MLB Betting in PA

MLB’s 162-game season provides PA sports bettors ample opportunity to lay some action. Outside of a few small breaks each year, there are bettable games almost every day and night of the year from the end of March through October.

Futures bets are also available during the offseason and remain dynamically updated across the best online casinos and sportsbooks throughout the season. Markets for the World Series champion, MVP, and Cy Young awards can be found almost as soon as the final pitch of the final game of the postseason is thrown.

Live MLB betting in Pennsylvania can be very fruitful for bettors who come prepared. The slow, yet methodical pace of the game offers enough time between innings and even pitches to bet on live markets. Bet types such as next at-bat outcome and live strikeout markets are a fun way to watch daily matchups.

Baseball’s unique format makes PA MLB betting a slightly different experience from sports run by a clock, such as basketball and football. We cover all of the various lines, odds, and props that make up MLB betting in PA within this page. Plus, we’ll compare the top PA sportsbooks offering MLB betting markets, as well as their bonuses and promos.

Pennsylvania, with its storied baseball history, presents a diverse array of platforms catering to both seasoned bettors and newcomers eager to embrace the thrill of MLB wagering. Whether you're an aficionado of strategic player props or a fan of traditional moneyline bets, the state's dynamic sports betting landscape ensures a tailored experience to suit your preferences.

1. FanDuel Sportsbook

MLB Betting on FanDuel PA: FanDuel Sportsbook gets the slight edge as our choice for the best sportsbook for Pennsylvania MLB betting. FanDuel PA does an excellent job of combining a ton of bets and bet types with an easily navigable app. When it comes to online gambling the MLB, you won’t find a cleaner, more easy-to-use interface with a menu this size.

PA sports bettors will find all types of core MLB betting markets such for futures and individual games. Moneyline bets, and total runs over/under bets, and a host of others are listed for each night’s slate. You can also put together parlays of all sizes with consistent odds boosts offered in the promo section.

Speaking of promos, FanDuel is at the top for daily MLB bonuses. Dinger Tuesday has swept the betting nation and remains one of the more engaged promos around. Bettors who enjoy predicting home run hitters receive a special boost every Tuesday in the MLB. Opt in to the Dinger Tuesday promo and you’ll receive $5 for every home run hit in that player’s game by either team, up to $25.

Obviously, security will always be of the utmost importance to anyone looking to engage in online gambling. FanDuel has got you covered, with the highest level of app security possible, including the most trusted banking methods. Like all legal online PA sportsbooks, FanDuel is regulated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, meaning your money is backed by a state-run review board.

Lastly, FanDuel Sportsbook is usually one of the first betting sites to offer lines for the next day’s round of games. PA sports bettors looking for value can certainly find it among the competitive odds listed on FanDuel’s betting menu.

Welcome Bonus: FanDuel’s most recent MLB welcome bonus featured $150 in bonus bets to new players. After signing up for an account with the sportsbook, new users who placed their first bet of at least $10 on any MLB team’s moneyline, earned an extra $150 in bonus bets if their bet cashed successfully. 

Available States: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming

2. DraftKings Sportsbook

MLB Betting on DraftKings PA: As is the case with most sports, DraftKings and FanDuel enjoy their rivalry from atop the sportsbook rankings. Like its main competitor, DraftKings Sportsbook PA is a high-quality site for MLB betting. Users enjoy consistent bonuses and promos, in addition to a massive betting menu for every baseball slate.

While many other books offer the same core MLB bet types such as moneyline, run line, and over/under total bets, few can keep up with DraftKings when it comes to creative offerings. One example is the head-to-head markets available within the player props section of the app. Available for most games during the regular season and playoffs alike, PA sports bettors can pit two rival batters or pitchers against each other and select which player will outperform the other. Prop categories for head-to-head bets include stats like pitcher strikeouts or outs, and batter hits or home runs.

Welcome Bonus: The most recent welcome bonus for MLB betting provided new users on DraftKings with $200 in bonus bets once they placed their first wager of at least $5. The best part about this particular bonus is that it’s independent of the outcome of your bet. Many bonus offers like this one will usually require that a bet win or loses in order to qualify for the promotional funds.

