If you’re a fan of the Pirates and betting on specific team or player futures then this might just be the season for you. Online betting didn’t really exist in the way it does today back in 2015 when the Pirates odds would prove profitable, but this is some of the best Pirates players’ future odds that I’ve seen in a decade or so of online sports betting. Let’s dive into some of the odds and bets that you could make on the team this season and I’ll show you what wild ones I already booked for myself.
Let’s start with the odds to win the World Series in 2026, because why the heck not? FanDuel has the Bucs at +6000 or 60-1 to win the World Series. Their odds have definitely improved which will be a theme on this post today because just two years ago in 2024, the Pirates were 120-1 just prior to the season. If you’re feeling a Buc’n October coming and want to wager on the Pirates to win it all, please make sure to shop around. There are numerous sportsbook available to Pennsylvania residents and believe it or not, you can get much better prices sometimes at a different book. Case in point—The Pirates are 75-1 to win the WS at BetRivers and at Caesars Sportsbook they’re 100-1! ALWAYS shop around for the best number.
Then there’s these World Series exactas where you pick two teams for the result in the Fall Classic. Like the Pirates will defeat the Mariners in the WS and the odds get wild with this one because of the unlikelihood of it happening. But it’s fine to throw a couple bucks on from time to time. Like this one that I did…
Yeah, that’s a “Pirates to beat the Tigers” World Series exact result ticket. Twenty bucks to win $50,020. Can you imagine? Hey, maybe the Pirates and Tigers both make the playoffs and I’ll get a little decent cashout option, who knows.
Okay, let’s take a look at more likely bets to win. Here’s the O/U’s (over/unders) of every team in the NL Central in order their O/U number courtesy of FanDuel(again there may be better numbers overall so shop around):
Cubs 88.5 (-118/-104)
Brewers 84.5 (-118/-104)
Reds 80.5 (-106/-114)
Pirates 78.5 (-115/-105)
Cardinals 69.5 (-114/-106)
The Pirates have the fourth best over/under win total in the division just two games behind the Reds. They are juiced to the over though at -115 while the Reds are juiced toward the under. If you think the Pirates rotation is going to be as good as we believe their potential can be and you think Oneil Cruz is going to fully break out and Bryan Reynolds will bounce back in a big way, it’s hard to not see this number and go over. I didn’t do that myself, I just think there’s better value bets on the board and betting the Pirates win total over and then watching them implode all season (if it happens) is not how I want to spend my summer. But FanGraphs does have the Pirates projected for a record of 84-78 so looking at that, over 78.5 does look like decent value.
Also, the Cardinals being at 69.5 win total, nearly 10 below the Pirates is wild to me. We obviously grew up in a time where the Cards always find a way to finish ahead of the Pirates. I’m hoping that’s not the case this year, but are the Cards really going to be that bad this season? One bet I did make in division was taking the Brewers under. Yes, I know this team also always seems to find a way to overachieve their expectations but I’m calling for it to end this season. I think the Cubs will be good, Pirates and Reds should be improved and someone has to regress in that scenario so let’s hope it’s the Brew Crew.
Here are odds to win the NL Central:
Cubs +110
Brewers +230
Reds +500
Pirates +550
Cardinals +3000
Again, it’s so foreign to me to see the Cards odds as the worst and such a far gap between them and the Pirates. I didn’t bet any of these as I think the Pirates best shot at the playoffs this season is via the wildcard spots, but if you want to tell yourself a story that this is the year coming up then you could do worse than +550 to win the division.
Let’s get into some of the players’ future odds as this is where you start seeing a couple Pirates players high on these lists. First one up is the NL Cy Young award. The defending winner Paul Skenes is a resounding favorite:
Skenes +240
Yamamoto +500
Sanchez +650
Sale +900
Wheeler and Webb +1800
Ohtani and Peralta +2000
Not much value on Skenes obviously as the favorite, but if he comes out and has a sub 2.00 ERA after four or five starts by the end of April, these odds will shift quickly making him an even bigger favorite. Bubba Chandler is the only other Pirates pitcher listed in this market on FanDuel at 125-1. Instead of this category, I was interested in Skenes for NL MVP. He’s currently 35-1 to win the MVP. Look, if you think the Pirates team will hit and just be an average offense, we’ve all seen the record Skenes would have had if the team just scored four runs for him. If the Pirates are going to be good this year, they will need to hit and if they hit and Skenes stays healthy, a 20-win season is absolutely a possibility for him. And 20 wins with a sub 2.00 ERA for a team flirting with a playoff race—that can get you in the MVP talks. When Justin Verlander won his MVP in 2011, he was 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA. Skenes has had a half run less of an ERA for the past two seasons. Clayton Kershaw won MVP in 2014 with a 21-3 record and 1.77 ERA. It’s possible folks and at 35-1, I think it’s a decent dart to throw.
The other Buccos listed for NL MVP are:
Oneil Cruz 125-1
Konnor Griffin(!) 150-1
Ryan O’Hearn 200-1
Look at O’Hearn making this market! And Griffin’s main market in the Rookie of the Year (coming up shortly), but he makes an appearance in MVP at a longshot price. Cruz probably has some value at those odds if he completely breaks out, goes nuclear and has a 40-40 season.
NL Rookie of the Year has a new favorite with the news that Griffin didn’t make the Pirates to start the season. Mets young starter Nolan McLean is now the favorite with Konnor just behind him.
Nolan McLean +280
Konnor Griffin +400
JJ Wetherholt +550
Sal Stewart +700
Bubba Chandler +2000
Carson Benge +2200
Hunter Barco shows up on this list as well at +5000 and even The Password Jhostynxon Garcia is on it at +7000. I feel like betting Bubba at 20-1 makes more sense here than Griffin but I could be wrong about that. Both may end up having great seasons, it’s just that Griffin will be a little behind depending on when he gets called up.
If you’re like me and think the way the Pirates get into the playoffs is through one of the wildcard spots, well there’s a market for that to just make the playoffs. The Pirates are +225 at BetRivers. If you think the Pirates have no shot at making the playoffs, well you can bet that too but you have to lay over 3-1 with the odds being -315.
Overall at least so far, I’ve made four bets on MLB futures this season. The Pirates/Tigers WS exacta, the Brewers under win total, Paul Skenes to win MVP and my last one is a doozy. Just in case we have a special season to remember, I went for it here…
The Pirates to have the most regular season wins, 100 bucks to win 45K. Yes I know the Dodgers still exist. It’s a pipe dream for sure, but if there was a year to do it with this team to date, this is it. And again, this bet doesn’t have to win to get paid. Maybe the Pirates came out of the gate hot and put together a great first half and the book offers me an enticing cash out. I’m not above taking it. Let me dream a little!
Well there’s my look at the Pirates future bets and over/under’s for the 2026 season. Remember to gamble responsibly, don’t go crazy and if you want to toss a few extra bucks on the Buccos this season, there’s a lot of ways to do it. Let me know any bets you made on the Bucs this season in the comments or message me on Twitter. Good luck out there and let’s go Bucs.
Leave a Reply