The New York Yankees won 92 games last year and have made the playoffs in five consecutive seasons. For most franchises, those would be pretty good accomplishments, but such results have only caused frustration and disappointment in the Bronx.
New York is coming off its first decade without a World Series appearance since the 1910s and has not won a championship since 2009, making this the third-longest title drought in franchise history.
These are certainly not the George Steinbrenner-type of Yankees anymore, under which New York’s fans became accustomed to an approach of consistent title shots and vying for the biggest available names in trades and free agency.
But the Yankees were not as aggressive this offseason as they typically are. They did not land the types of prominent players that have often donned pinstripes in the past when made available, such as Freddie Freeman, Matt Olson, Carlos Correa, and Trevor Story.
Instead, New York brought back Anthony Rizzo and acquired Josh Donaldson; solid moves, but not particularly satisfying transactions for much of the team’s faithful followers. Dealing for Isiah Kiner-Falefa when other big-name shortstops were on the market will certainly be a sore spot if the 2022 Yankees fall short of glory again.
But the team could always be proactive at some point in the near future, so perhaps we shouldn’t count them out for another deep postseason run just yet.
Yankees Top Betting Odds 2022
New York Yankees MLB betting odds are current as of Friday, March 25, at 3 p.m. ET from Caesars Sportsbook.
- World Series Winners (+1100)
- Win American League pennant (+550)
- Win American League East title (+220)
- 2022 Win Total Over/Under: 92.5 (-110)
The Yankees are tied with their neighbors, the Mets, for the fourth-best odds to win the 2022 World Series. They are also tied for the second-best odds to win the American League with the Toronto Blue Jays — the only team with better odds to win the AL East.
If key hitters such as Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Donaldson stay healthy and Gleyber Torres bounces back, the Yankees — who were 19th in runs scored last season — could potentially surpass expectations in 2022. New York will also have Rizzo and Joey Gallo in the lineup for a full season, adding even more potency to the lineup.
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Starting pitching may ultimately be the key to how far the Yankees can go this year. Gerrit Cole is an obvious Cy Young candidate, but the rotation beyond him is not scary, although it could be respectable. Luis Severino would certainly boost the outlook if he avoids more injuries, and Jordan Montgomery had a 3.83 ERA last season with a 3.93 xFIP and a 9.3 K/9.
Jameson Taillon and last year’s pleasant surprise, Nestor Cortes Jr., round out the starting five, but this group may not be formidable enough to limit the bats of the Blue Jays and the Houston Astros when it counts.
Yankees Futures Bets 2022
Yankees To Win World Series (+1100) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.5 Units
Toronto, Houston, and the Los Angeles Dodgers look like better bets to win it all in 2022, and you could say the same about the Mets as well. All of those teams sport better or equal lineups and superior starting pitching.
But now might be the time to wager our MLB bet of the day on the Yankees, who may still make some acquisitions to better prepare for a World Series run. The team could look to be aggressive and improve in the near future if it realizes that it lacks sufficient ammo to truly contend for a title.
We should consider that New York’s current roster may not be the complete version of the one that we eventually see in October.
Yankees To Win AL Pennant (+550) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.5 Units
Winning the AL East at (+220) is certainly not out of the question for New York, but the Blue Jays appear capable of winning more games than the Yankees as we head into the season.
Toronto can end up with a better record if New York waits until the trade deadline to address its remaining needs. The Yankees should still make the playoffs again, though, and might perform at their best in the postseason if there are no potholes of health and critical players perform at optimum levels.
Another factor to consider is that New York has a very strong bullpen. If Aroldis Chapman can be more consistently effective in October, the Yankees’ chances of success will be even better.
Yankees OVER 92.5 Wins (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 1.5 Units
Even if the Yankees do not win their division, they could still finish as the third-best team in the American League behind the Blue Jays and Astros. If they avoid major injuries on offense and the starting pitching is dependable, they can soar to the Over here.
Regular-season success should not be a significant concern for those wagering on the 2022 Yankees, however. As always, the team’s primary focus is on the playoffs, even if observers are deservedly critical of New York missing out on the biggest prizes of the offseason.
Gerrit Cole is poised to lead the Yankees’ staff again after finishing second in the 2021 AL Cy Young race. (Image: USA TODAY Sports)
Yankees Player Prop Bets 2022
Aaron Judge To Lead MLB in Home Runs (+1300) at BetMGM Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
Judge finished fifth in the AL with 39 home runs last season, though several players who finished ahead of him are good candidates to regress a bit in terms of their totals.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Salvador Perez topped the majors with 48 homers last year, but Perez will be hard-pressed to match that total as a catcher and Guerrero could slip back a bit as well. Marcus Semien will not hit 45 again and Fernando Tatis Jr. (42) is already out for a while.
Judge had a 57.9% hard-hit rate last year — his highest ever for a full season — but his 27.7% HR/FB ratio was his lowest since becoming a regular and will likely improve this year. The advanced stats point to Judge as having as good a chance as anyone to lead the league in big flies if he doesn’t miss significant time.
He is also a strong target to go Over 37.5 HRs as a prop play at BetMGM.
Gerrit Cole To Lead MLB in Strikeouts (+475) at BetMGM Sportsbook
WAGER: 2 Units
Cole has the second-best odds here behind only the ace on the other side of town, Jacob deGrom. Seeing the two of them possibly compete for the strikeout title would certainly fuel local fan debates that have raged back to the days of “Don Mattingly vs. Keith Hernandez”.
The strikeout race last year was a tight one, as Cole’s 243 were just five short of MLB leader Robbie Ray. Cole narrowly finished third in 2021 and paced the majors in 2019 with 326.
The Yankees’ ace also has the best odds to lead the Majors in wins at (+650) after leading the AL with 16 victories last year. Cole fell only one win shy of the major-league lead in 2019, so he is worth wagering a unit there as well.