Redesign. Rebuild. Reclaim.
It wasn’t just a Seth Rollins motto that he used post-injury, but it is kind of how the Oakland A’s have done business for, well, a long time.
After failing to develop two promising young arms and making a run with their young core, the A’s decided that they needed a redesign.
So long, Jesús Luzardo. Farewell Matt Chapman. See you later, Matt Olson. Chris Bassitt and Mark Canha? Enjoy New York.
The A’s are in full rebuild mode now, and it’s going to be awhile before they hit the reclaim phase.
Strap in, A’s fans. It’s going to be a long few years.
The A’s did get some interesting pieces back in their deals, including Kevin Smith from the Blue Jays and Cristian Pache from Atlanta. What’s more, former slugger Eric Thames signed a deal with them so that’s … something.
What does 2022 hold in store for the Athletics? Will they be able to surprise the league with an advanced rebuilding year, or are heading toward a long season?
Athletics Top Betting Odds 2024
Oakland Athletics MLB betting odds are current as of March 31, 2022, at Caesars Sportsbook.
- World Series Winners (+12500)
- Win American League pennant (+5000)
- Win American League West title (+2500)
- 2022 Win Total Over/Under: 70.5 (-110)
It’s not surprising to see the odds are against the Athletics for 2022. They have the lowest odds to win their division, with the Rangers projected to finish ahead of them at +1800.
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Even if you expect the Athletics to outperform their Over/Under of 70.5 wins, you’re hoping that not only the Rangers underperform, but the Mariners, Astros, and Angels - OK, the latter is a lock - to underperform, too.
Athletics Futures Bets 2024
Athletics: To Win American League West (+2400) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.25 Units
Stranger things have happened, right? Let’s just pretend here for a second, OK?
Pitching is a big question mark for the Rangers, and there are still a ton of question marks with their offense.
The Angels have the big names, but as we’ve seen throughout Mike Trout’s career, they’ve been unable to capitalize on his performance with postseason success. There are big question marks about their rotation, too, and the offense needs Anthony Rendon, Brandon Marsh, and Jo Adell to all click if they hope to live up to their potential.
Then we have the Mariners, who are young, fun, and everyone’s darlings. But could youth be something that holds them back if their young stars don’t perform up to their expected levels?
And lastly, we have the overwhelming favorites in the Astros. It’s hard to see them not being better than the Athletics no matter how hard we try to find a reason. Injuries are the only way Houston tumbles enough for Oakland to make a leap.
Of course, that’s hoping that everything clicks for Oakland and they don’t trade Sean Manaea or Frankie Montas as is rumored.
It is an absolute longshot bet, but out of all of the futures, it has the best chance to hit. It’s also our MLB bet of the day.
Athletics To Win UNDER 70.5 Games (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.5 Units
The tank is on for the Athletics, so I’m taking the Under here pretty comfortably. The A’s 70.5 line is tied with the Nationals for the fifth-lowest total among all teams, and it’s easy to see why.
Oakland’s offense looks pretty lifeless, while the rotation appears awfully thin beyond Manaea and Montas. There’s still a few good players kicking around, but not nearly enough to make this team competitive, especially in a tough division.
The easy bet here is the Under.
Athletics Player Prop Bets 2024
Frankie Montas: OVER 195.5 Strikeouts (-110) at BetMGM Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
Not only is there not a lot of value in Oakland player props this year, but there aren’t a lot of options. True story — the books aren’t putting Over/Under lines out for them because they simply lack star power.
That said, I really like this Montas prop. Run support and wins are out of Montas’ control. Same with what happens once the ball is in play. But strikeouts? Yeah, he got that.
Robbie Ray. Gerrit Cole. Dylan Cease. Those are the only American League pitchers who had more strikeouts than Montas in 2021, and he finished 13th in baseball last year in the category.
What’s more, his K% (26.6), Whiff% (13.7), and CSW% (29.2) were up there with the elite of the elite arms last season. Montas registered 201 strikeouts in 2021, and the projection models have him just under this total for 2022.
I’m taking the Over on 195.5 with Montas based on his elite Whiff%, elite Chase%, and his splitter, which is a true out-pitch for him.
Sean Manaea: UNDER 178.5 Strikeouts (-110) at BetMGM Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
So, here’s the thing. I’m not too sure that Manaea is a good pitcher. Fine in stretches? Sure. Consistent? Hardly.
It’s great to see him back and to see him healthy, but I question how legit his breakout was last year.
You can’t judge a pitcher just by his Statcast page, but there is a ton of blue on there, which should give you pause. His velocity and K% saw an uptick, but so did his BB%.
What’s more, he allows above-average hard contact and barrel rates.
Pitcher growth isn’t linear, but nothing under the covers really screams growth about Manaea as a player. In the four seasons he’s thrown more than 140 innings, he’s eclipsed 178.5 strikeouts once.
Every projection model besides Steamer has him Under that total, and I do, too.
Hammer the Under.