Available States: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming

3. Caesars Sportsbook

MLB Betting on Caesars PA: Caesars sets the industry standard for sizable promotions across most sports and MLB betting is no different. In addition to one of the best loyalty programs in the sports betting and casino industry, Caesars will consistently offer top-notch odds boosts. These boosts are usually created for bets within specific games as opposed to an overarching MLB offer for any game.

MLB futures markets on Caesars are often listed at competitive prices that provide quality value to public bettors. Some of the most engaging odds markets are for individual awards and accolades. PA sports bettors have the option to bet on which pitcher will record the most strikeouts and home runs, as well as typical futures bets such as World Series champion or league MVP.

Welcome Bonus: Caesars is currently offering one of its most lucrative welcome bonus deals. New users who sign up for an account with Caesars can safely bet up to $1,000 on their first wager knowing even if it loses, Caesars will refund the full amount of their stake.

Available States: Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming

4. BetMGM Sportsbook

MLB Betting on BetMGM PA: Betting baseball with BetMGM PA is a great time for slightly more casual bettors. With the “Edit My Bet” option, sports bettors can actually make various edits to a parlay wager before all of the legs have been completed. That includes the popular cash out button that is available for certain bets throughout the season. New BetMGM bettors will also find a hefty welcome bonus throughout the calendar year, including around the start of the MLB season in March.

During the 162-game regular season, MLB bettors will find consistent odds boosts and bonuses when they lay action on available betting markets. Everything from straight bets to parlays and all of the available player props are held on BetMGM’s menu. During the offseason, the PA sportsbook holds a plethora of futures markets. That includes team futures such as the World Series champion, as well as individual futures like league MVP and the Cy Young awards.

Welcome Bonus: The most recent available new-user bonus on BetMGM’s site offered $200 in bonus bets. New players who signed up for an account with the sportsbook only needed to place a wager of at least $10 to earn the bonus funds, regardless of the outcome of the bet. While other sportsbooks offered higher amounts in bonus funds to their new players, most of those promos required the new user’s bet to lose in order to collect. The nice part about BetMGM’s offer is that the money is yours regardless of whether the bet wins or loses.

Available States: Arizona, Colorado, DC, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming

5. BetRivers Sportsbook

MLB Betting on BetRivers PA: BetRivers Sportsbook PA takes betting MLB as seriously as any other book out there. Nowhere else can baseball bettors find the amount of stats and info available to them right on a sportsbook’s betting site.

While the book itself is relatively sharp with its lines and odds, it’s still a great place for bettors of all levels to find great value. BetRivers will often have MLB bets available earlier than most other books. It will also contain betting markets not found in many other places, especially for player props. PA sports bettors will often see odds for a pitcher’s outs or strikeouts when other sportsbooks may be scared to post them.

In short, all MLB bettors in Pennsylvania should hold a BetRivers sportsbook account if they’re serious about betting baseball.

Welcome Bonus: Before the end of the 2023 MLB season, BetRivers offered new users who signed up for an account up to $500 in 2nd chance bets. After completing their account registration, new players who placed a bet on any MLB game earned 100% of their lost wager back up to the $500 amount. It’s a pretty warm welcome for those new to betting with the long-time PA sportsbook.

Available States: Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia

Every PA sports bettor should take advantage of the wealth of available sportsbooks in the Keystone State. Having the ability to compare various prices between books is the one true advantage left to the sports bettor. Signing up for a new sportsbook account is pretty much an identical process regardless of the betting site. We put together the list of steps you can expect to see when signing up for a new sportsbook account ahead of the next MLB season.

1. Register Your Account

The first step will always be to find the Login/Create Account option. This icon will be prominently available on the homepage, most likely in the top right or left corner of your screen. Each sportsbook will ask for a few pieces of personal information, although certain sportsbooks may require a bit more verification than others. For example, certain books will require new players to verify their identity with an image that includes their current driver’s license. If you have a promo code, there will be an opportunity to enter it during this process.

