Why You Need to Bet These 3 MLB Division Winners After the First Week

Updated: Apr 3, 2025, 3:17 PM ET | First published: Apr 3, 2025, 3:17 PM ET

Written by Dave Garofolo, Content Producer

MLB predictions, World Series, MLB futures, American League, National League, MLB Futures — We look at three teams with some massive value to win their division title come October.

The MLB season has wrapped up its first full week of action and it's been full of storylines around the future World Series champion, Torpedo Bat home runs and some early team surprises.

With a week's of games in the books, it's time for our first look at early division winner value. It's a small sample size but we've got enough to make some long-term educated picks with the right futures bets.

Whether you're backing an MLB team to win its division, the pennant, or picking who will win the World Series, futures allow you to lock in favorable odds before the market shifts and affects the World Series odds.

Are the Padres to win the NL West the best futures bet to make right now?

Our model says their fair odds would be just +400 while you can get them at +900. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/gXo289xpfm
— Dimers.com (@DimersCom) April 1, 2025

Back in 2021, Dimers seized the early-season value and famously predicted three out of four World Series finalists, returning a big bet on the Braves winning it all, and sharing the $9,000 winnings with our followers.

The key to successful futures betting is timing and good data. Betting on a team before a hot streak—or capitalizing on undervalued squads after a rough start—can yield major payouts.

At Dimers, we use data-driven insights to uncover the best futures value throughout the MLB season, powered by our expertly-built predictive analytics model.

Below, you will find some standouts from our model's current division winner predictions, each offering a big value play when comparing our probability to the sportsbook odds. Readers can access our full futures predictions for MLB, including World Series, AL/NL and and each Division with Dimers Pro, now available for just $9.99 for your first month.

Three Must-Bet Division Futures After MLB's First Week

Each of these bets is a value play based on the Dimers futures predictions and the odds available on the book. They won't be the favorite, and should be considered medium-longshot plays, however the value is undeniable according to our model.

San Diego Padres Win NL West (+1000)

The San Diego Padres are aiming to build on their impressive 93-win season, the second-best in franchise history. With the bitter memory of their season's end still fresh, the Padres will need to win the injury battle for starters, particularly in their rotation, with Joe Musgrove out for the season (Tommy John) and Yu Darvish starting on the IL. Even Fernando Tatis played through injury - he's now healthy and off to a strong start.

They'll have to overcome the mighty Dodgers, but the Padres are the only other undefeated team in MLB so far, giving them a major edge in keeping this a race throughout the season.

Dimers gives the Padres a 19.3% chance to win the division, offering a bargain at +1000 odds on FanDuel, compared to fair odds of +420.

Toronto Blue Jays Win AL East (+1300)

This one is the longest odds of the three and our biggest discrepancy with the sportsbooks, who have the Blue Jays pegged as the least likely team to win the AL East. For us, that would be the Rays, as we have Toronto in second place, just edging out the Red Sox who have gotten off to a slow start.

The Blue Jays lineup needs Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander to crush it this year. So far, Vladdy has yet to get hot while veteran George Springer and offseason acquisition Andres Gimenez are providing the most consistency in the lineup. But, the season is long and a player as good as Vlad should only go so long without getting into a rhythm.

This could be a very competitive division - if these teams beat up on each other, it'll be a tight race and right now, our model simply says +1300 is way too long. We'd make fair odds for Toronto just +390 based on our 20.3% probability, giving us a 13.2% edge.

St. Louis Cardinals Win NL Central (+750)

The Cardinals are in transition but this could be a surprise year, especially if this first week is a sign of what's to come in this division. Their success this year hinges on veteran production from players like Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and pitchers Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas - if they perform and this team is in contention, they may not sell at the trade deadline, as many expect.

The division is expected to be one of the weakest in MLB based on our model's full predictions - the Cardinals are actually the most likely of all three of these bets, due in large part to the level of competition they face.

At +750, their odds imply only a 12.5% chance to win the NL Central, but we say they should be just +345 with our 22.5% probability. We also highlighted them as a dark horse World Series candidate, with their odds now dropping from the +14000 price we found.

Parlay for a Big-Time Payout

Users looking for a lotto ticket can parlay or even round robin these three results, potentially turning just a couple bucks into thousands in profit if all three teams can seal the deal, with just $1 turning over a $900 profit on the three-leg parlay.

Why Dimers is The Expert When it Comes to Futures Betting

Before the 2021 MLB season started, we got the greenlight from the bosses to make a little Dimers investment in the World Series winner.

We took our cash and played our top three value plays to win the Fall Classic - the Houston Astros (+2200), Atlanta Braves (+1400) and Boston Red Sox (+7500).

Sharp-minded readers will see those first two names and remember that was the World Series matchup that year. But don't forget - the Red Sox also made the ALCS.

Over six months in advance, we picked three of the four finalists in the World Series that year, with the Braves ultimately winning it all and cashing us $9,000 on out $600 ticket. And that's not all - we gave out the winnings to our followers!

Pretty, pretty good, we'd say. All thanks to Dimers' advanced MLB World Series Predictions.

Get The Best MLB World Series and Futures Predictions

You've seen how to use futures to your betting advantage. You've seen how useful Dimers' predictions can be in turning a long-term profit at some massive payouts.

Now, get that data in your pocket and attack this MLB season with the power of Dimers Pro, yours for less than $1/day.

Beyond our futures, you'll get the Best MLB Bets, valuable MLB Player Props, MLB Game Predictions, player prop trends, and more, all at your fingertips from the first pitch to the final out. With proven results and reliable data-backed insights, Dimers Pro gives you unrivaled access to every bet, every game, every day.

Responsible Gambling

Remember to please gamble responsibly. If you sense that you're taking your luck too far, know when to call it quits and don't be afraid to seek assistance. Keep in mind that gambling isall about having a fantastic experience! If you or someone you know is grappling with gambling issues, reach out to 1-800-GAMBLER for crisis counseling and support.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Nick Slade as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Dave Garofolo

Content Producer

Dave Garofolo uses sophisticated AI-driven analytics to make predictions and evaluate player performances in the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, NCAAM, and PGA TOUR tournaments, crafting insightful game and prop previews.

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Why You Need to Bet These 3 MLB Division Winners After the First Week