After Nailing Last Year's Futures, Here Are 3 MLB Teams To Invest In For 2025

As ridiculous as this sounds, from 2018-23, I didn't think I could lose money betting on MLB regular-season games. Gambling on the NFL is always hit-or-miss for me. Last year sucked, but 2024 was my best season ever. The NBA was a cash cow until it went to sh*t when I started writing for OutKick in August 2022. 

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Wagering on baseball used to provide a steady revenue stream during the summer. Well, those days are long gone, and I'm pretty much "sucker money" in MLB now. However, my MLB team futures betting remained sharp last season. All three teams I gave out last year profited. Let's hope it goes as well this season or else it'll be a long year in baseball. 

3 MLB teams to buy stock in for this season 

The odds are the best available from legal U.S. sportsbooks at the time of writing. 

Minnesota Twins 

• AL Central Winner (+220) via FanDuel, risking 1 unit (u).
• AL Pennant Winner (+1300) via Caesars Sportsbook, risking 0.25u.

Minnesota’s sixth-best odds to win the pennant are too low. FanGraphs projects the Twins to have the best pitching WAR in the AL this year. Their first three starters had a sub-4.00 "Fielding Independent Pitching" (FIP) in 2024: RHP Pablo Lopez (3.65 FIP), RHP Bailey Ober (3.82 FIP), and RHP Joe Ryan (3.44 FIP). All three are top 40 starters in FanGraphs’ power rankings. 

Furthermore, relief pitching is more important than rotations nowadays, and FanGraphs projects Minnesota’s bullpen to be the best in MLB this season. Closer Jhoan Durán is 19th in FanGraphs’ power rankings for relievers, and setup man Griffin Jax is seventh. Twins reliever Cole Sands had a 2.63 FIP and 1.000 WHIP last year, too. 

Minnesota Twins RHP Pablo Lopez throws a pitch vs. the Philadelphia Phillies in Spring Training. (Photo Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images)

Also, depth is more important than superstars, and Minnesota’s farm system is No. 6 in MLB, according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. The Twins’ top two prospects, OFs Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez, are everyday players. Twins CF Byron Buxton has some of the worst injury luck in baseball, so Jenkins and Rodriguez will get called up to The Show eventually. 

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Their lineup is projected to be middle-of-the-pack this year, per FanGraphs. Nonetheless, FanGraphs is speaking out of both sides of its mouth because all nine hitters in Minnesota’s projected Opening Day lineup are expected to have more than 100 wRC+. 

The Twins had a better 2024 than the market remembers, apparently. They were in the playoff mix before going 9-18 in September. Minnesota had a winning record vs. every team in the AL Central besides the Cleveland Guardians, who got worse this offseason. 

Finally, with good injury luck, the Twins will win the AL Central. Since the MLB playoffs can be random, Minnesota would have a puncher’s chance to make the Fall Classic if it wins the division. Especially considering the New York Yankees and Houston Astros have worse clubs than in previous seasons. 

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[No City] Athletics 

• Over 71.5 Wins (-110) via DraftKings, risking 1.1u.
• AL West Winner (+3000) via DraftKings, risking 0.25u.
• To Make Playoffs (+850) via DraftKings, risking 0.25u

This is a weird era for the A's, who will play in Sacramento at Sutter Health Park this year, home of the River Cats, a minor league baseball team. The Athletics will play here from 2025-27 while awaiting their new ballpark in Las Vegas. They went 69-93 last year. So, since their win total is 71.5, the A's would only need to win three more games in 2025. 

Despite having baseball's second-lowest payroll, the Athletics spent some money this offseason. The A's signed starting RHP Luis Severino from the New York Mets, who, as a Yankees fan, I loved when he played for the Pinstripes. Severino got a bad rap for how his stint ended in the Bronx. 

Nevertheless, if we remove Severino's three injury-plagued seasons (2019-21), he's had a solid career. Severino was a two-time All-Star for the Yankees in 2017-18 and an AL Cy Young finalist both years. He finished last season strong and was tied for third in FanGraphs' Stuff+ after the 2024 MLB All-Star Game.

Plus, the Athletics' bullpen pitched great in the second half of the year. They were eighth in WAR, seventh in FIP, and first in hard-hit rate post-All-Star break, per FanGraphs. Four of the five most-used relievers had a sub-4.00 FIP, including All-Star closer Mason Miller. The only one that didn't is on another team. The A's signed José Leclerc this offseason, who has a career 3.44 FIP. 

They also spent a little money on their hitting, inking OF Lawrence Butler to a seven-year, $65.5 million extension, and OF Brent Rooker to a five-year, $60 million extension. Rooker hit 30+ home runs for the Athletics in 2023 and 2024. Butler had a 130 wRC+ last year, his first full season in MLB. FanGraphs projects the A's to rank 13th in batting WAR this year. 

The Athletics are one of the MLB teams I'm buying stock in for 2025. (Photo credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images)

I give the Athletics a legit chance to win the AL West in 2025, or at least better than their 30-to-1 odds indicate. As I mentioned above, Houston will take a step back this season. The Texas Rangers, the second-betting favorite, are overrated. Their bullpen is completely rebuilt after finishing 26th in ERA last year, and I don't trust Jacob deGrom to stay healthy. 

The Los Angeles Angels are the Los Angeles Angels. Enough said. The Seattle Mariners should be the betting favorites to win this division because their pitching is insane, and they might have the best rotation in MLB. Seattle is why I'm splitting a half-unit on the Athletics to make the playoffs (+850) and to win the AL West (+3000). 

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Milwaukee Brewers 

• Over 83.5 Wins (+100) via DraftKings, risking 1u.
• NL Central Winner (+280) via Caesars Sportsbook, risking 0.5u.

I must be taking crazy pills because I don't see why the Chicago Cubs (+110) are favorites over the Brew Crew to win the NL Central. Sure, Chicago's payroll is bigger ($195-118 million) and the Cubs had an 88-74 Pythagorean record vs. an 85-77 overall record (which I cashed on last year by giving out their Over 83.5 wins). 

Yet, Milwaukee had a 95-67 Pythagorean record vs. a 93-65 overall record en route to a second consecutive NL Central title and third in the last four seasons. That said, I don't see how the Brewers got worse year over year. Losing SS Willy Adames in free agency this offseason hurts, but they shouldn't lose 10 more games because of this. 

Moreover, Milwaukee's bullpen was eighth in WAR last season and first after the 2024 MLB All-Star Game. Brewers' ace, RHP Freddy Peralta, has a career 3.67 FIP, and two-time All-Star starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff will return before the All-Star break. Milwaukee added LHP Nestor Cortes to the rotation this offseason, who was a 2022 All-Star with the Yankees. 

Besides the Cubs, whom I'm lukewarm on anyway, the Brewers shouldn't be worried about anyone else in the NL Central. The Pittsburgh Pirates have the lowest payroll and worst farm system in the division. Yeah, Paul Skenes is an icon. But, Pittsburgh's lineup is projected to have the fourth-worst WAR in baseball this year. 

The St. Louis Cardinals had a 76-86 Pythagorean record last year vs. an 83-79 regular record, and didn't improve this offseason. I could see Cincinnati being feisty under first-year manager Terry Francona. Regardless, I'll gamble on the Reds not winning their first division crown since 2012. If they do, the Brewers can still win 84+ games. 

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Follow me on X (or Twitter, whatever) @Geoffery-Clark, and check out my OutKick Bets Podcast for more betting content and random rants. I'll add bets to my NBA 2024-25 betting record via X all season.