2. Deposit Funds

Now that you have your account and username, you’re ready to add funds to your account. Each time you deposit money into your sportsbook wallet, you have the option to choose your preferred banking method. You can also save your information to avoid the need to re-enter it each time. Most transaction options don’t require you to pay a fee in order to add funds from your bank or credit card, however some do. Make sure you keep an eye out for these transaction fees to ensure you can prepare a banking method that won’t cost you money.

It’s possible that your new sportsbook will ask you to provide further verification of your identity, especially the first couple of times that you try to deposit. This is completely normal and after a few times of successfully proving who you are, the sportsbook will become a bit more lenient with its security.

3. Place A Wager

With money to stake now at your disposal, it’s time to find the betting markets. Most online sportsbook apps will allow you to search directly for the event of your choice. If there’s no search function, the homepage is a great place to start by clicking on the sports league of your choice, such as MLB. From here, you’ll find all of the live or upcoming games. Once you enter a specific game or event, the various bet types will appear, alongside the returned odds they off for a winning bet.

As soon as you select a bet that looks good, click on it to add it to your bet slip. On most sports betting sites and apps, your digital bet slip will appear automatically as soon as you select a bet. The same applies to all of your ensuing bets. 

This simple process is also the method for creating a parlay or teaser bet. Add multiple bets to your bet slip and the digital sportsbook will make clear whether or not the selected wagers are viable for a parlay. Keep in mind, sportsbooks won’t let you parlay every type of bet, so always manually add various bets to your slip in order to see whether or not they’re parlayable.

4. Withdrawals

Withdrawing your money is usually an easy process that doesn’t require too much effort on the bettor’s part. Simply connect the online banking method of your choice from the list of available options. Each option may offer a different processing period, meaning some take longer than others. The details for each transactional process should be very clear and upfront about how long the process for each method takes, so make sure to find out that information beforehand. The top options usually include online banking, credit/debit cards, and PayPal.

Not all sportsbooks are created equal and PA sports bettors should always make sure they’re playing with the best before jumping into MLB betting. It can be difficult to know what to look for when it comes to quality sportsbooks in the baseball wagering world, so we put together the key criteria. We highly recommend weighing your options using these important sportsbook characteristics.

1. Transparency & Authenticity

It’s understood that sportsbooks are in a money-making business. More specifically, they’re in the business of making money off of bettors on their site. However, that doesn’t mean it’s okay to lie or deceive PA sports bettors, and any attempt to do so should raise instant red flags for any bettor. We have full reviews of each sportsbook to help you navigate those choppy waters as well.

Still, keep an eye out for these few red flags, which are all clear signs of suspicious sportsbook behavior.

• Complex Promotions: If you consistently find that the MLB promos on a sportsbook are difficult to understand and seem like they don’t make a lot of sense, it’s probably a weak promo. Think about it this way: If the deal was worth it for the bettor, wouldn't the sportsbook prefer to convey that as effectively as possible? The only reason to muddy up the terms and conditions of a promo is to trick a bettor into thinking the promotion is worth their time.
• Weak Parlay Odds: Sportsbooks may try to promote pre-made parlay bets to their users as a means to incite more parlay bets. Before ever opting in to these parlay promos, always manually create the parlay yourself to ensure the promoted odds are in fact equal to the odds you’d receive if you place the parlay yourself.
• Low Bet Maximums: While PA sportsbooks offer weekly and even daily promos during the MLB season, they may also restrict the betting limits to a low amount. For example, some books will offer certain home run parlay promos throughout the season, bumping up the returned odds for winning. At the same time, however, bettors may find they can only bet up to $25 on these wagers, limiting the amount they’ll receive for cashing successfully.

2. Banking

Many of the top MLB sportsbooks offer the same banking methods, as those are the most popular among most bettors. However, as we previously stated, not all sportsbooks are created equal. Make sure that any sportsbook of interest contains the money transferring methods of your choice before depositing your money to gamble. What’s the point of winning if you can’t access your money?

3. Odds

Sportsbooks don’t maintain the exact same odds between sports throughout the year. Meaning it’s tough to gauge who has the best odds available without monitoring each book throughout the weeks of the MLB season. By constantly checking a sportsbook’s betting menu can you truly get a feel for the value of its offered odds. Remember, every cent counts towards long-term profitability, so a sportsbook’s odds menu is crucial to whether or not winning bettors will use its site.

