2015 MLB odds: Pittsburgh Pirates in middle of the pack

Whether you’re the gambling type or not, seeing Vegas’s odds for a new baseball season is always intriguing. For years Pittsburgh Pirates fans would start from the bottom of the odds and not have too far to read upwards before finding their team. After back to back playoff trips, Pirate fans can feel comfortable starting from the top of the list now.

There are dozens of MLB odds makers on the Internet and hundreds of sports books around the world that will give you differing opinions, but largely they give you the same feel for the team’s hopes. We definitely expect changes before opening day, but for now here’s what the wonderful world of probability thinks about your Buccos championship odds this year.

That puts the Pirates in a tie for being the 16th most likely team to win the 2015 World Series. The Philadelphia Phillies bring up the rear at an incredible 300/1 chance, the Diamondbacks and Rockies are directly above them at 120/1.

In terms of the NL Pennant, the Pirates are in a tie for eighth with the Marlins at 12/1. Despite that the Pirates are expected to finish third in the division behind the Cardinals (6/1 for the pennant) and the Cubs (8/1 for the pennant). A few other sites that I’ve seen have the Pirates lower, around 30/1 odds. For the full odds from Vegas Insider, click here.

It’s always going to be tough for the Pittsburgh Pirates to crack the top of a list like this with their annually small payroll, but a 25/1 shot at being world champions is as good as we’ve seen in long, long time.

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