1 range during a poor stretch, then reached the break on a nine-game winning streak at 40-1. Avello and Biggio told ESPN bettors bought Boston during its low point, creating future exposure.
The St. Louis Cardinals are another long-shot concern. ESPN reported that St. Louis is 170-1 to win the World Series, has produced 8.87 units for daily moneyline bettors, third-best in MLB, and is BetMGM’s third-largest World Series liability.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.