4. Bonuses

With such a long season on the MLB calendar, there are ample opportunities to take advantage of the large amount of bonuses and odds boosts. MLB betting bonuses keep many bettors in the game as they are a great method for building a bankroll by increasing the positive margins of your wins. One great example of a recurring MLB promo is home run insurance. Some sportsbooks will offer creative bonuses and provide bonus bets just for betting on any player to hit a long ball.

5. Live betting

Despite the introduction of the pitch clock, MLB games often have a slower pace of play than sports that have a running game clock. As a result, sports bettors have more time to consider how they might place a live wager while the game is in play. With the introduction of online sports betting has come a large increase in live betting, especially among MLB bettors. In addition to the normal live markets such live moneyline or run line bets, there are even more specific bets like betting on the outcome of the next at-bat or inning, and even the next pitch.

6. Customer Support

Never underestimate the power of a quality and serviceable customer service team, especially in the world of legal sports betting. Mistakes can happen, even on the part of a high-functioning digital sportsbook. There may be times when a player wins a bet and it’s incorrectly counted as a loss. These are the moments that matter for a sportsbook’s credibility moving forward. If a player reaches out to customer support and is met with anything less than a cheerful desire to rectify the issue, that’s a problem. Make sure you never accept anything less than top-notch customer support!

7. Mobile

At the end of the day, the most important aspect of a good sports betting app or website is its functionality. An amazing welcome bonus and profitable odds boosts won’t matter if a bettor can’t access their account. Any sportsbook that wants to compete in the crowded sportsbook space needs to have an app that works for both iOS and Android devices and must be always on and working.

The 2023 MLB season offered a ton of exciting moments. From Shohei Ohtani’s remarkable feats as a pitcher and a batter, to the first-ever world series championship for the Texas Rangers, it was a fun ride for MLB fans and sports bettors.

As we look ahead to the 2024 campaign, there are a lot of questions still to be answered. Number one on everyone’s list will be the result of Ohtani’s offseason decision. The All-Star pitcher and batter is a free agent with the opportunity to sign what could be the biggest contract in baseball’s history.

In addition to Ohtani, there is a long list of quality starting pitchers on the market as well. Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray, Jordan Montgomery, Lucas Giolito and Jack Flaherty, are all expected to test the free agent waters, as is former Tigers ace, Eduardo Rodriguez. Teams in search of quality arms for their rotation will likely have plenty of competition this winter.

The Atlanta Braves began the offseason as favorites to win the World Series in 2024. Atlanta had a historical regular season on offense, but couldn’t maintain their hot hitting into the postseason, losing their playoff series to the Phillies for the second year in a row.

Take a look at the full list of MLB teams and their odds to win the 2024 World Series.

In the vibrant world of Pennsylvania sports betting, enthusiasts have an array of MLB (Major League Baseball) bets to elevate their game-day experience. From traditional moneyline wagers to exciting proposition bets and inning-specific predictions, the Keystone State offers a diverse range of options for baseball aficionados seeking both strategy and thrill in their betting pursuits.

