Major League Baseball Is Back … Maybe

It appears that Major League Baseball is set to return in July, although there is still one final hurdle to clear. Commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to implement a 60-game season that will begin around July 24.

The reason that the announcement has not been made official is that players must still approve a health and safety plan, and they must also agree to a new spring training date. If players approve the plan and agree to report to spring training by July 1, the league will go ahead with its plan.

Major League Baseball owners and the players have failed to come to an agreement over the last few months as both sides have continued to stand firm. The players were hoping for closer to an 80-game schedule, while owners have been unwilling to pay players additional money.

The league and the players agreed to a deal back on March 26 that gave Manfred the right to implement a 60-game season if a deal wasn’t reached. The two sides were expected to reach an agreement before it came to this, but that wasn’t the case.

Major League Baseball is planning on ending all regular-season games by Sept. 27 in an effort to complete their season before a second wave of the coronavirus hits. Expanded playoffs and a universal designated hitter were a part of the plan, but it is unclear if they will be a part of the new agreement.

Manfred flew to the Phoenix area to meet with union executive director Tony Clark last week. After the meeting, it was assumed that both sides were on the same page, and an agreement would be reached.

On Monday, players voted against a proposal from the league, and the vote was not close. Only five player representatives voted in favor of the proposal out of 38 total votes cast.

Baseball could be back in a little over a month, but it hasn’t been a smooth road to get to this point.

FanDuel Sportsbook MLB Odds

FanDuel Sportsbook has kept their Major League Baseball future odds available to bettors, even though it was unclear if a season would ever take place. Now that the league is planning to begin games in July, baseball betting is expected to heat up.

The odds from FanDuel have not changed much since the opening lines were released, but that will not be the case leading up to the start of the regular season. Even though there is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding baseball, now is a great time to make an MLB future bet at FanDuel.

Here are the current odds listed at FanDuel, with some of the betting favorites for each type of bet.

MLB World Series Odds

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the current favorites being listed at +380. They are followed by a duo of American League teams. The New York Yankees are +400, while the Houston Astros check in at +800

The Atlanta Braves have the second-best odds in the National League at +1400, while the Minnesota Twins are next on the list at +1600. The Tampa Bay Rays and defending champion Washington Nationals are next in line at +1700.