NL West Winner Odds: Race Is Just Starting to Heat Up

June has arrived and the NL west race is just starting to heat up. The Dodgers and Diamondbacks are neck and neck with Arizona now one of the hottest teams in baseball. Meanwhile, the Giants and Padres both started to get it going toward the end of May and can’t be ruled out from being a factor during the second half of the season. Let’s take a look at where things stand and each team’s prospects of winning the NL West this year.

All season, we’ll keep you up to date on what’s going on in the NL West by updating the odds to win the division and sharing our pick to win the division. Check back every week to see where each team stands. If you haven't already, check out our top-rated baseball betting sites to ensure you're getting the best bang for your buck from your MLB bets.

NL West Winner Odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

NL West Winner Pick - Padres +850

Even if the Dodgers seem like the most likely team to win the NL West, there is no value in taking Los Angeles at their current odds. That’s particularly true since the Dodgers have failed to build on their lead atop the division. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks have officially entered the race as a genuine contender while the Giants are hanging around, so the Dodgers have some competition. Of course, the Padres still have the most talent of the teams that can catch Los Angeles, making San Diego the best value pick at this stage.

Los Angeles Dodgers (-470 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

The Dodgers only saw their odds to win the NL West drop from -490 to -470 over the past week. That’s a lot of faith in Los Angeles from the oddsmakers after the Diamondbacks pulled into a tie at the top of the division heading into the first weekend of June. Keep in mind that the Dodgers fell into mediocrity during the second half of May, going 7-8 over the last 15 games of the month.

On top of letting the D’Backs catch them in early June, the Dodgers don’t look like a team that’s going to pull away at any point. They also have three teams that could potentially catch them, so there is little to no value at -470. Thanks to injuries in the Los Angeles rotation, the Dodgers have few answers outside Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw, and even Kershaw struggled a little in May. A talented lineup will carry them, but until the Los Angeles rotation is healthy, the Dodgers will have difficulty building a comfortable lead atop the NL West.

San Diego Padres (+850 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

On the first day of June, the Padres managed to get themselves back to .500, so things appear to be moving in the right direction for them. San Diego went 5-4 over the team’s final nine games in May. During the first part of June, the Padres have a stretch in which they play 15 of 22 games at home, so this is San Diego’s chance to make a run.

That being said, San Diego’s odds of winning the division dropped from +700 to +850 over the past week. Of course, that’s primarily because the D’Backs and Giants continue to look like they might stick around in the race. That will make things a little more challenging for the Padres in terms of trying to catch the Dodgers. But the Padres have gotten Juan Soto and Joe Musgrove moving in the right direction. Now they need a few more of their underachieving stars to do the same.

Arizona Diamondbacks (+950 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Two months into the season, it’s getting harder and harder to deny that the upstart Diamondbacks have staying power. Oddsmakers are finally starting to show a little respect with Arizona’s odds to win the NL West dropping from +1200 to +950 over the past week. That happened after the D’Backs went 8-3 over their last 11 games in May and then opened June with their fifth consecutive win, pulling into a tie with Los Angeles in the process.

Arizona’s biggest concern this season has been rotation depth behind Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. But Tommy Henry has started to come on strong while Zach Davies gives the D’Backs another veteran. The Arizona bullpen has also stepped up to help make up the difference. Offensively, there aren’t that many concerns with multiple Diamondbacks making a strong case for the All-Star Team. As long as the D’Backs get decent performances from their rotation, they’re poised to keep things interesting at the top of the NL West.

San Francisco Giants (+2000 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

The Giants may not be a serious threat to win the NL West, but they aren’t going away. San Francisco went 11-5 over the second half of May, beginning June at .500 and third in the NL West, just 5.5 games behind the Dodgers. Considering the way the season began for the Giants and some of the injuries they’ve endured, that’s not a bad place to be. In fact, their odds shrunk from +2300 to +2000 over the last week, so they’re getting a little respect from the oddsmakers.

With Joc Pederson, Joey Bart, and Thairo Estrada all on the IL at the start of June, there are still injuries to overcome. But San Francisco’s pitching has been enough to compensate for those injury woes. Oddly enough, Alex Cobb and Alex Wood weren’t even at their best late in May and the Giants were still able to finish the month strong. If those two can get on track and Logan Webb continues to perform like a bonafide ace, the Giants are going to keep hanging around with the hope that they can get fully healthy and go on a run at some point. Obviously, San Francisco isn’t a serious threat to win the division at the moment, but the Giants remain a team that’s worth monitoring.

Colorado Rockies (+25000 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Much to their credit, the Rockies put up a fight throughout May and showed that they are better than most expected them to be at the start of the season. Unfortunately, the Rox opened the month of June with their fourth straight loss to the D’Backs. The Rockies are also poised to spend a majority of the first three weeks of June on the road. That’s bad news for a team that is currently 9-20 away from home.

Of course, it’s largely a moot point because Colorado’s long-shot odds to win the NL West are holding steady at +25000. If the Rockies can’t win on the road, they have little chance of getting out of last place, much less winning the division. To add injury to insult, the Rox began June with both C.J. Cron and Kris Bryant on the IL. Plus, outside of Chase Anderson, nobody in the rotation looks particularly good at the moment. In other words, the Rockies look vulnerable to a rough patch during the month of June.

How to Place a Futures Bet on the NL West Division

All prominent sportsbooks will allow you to place a bet on the NL West champion. Just log into your preferred sportsbook and look for MLB futures. There will be an option of betting on division winners, so just find the NL West and make your pick.