• Moneyline: Betting the moneyline for either team in a MLB game simply means you are predicting the outright winner. It doesn’t matter what the final score is, as long as the team you’ve chosen wins. Note that the favored team will always return a smaller amount than the underdog for winning a moneyline bet.
• Run Line: In MLB betting, the run line is essentially the equivalent of the game’s spread. The most popular type of bet within MLB betting is a moneyline bet. However, PA sports bettors can also wager on a point differential between the two teams. The most common run line is -1.5, meaning the favorite team needs to win by 2 runs or more to cash any bets placed on its run line. In this case, the underdog can lose by one run or win outright to cash a run line bet.
• Run Totals: Betting an MLB total is the same as any other sport, the only difference being that the points are called runs. It works the same way in that bettors have the option to bet on whether they think there will be over or under the amount of runs listed as the run total. Run Totals are available for the combined final score, as well as each individual team’s run total prop.
• Prop Bets: Short for proposition bet, a prop bet is any bet type that doesn’t directly influence the final score of the game. These bets can be made for a specific player, an entire team, or the full game. For example, PA sports bettors can wager on the total number of hits in the game between both teams, one team’s hit total, or even one player’s hit total.
• No Run First Inning (NRFI): NRFI (pronounced “Nerfy”) wagers have become all the rage in MLB betting. The NRFI market is a binary bet on whether or not there will be any runs scored by either team in the first inning. While NRFI bets have become incredibly popular, there is always the option to bet on a Yes Run First Inning (YRFI, pronounced “Yerfi”) as well. In this case, the bettor is wagering that one of the two teams will score a run in the first inning of the game.
• Total Bases: This bet considers how many bases a player claims by way of his hitting. If a batter hits a single, he has claimed one total base. A double is worth two, a triple three, and a home run is four bases. If a player’s total bases prop line is set at 2.5, he needs to accumulate some combination of 3 total bases for a bet on the over to cash. Total bases wagers are the same format as run totals, in that bettors have the option to bet on over or under the listed amount for the player of their choosing.

There are plenty of reasons to take on live betting around MLB games. As online sports betting continues to grow in users and popularity, live betting will continue to be a major part of MLB wagering. With opportunities to bet on markets like “outcome of next at-bat” and “will a team’s pitcher allow a run next inning?” are all fun ways to partake in live MLB betting. We compiled the list below with the benefits of betting MLB games as they’re in play.

Level Playing Field

One of the main perks to live betting MLB is the level playing field between the sportsbooks and bettors. Pregame betting allows the sportsbooks ample time to acquire new information that bettors may not have. This allows the books to hold a major advantage over bettors who are less informed. However, once a game is in play, there is less time to accumulate helpful info  before the next play.

This lack of information on both sides between the player and the sportsbook strips the books of their consistent info advantage over most players. As the odds shift throughout the game, bettors can take advantage of them and make informed decisions based on how things play out.

Good Chance To Hedge Your Bets

Live betting is a great opportunity to engage in hedging when needed. Hedging is a tactic for bettors to try and recoup their losses from a bet that is still in play, but doesn’t seem destined for victory. For example, let’s say before the start of a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates, you place a $100 wager on the Phillies to win. However, a few innings into the game, the Phillies’ starting pitcher exits early with a blister on his finger. You no longer have confidence in the Phillies to win, as the main reason for making that bet in the first place was due to your confidence in that pitcher to dominate the game.

In order to avoid losing your entire stake on the Phillies, you can hedge your bets by playing the Pirates’ live moneyline odds. While you probably won’t win money, you will at least come out around even, which is better than simply losing 100% of your initial wager.

Form A Live Betting Plan

Sportsbooks may find their advantage over bettors slightly neutralized during live betting moments, but it’s always good to have a plan. In-game betting is dynamic and can be somewhat unpredictable, but you’ll always benefit from coming ready with a predetermined strategy. For example, maybe you think one MLB team is likely going to score runs early, but has a notoriously bad bullpen. By watching the game and seeing if your projections hold correct, you can get a great price on the live moneyline odds for the team that gives up the early lead.

The MLB offseason and winter transactions schedule both provide plenty of entertainment when there is a quality list of free agents and trade movement. This year’s class of free agents has a powerful group of players who may all end up on new teams before the start of next year’s regular season.

Not only will MLB fans and bettors be glued to player movement news, there are also plenty of other events whet the appetite. Let’s take a look at a few key moments on the MLB calendar of events for 2024.

Top MLB Free Agent Storylines 2024

Angels pitcher and batter sensation Shohei Ohtani will consume headlines throughout the MLB offseason. Once he chooses his next destination, that story will then dominate headlines as well.

Hung up in the web of storylines and gossip surrounding Ohtani’s future is his recent elbow surgery, which will cause him to miss the entire 2024 season as a pitcher. He has said he is determined to return in 2025 as a pitcher, but it’s always possible he hangs up his pitcher’s mitt in exchange for that of an outfielder.

