The National League’s regular season begins on March 20, when the San Diego Padres face the Los Angeles Dodgers in Korea.
After a two-game series between the Padres and Dodgers, Opening Day for the other 28 teams will begin on March 28.
We’re nearing the start of the season, so let’s preview the National League odds.
2024 National League Odds
Check out the National League teams and their odds below to win the entire conference.
| The Elite | The Contenders | The Pretenders |
| Dodgers +150 | Cubs +1600 | Marlins +4000 |
| Braves +350 | Diamondbacks +1700 | Pirates +5000 |
| Phillies +750 | Cardinals +1800 | Nationals +10000 |
| Reds +2000 | Rockies +15000 | |
| Giants +2000 | ||
| Mets +2200 | ||
| Padres +2500 | ||
| Brewers +3000 |
*Odds via Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
The National League has three teams that really stand out. However, when compared to the American League, the National League has more depth.
Other than four teams in the National League, every other team could at least compete for a playoff spot in the National League. Meanwhile, the American League has many more teams that don’t have any business being discussed for an MLB playoff spot.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the clear favorite to win the National League. At +150, there’s not a ton of value. But after all of the moves the Dodgers made this offseason, the Dodgers are certainly the best on paper.
The Dodgers are likely a 100-win team this year. Shohei Ohtani is batting between Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, and the Dodgers added Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the starting rotation.
While I like the Dodgers to earn the most wins in the National League this season, I still don’t believe they’ll win the World Series. Last year, the Arizona Diamondbacks knocked the Dodgers out of the playoffs and made the World Series. Anything can happen in the MLB.
National League East
Check out the National League East teams and their odds below to win their division.
| AL East Teams | Odds |
| Atlanta Braves | -340 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | +350 |
| New York Mets | +1200 |
| Miami Marlins | +2500 |
| Washington Nationals | +125000 |
*Odds via Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
NL East Best Value: Mets
- +1200 via Caesars Sportsbook
I’m not spending on the Braves at -340. It would be down to the Phillies and Mets. But at +1200, with one of the richest owners in sports, who is willing to pay to put together a respectable roster, I’ll take the Mets.
A lot of things went wrong for the Mets last year. There were many injuries and guys who didn’t really develop to their expectations. Still, the Mets watched Francisco Alvarez blossom at catcher. Pete Alonso should be a major home run threat and Starling Marte is healthy for the first time since a couple of years ago.
The Mets have a respectable roster of hitters. Brett Baty and Mark Vientos are still looking to contribute long-term, and Jeff McNeil, along with Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor, should be a quality top of the lineup.
New York’s starting rotation will be without Kodai Senga and David Peterson at the start of the season. But it’s still got five major league pitchers, including Jose Quintana, Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Adrian Houser and Tylor Megill. It’s a respectable unit that will only get better when Senga and Peterson return.
Meanwhile, the Mets addressed the bullpen. They added three free-agent relievers and will have Edwin Diaz back as the closer. Don’t count out the Mets.
National League Central
Check out the National League Central teams and their odds below to win their division.
| AL Central Teams | Odds |
| Chicago Cubs | +140 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | +185 |
| Cincinnati Reds | +350 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | +900 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | +1600 |
*Odds via Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
NL Central Best Value: Reds
- +350 via Caesars Sportsbook
The Cincinnati Reds are young and fearless. The Reds added Jeimer Candelario as the lone veteran bat in the lineup. However, they’ll still have six batters in the lineup with less than two years of MLB service time. That includes the young hype prospects like Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand.
While the offense can be really good, the pitching can be too.The Reds brought in a low-risk, high-reward player in Frankie Montas. He’ll lead the starting rotation with Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft, Nick Martinez, and Andrew Abbott. Eventually, Nick Lodolo will return to the starting rotation too.
While Noelvi Marte is out for 80 games due to PEDs, the Reds still have an incredible nucleus of talent and could surprise many people this season.
National League West
Check out the National League West teams and their odds below to win their division.
| AL West Teams | Odds |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | -700 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | +1000 |
| San Francisco Giants | +1300 |
| San Diego Padres | +1400 |
| Colorado Rockies | +17500 |
*Odds via Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
NL West Best Value: Los Angeles Dodgers
- -700 via Caesars Sportsbook
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the NL West by 16 games last season. Now they’ve added over $1 billion of assets for this year’s team and barely lost any players from the previous team. The Dodgers have the best lineup in baseball, especially at the top of the order, with Betts, Ohtani and Freeman batting 1-2-3 to begin each game.
The Dodgers have many starting pitchers on the shelf right now, between Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin, and Emmet Sheehan. Some of these guys will be back soon for the Dodgers.
But they’ll still have Glasnow, Yamamoto, Bobby Miller, James Paxton and Gavin Stone to begin the season. That’s still a very reliable rotation with some great arms.
Nobody is catching the Dodgers in the NL West.
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*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.