Here on the eve of Opening Day, after a quiet and contentious offseason for the Cubs, where they sat mostly alongside as bystanders while the rest of the NL Central beefed up, it’s reasonable that the team on the North Side stands with no better playoff odds than some other teams in the Central. Would I bet on those other teams? I would not. But I can understand it, and it’s fair.
… but I still have a streak of petty in me. I am a fanatic after all.
So, then, as the regular season arrives, I wanted to put the final offseason playoff odds/projections into one place, held here for eternity – or at least until the playoffs arrive, and there is crowing to be done.
FanGraphs
As you can see, FanGraphs is the most sanguine on the Cubs’ chances, placing them solidly above the other big boys in the Central.
Las Vegas
BetOnline has the Cubs as about a 50/50 coin flip to make the postseason, but also has the Cardinals as the same. The Brewers are slightly behind at 3/2.
Another look from Vegas:
Chicago Cubs 2019 Betting Odds and Props:
World Series – 12/1
NLCS – 6/1
NL Central Regular Season – 7/4
Regular Season Win Total – 87.5odds via @SuperBookUSA https://t.co/7ywVP25uWZ pic.twitter.com/FtzFxJEXDM
— Covers (@Covers) March 27, 2019
FiveThirtyEight
The nerds at FiveThirtyEight say the Cubs have a little better than a 1-in-3 shot to make the playoffs, which, whatever, but each of the Cardinals and Brewers are notably higher.
Baseball Prospectus/PECOTA
Ah, the now-infamous DOOM-laden PECOTA projections. They still hate the Cubs, but they are no longer solo in last place thanks presumably to the Scooter Gennett injury. At 17.6% to make the postseason, the Cubs are seen as a considerable underdog this year by BP. Just three teams – the Reds, Giants, and Marlins – have a lower chance.
Here’s hope we can look back in six months, pleased that I saved the receipts.
If not, it’ll be totally weird and accidental when our database eats this post.