He can still swing a bat though, and will be available for the batting order of whichever team is able to acquire him. The 2023 AL MVP will likely earn more on his next contract than Yankees slugging outfielder Aaron Judge, who signed a nine-year, $360 million deal in December of 2022. Ohtani is expected to receive at least 10 years and $500 million, although depending on the status of his arm’s health, that number could jump up significantly.

A few of the more lucrative franchises in MLB are top candidates to win the race to land Ohtani. The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants are all heavily involved in potential negotiations with the MVP’s agents, although there’s always the possibility for a fourth suitor to enter the picture.

Nothing will dominate the headlines in the coming weeks and months like Shohei Ohtani's free agency, which was complicated slightly by the elbow injury that forced him to undergo the second UCL surgery of his career. Ohtani won’t be able to pitch until 2025, but the presumptive American League Most Valuable Player could probably surpass Aaron Judge's nine-year, $360 million deal if he never throws another pitch. The floor for Ohtani’s contract is widely believed to be 10 years and $500 million, with some creative caveats based on when he returns to the mound. The Dodgers, Mets and Giants are viewed as the favorites to land Ohtani, though a mystery team or two could certainly enter the fray, as well.

In addition to everyone’s top free agent choice, there are a bevy of other starting pitchers looking for new teams in 2024. NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell will be available after a stellar season with the San Diego Padres. Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola is also on the open market after another incredible string of postseason starts for Philadelphia. Also on the free agent list are Sonny Gray, Jordan Montgomery, Lucas Giolito, Jack Flaherty, and Eduardo Rodriguez.

There will also be a few superstar foreign players heading to America to test their mettle. Japanese pitchers Yamamoto and Imanaga could both be in line for contracts worth around $200 million. With a good portion of teams needing help with their starting pitching rotation, expect some massive deals to be made.

Spring Training & Preseason Baseball

Everything kicks off with pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training camp in February. The rest of the team shows up within a few weeks afterwards, but it’s important for the two most key components of the defense to get on the same page as early as possible.

Preseason action begins towards the end of the month and into March in the states of Florida and Arizona. PA sports bettors can bet on these preseason games on most Pennsylvania sportsbooks as soon as they get underway. Preseason MLB betting doesn’t offer the same number of betting markets as the regular season, especially when it comes to pitcher and batter props. However, all of the core bet types such as moneyline bets, run lines, and totals are all widely available.

As the preseason schedule starts to dwindle to the end, teams begin to trim their rosters in order to meet various deadlines enforced by MLB officials. Teams will continue to cut players until their rosters are finalized for the start of regular season games. 

Regular Season

The first week of April welcomes the first games that matter towards the regular season. The 162-game season lasts until the beginning of October before the start of the postseason.

MLB is divided between the American League and National League. Each team matches up against each other for at least a few series, with in-division opponents meeting 18 times. Opponents in the same league but not the same division face each other at least nine teams each year.

Playoffs

The winner of each division is automatically awarded a bid into the playoffs, while three other teams make up the Wild Card. Six teams from each league make the playoffs in total, with the top two seeds from each league receiving automatic bids into the second round.

The third division winner with the lowest win total takes on the bottom-seeded wild card team in a best-of-three series. All games are played at the top team’s park. The two winning teams from each league’s Wild Card round are then re-shuffled so that the lowest remaining seed in each league plays the over No. 1 seed in the League Divisional Series.

The LDS is a best-of-five series, meaning the first team to win three games advances to the next round. Following that is the League Championship Series, which is a best-of-seven series and requires four wins to advance to the World Series. The World Series is also a best-of-seven series.

MLB postseason betting is a bit different from wagering during the regular season. Teams are playing for their seasons, meaning they won’t allow a starting pitcher to stay out long enough to give up that many runs. There are plenty of other strategies to keep in mind, which we lay out for you a few sections below.

There are two major league teams that call Pennsylvania home. The Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates both play in the National League, the Phillies in the NL East, and the Pirates the NL Central. Both franchises have been around for decades and have enjoyed periodic success throughout their history. Of course, it’s been a lot longer since the Pirates have been considered a top-tier team.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies’ 2023 season has to be considered a success, even if it ended slightly earlier than most probably came to expect. Philly looked ripe to make it back to the World Series for a second year in a row before the Arizona Diamondbacks beat them in surprising fashion in the NLCS. Still, Phillies’ fans will appreciate that their team knocked the division rival Atlanta Braves out of the playoffs for the second straight season.

