The Braves entered 2024 with the second-best World Series odds, and it now appears that the wheels are falling off in Atlanta.
Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered an ACL tear Sunday in non-contact injury that will sideline him for the rest of the season and seismically shifts the National League landscape.
Prior to the injury, the Braves were +425 to win the World Series, according to BetMGM, but have fallen off massively, dropping to +800 odds to win the illustrious last game of the season.
Their chances of winning the NL East also dropped dramatically, from near pick ’em status down to +160, as the Phillies continue their torrid stretch where they have opened up a six-game lead in the division.
Philadelphia (38-16) has the league’s best winning percentage, grabbing a six-game lead on the Braves (30-20) entering Memorial Day.
But the loss of Acuna seriously downgrades Atlanta’s hope for a few big wins come October — and at least raises questions about whether Atlanta can even reach the postseason.
The Braves opened the season at -3000 to make the playoffs and are sitting at an impressive -10000 on FanDuel even after the injury, with the best odds to fade them to make the playoffs being 22/1 at DraftKings.
Braves future odds
| Market | Odds | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| World Series | +800 | 4/30 |
| National League | +400 | 3/30 |
| NL East | +160 | 2/5 |
But it’s tough to fade the Braves to make the playoffs even without Acuna, as baseball has expanded the playoffs to the point that the Mets are still just four games back of the third and final wild-card spot despite being eight games under .500.
Losing Acuna is a brutal blow for a Braves team with grand aspirations, with Acuna Jr. winning his first MVP last year to help Atlanta grab the NL’s No. 1 seed.
He had been off to a slow start this year, though, hitting just four homers with a .250/.351/.365 slash line, a far cry from last year’s .337/.416/.596 numbers.
The fact that the Braves are 10 games over despite Acuna’s slow start, losing Spencer Strider for the season after two starts and catcher Sean Murphy being sidelined for all but one game entering Monday is nothing short of impressive and shows just how deep they are organizationally.
But now it’s a different animal for the Braves to pull this off without their best player.
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The Phillies could’ve been had at -135 on Bet365 after the injury to win the NL East, but that has ballooned massively to -190.
That’s not the worst bet considering all the Braves have to deal with now as their team completely changes.
PICK: Phillies win NL East (-190, FanDuel)
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