⚾ American League East Baseball Betting Preview: Are Yankees Best Bet as Favorites?

The American League East: baseball's most fearsome and iconic division, featuring storied franchises like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. The Toronto Blue Jays tried to add their name to that group last season, but they stumbled at the final hurdle. Will they get redemption this year?

As we enter the 2026 season, the division is about as tight as it's ever been, which I discussed in my Red Sox predictions and AL East picks. Let's take a deeper dive into the American League East picks and predictions, with the best sports betting sites fully understanding the importance of sharp pricing due to the division's popularity.

🔢 AL East odds

Only the Rays are being "priced out" of the division, with their shortest odds at FanDuel implying just a 4.76% of winning it. However, at Caesars, where the race is the tightest of these three best sports betting apps, the Yankees have a 35.71% probability of winning while the fourth-biggest favorite, the Orioles, aren't far behind at 19.05%. 

The AL East is the only division in the league with four teams priced at odds shorter than +500 to win. And you can't even ignore the Rays, as they are tied for having the the shortest odds among any of the biggest underdogs at DraftKings.

I mentioned in my look at the Red Sox that they offer the highest floor of the bunch due to their balance of pitching and hitting, but with the way this is being priced, you may want to instead bet on the team with the highest ceiling. 

🏆 AL East picks: Should you bet on Yankees as favorites?

I'm not saying the Yankees will live up to their sky-high potential - I actually took their Under in my look at the MLB projected win totals and Over/Under wins odds - but there's a world in which this team gets and stays healthy, and leads MLB in wins.

You know about the lineup, led by two-time reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, who's supported by fellow past MVP Cody Bellinger, contract-year Jazz Chisholm, rising star Ben Rice, a resurgent Trent Grisham, and the ultimate mystery box, Giancarlo Stanton. That No. 1 through 6 is as good as it gets when healthy. And as I discussed in my MLB awards long-shot bets, Spencer Jones could be him. 

But that's not even the part of this team that scares me the most as a Red Sox fan. The rotation could be truly special:

Now, "could return" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there, as Cole and Rodon could both also be sidelined for half the season.

If that's the case, you're asking a lot from a bunch of young starters. Therefore, the Yankees may profile better as a World Series bet (their best World Series odds are +1100) as they should have that full rotation by the time the postseason rolls around, barring additional injuries. Perhaps let's look elsewhere then when it comes to the AL East winner?

🧐 AL East picks: Other contenders

I talked about some of the red flags I see with the Blue Jays in my World Series odds and value picks, and though I'm worried that Addison Barger and Ernie Clement could turn back into pumpkins, I can't deny that the additions of Dylan Cease and Kazuma Okamoto make this team pretty dangerous.

I already mentioned the balance that the Red Sox have, which can certainly help over the course of a 162-game season. But I kind of prefer that profile more for a playoff series. A trio of potential front-line starters and depth in the lineup plays better when the margin for error is smaller.

The Orioles are super exciting this year, and look like a very interesting bet as the fourth-biggest favorites with odds of +450. Pete Alonso, whom I featured in my MLB home run leader odds and picks, will transform this offense, but the rotation still leaves a bit to be desired.

That brings me to the Rays, who are already one of my favorite Overs for my MLB win totals picks, and I actually think they are the "best bet" here based purely on numbers. Let's break that down:

I'm not telling you to go smash this for a full unit, but it could be worth a 0.1-unit bet, and you'd still win three units in the unlikely case that the Rays shock the division.

💰 AL East picks: Bets I've made on this division