Bryce Harper led the Phillies’ offense once again, with a batting average of .293 and an on base percentage of .401. Kyle Schwarber was the team’s best home run hitter, slugging 47 deep shots in 585 at bats.

Phillies 2024 Offseason Projections

Secondary ace pitcher Aaron Nola is a free agent this offseason, although he could choose to re-sign with the team. General Manager Dave Dombrowski has made clear Nola is their top priority in free agency, but if they are unable to retain him, they’ll switch focus to a different high-level starting arm. Zach Wheeler has proven he’s capable of leading a pitching staff to the World Series as its top ace, but he’s also had Nola alongside him for the entirety of his postseason success in Philadelphia.

Phillies’ management has a few other decisions to make when it comes to re-signing existing talent on the roster. Only one player has an option to re-sign with the team for next season, infielder Scott Kingery. The second-round draft pick is now 29 years old and can be bought out for just $1 million, as opposed to the $13 million it would cost to keep him.

Pittsburgh Pirates

It was another tough year of finishing at or near the bottom of the NL Central for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023. The team saw great success at the beginning of the season, leading the division as far as 30 games into the season. It wasn’t meant to last, however, as the team went on to lose 12 of 15 games at the beginning of May and never retained their foothold in the standings.

Youngsters like Brian Reynolds, Jack Suwinski and Ke’Bryan Hayes all had decent seasons for the Pirates. Pittsburgh’s future stability will rely heavily on the front office to finally retain its young talent. Up until now, few other rosters have seen as much turnover as Pittsburgh’s does year over year.

Pittsburgh Pirates Offseason Projections

Like most offseasons, Pittsburgh is not expected to enter the offseason with major expectations to spend money on new all-star level talent. Still, GM Ben Cherington could make a few solid plays to shore up the team’s depth with major-league quality players.

The Pirates do have a few prospects worth keeping, such as catcher Endy Rodridguez and infielder Maikol Escotto. They’ll likely need to let a few veterans go, however, such as pitcher Mitch Keller, who will likely get picked up elsewhere. Other tenured players like Miguel Andujar and JT Brubaker will go through arbitration this offseason. Both will have the chance to negotiate new salaries with the team, or part ways if an agreement can’t be reached.

MLB betting is a much different beast than sports like the NFL or NBA. Each night of the baseball season brings a packed slate full of games with hundreds of betting markets. It’s important to avoid spreading your bankroll too thinly among all the available bet types presented on a nightly basis for a full six months.

We put together the most important factors to consider when building out your betting strategy for Major League Baseball. Remember, these are just guidelines to get you started. No matter what, it’s crucial to follow along throughout the season to monitor how teams are doing and the key storylines that prevail.

Finding the Best MLB Lines in Pennsylvania: Shopping Tips

The main difference between MLB betting and most other sports is time. Sportsbooks churn out game lines, run lines, totals and props for every matchup which is pretty much every day of the week until the end of October. It’s a grind to handicap that many events every single day, even for the giant sportsbooks across the U.S. As a result, there will usually be discrepancies between legal online sportsbooks every single day there is MLB action.

Always make sure to check the various offerings on each PA sportsbook menu. Doing this as effectively as possible requires bettors to have as many accounts as possible. Remember, almost every sportsbook allows players to deposit and withdraw money without fees. Just because you have a sportsbook account, doesn’t mean you need to put money into it until you’re ready to wager. In short, there’s no downside to having multiple accounts. Only the upside of ensuring you get the best possible price on every bet.

Start With The Pitching Matchup

Pitchers are the most important players to their team, as well as to sports bettors. It’s vital to know who’s pitching before ever laying a wager on any baseball bet and there are no exceptions to that rule. It’s also the only sport where there is a new most important player for every single game, as pitchers only appear once in every five to six games for their teams. That constant change requires a constant level of vigilance and lineup monitoring.

