To the casual observer, the Los Angeles Dodgers would seem to be a baseball-betting money printer. However, that’s not the reality of the baseball betting odds. Last season is a great example. In 2021 LA finished 112-62 but lost -264 betting units. Cause by the excessive casual money flooding in on the Dodgers. Especially when they are home at Dodger Stadium. Since 2013, the Dodgers have made the playoffs every season. Additionally, Los Angeles has made three of the previous five World Series. This success attracts an overload of square money.
2022 Los Angeles Dodgers Preview
2022 Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Odds Analysis
With their success and payroll that ranks at or near the top of the majors, LA attracts massive amounts of offshore betting casual money. Sharps realize that the only way to get value from the Dodgers is on the road. Specifically, when Los Angeles faces a name-brand contender, they get the best possible price. But at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles is a perpetual overlay. The prices are so high on Dodger home games that one loss can bust a bankroll for several weeks.
The Dodgers will open the season with the 2nd highest payroll in the game. Last year Los Angeles ranked 4th for run production and 1st for staff earned run average. Also, LA ranked 4th for home runs. All of this feeds into the public’s high expectations. Thus, prices will be set at a premium by the oddsmakers.
2022 Los Angeles Dodgers Key Personnel
Since 2016, Dave Roberts has been manager of the Dodgers. He was named 2016 National League Manager of the Year. Roberts was a journeyman player from 1999 through 2008. Including three seasons with the Dodgers. Roberts has a career record with the Dodgers of 542-329 and a post-season record of 44-33. Los Angeles has won three National League pennants and one World Series under his leadership.
Trevor Bauer is the highest-paid Dodger. However, Bauer was limited to 107 innings pitched in 2021 as he dealt with legal problems regarding sexual misconduct and abuse. Of course, Bauer was the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner with the Cincinnati Reds. In 2018 he was an American League All-Star with the Cleveland Indians.
Right fielder Mookie Betts has proven to be a wise acquisition in 2020. Betts is a 5-time All-Star and was a catalyst for the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series title. Further, Betts was the 2018 American League Most Valuable Player with the Boston Red Sox. Last year Bets hit .264 with an OPS of .854. Betts produced 93 runs, 29 doubles, 23 home runs, 58 runs batted in with ten stolen bases. He is one of the most versatile players in baseball.
Of great concern is the free fall of Cody Bellinger, who played in only 95 games last season. Bellinger was the 2019 National League Most Valuable Player. But he has dropped from a .629 slugging percentage in 2019 to .302 in 2021. Also, his OPS dropped from 1.035 in 2019 to .857 last year. Bellinger’s decline has further decimated the Dodgers value with the MLB odds.