Within that, always understand which arm each pitcher uses to throw. There is usually a statistical advantage for pitchers who have the same dominant hand as the batter they’re facing. Meaning, a left-handed pitcher will usually have an edge over a lefty batter.

Recent Performance

A long season like baseball contains fluctuating waves of success for most teams. Most teams will go through streaks of good and bad hitting or pitching and a lot can be gained by understanding how a team has recently performed.

Play To Your Strengths

MLB betting offers a huge variety of bets and bet types. It’s okay to be “boring” in the sense that you repeatedly play the same or similar markets. By sticking to the same types of bets with consistency, bettors become familiar with it and can better take advantage of it moving forward. There are a couple of reasons that this holds true.

For starters, it’s easier to spot trends and or market inefficiencies when you’re constantly monitoring a specific betting market. Let’s use pitcher strikeouts as an example. If a bettor consistently bets on various pitcher strikeout props, they’re constantly checking box scores for various pitchers’ strikeout numbers. Moving forward, those numbers will be stuck in their head and easily retrievable for when they want to make their next bet.

The benefit of being able to better remember recent statistics will also hold true for recent lines and odds. It’s not only important to remain aware of recent player stats, but also recent lines that the sportsbooks are setting. For example, let’s say Zach Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies opens the season with a strikeout prop line of 6.5. He proceeds to throw eight strikeouts in game one and crashes all the bets on the over. He then tosses at least seven strikeouts for the next five games in a row. By the fourth or fifth game of the season, after multiple games in a row with at least seven strikeouts, the books will move his prop line up to 7.5 or even higher.

By knowing the recent history of Wheeler’s projected strikeout total, you will easily be able to spot a suspiciously high number. When that happens, you are ready to bet the under.

There are plenty of potential pitfalls when beginning your baseball betting journey. Thankfully, plenty of experienced bettors have come before you and can help you avoid making the same mistakes. Here are the two biggest traps to avoid to ensure you don’t get yourself into trouble by losing too often while betting on sports.

1. Don’t Try To Win It All Back Right Away

If you ever sports gamble with any consistency, there’s no way to avoid a losing night. It happens to the best of us. It’s important to avoid chasing those losses by immediately turning around making more bets in an attempt to make up for them. Chasing your losses is a surefire way to end up in a gambling hole, which often leads to the need for outside help. When a night of betting on sports doesn’t go your way, just sit back and relax. There will be more chances to win it back with solid strategy and preparation.

2. Don’t Bet Without Info

As previously mentioned, the most important piece of information for any baseball game is the pitching matchup. However, there are also plenty of other factors that impact the outcome of a game. Make sure you know which players are in and out of the lineup, the pitcher vs. batter matchup history, and any other statistics you deem important as you create your projections.

While we don’t yet know the key dates for the 2024 MLB season, there is always plenty to look forward to. We put together a list of the key events we can rely on for next season.

• Opening Day: For MLB fans across the country, the opening day of baseball is a holiday that often results in a day off of work. It’s also one of the only days of the year where every team plays.
• All Star Week: It’s not just about the All Star Game in baseball anymore. Fans have come to love and appreciate the Home Run Derby and all of the various events that take place leading up to the mid-summer classic.
• Wild Card Round: The opening round of the MLB Playoffs is unmatched by any other sport. It’s the lone remaining postseason round that hosts a best-of-three series.
• World Series: One of the most pronounced changes to the MLB season in 2023 was the introduction of the pitch clock. However, when we reached the World Series, the pitch clock was extended and teams had more time. It made the beauty and suspense of the World Series even more palpable.

MLB is certainly a regional sport when it comes to your viewing experience. There are a few different ways to watch teams who are outside of your television region online, but the only way to get every single game is to purchase the ML season package through the MLB app.

A few sportsbook apps such as FanDuel and DraftKings have deals with MLB that allow them to livestream select games as well. That doesn’t apply to every game, however, and you should check the sportsbook’s live stream schedule to see which games will be made available.

Yes, PA residents can bet on most sports played across the world, including Major League Baseball. Pennsylvania was an early adopter of legal sports betting, opening the way for online sportsbooks to enter the state in 2018.