St. Louis Cardinals Odds: Three Bets To Lock In Before Opening Day
The St. Louis Cardinals are on the precipice of kicking off the 2023 season and expectations are high.
With the Cardinals in line to make their mark in a light division, there are many ways to cash in on the team's success.
Here are the best bets to lock in before Thursday's Opening Day matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays:
All odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Cardinals to win National League Central (-125)
As I just alluded to, the Cardinals will not have to battle much adversity in a tame NL Central.
The Milwaukee Brewers present a threat but their lineup is nothing to be scared of and the pitching staff could undergo some turnover in short order.
Between last season's trade of Josh Hader despite being in playoff contention and the nightmare of an arbitration hearing this spring training, it would not be shocking to see Cy-Young Winner Corbin Burnes traded by the deadline. He's in a contract year and the Brewers likely do not have the capital to sign him long-term.
The Chicago Cubs made some notable additions and certainly are on the rise but are still trailing the Cardinals in terms of overall talent. We don't even need to get into why the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds will not contend.
Cardinals Regular Season Wins, Over 88.5 (-120)
The Cardinals won 93 games last season and are even better on paper heading into 2023.
The roster has plenty of star power and should see some increased production from a core of young players that gained another year of experience. Left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery will make an impact in his first full season with the club as will recently acquired catcher Willson Contreras. Don't discount right-hander Jack Flaherty heading into the season healthy either.
If you believe in either of the last two bets, it would be wise to sprinkle some money onto the Cardinals to make playoffs at -235 as well.
Nolan Arenado Regular Season Total Home Runs, Over 28.5 (-105)
The 31-year-old slugger has a sustained track record of mashing home runs. Not only has Arenado hit this over in both seasons (34, 30 respectively) as a member of the Cardinals but he's exceeded the mark seven seasons in a row (minus the 2020 shortened season). In that span, he's led the NL in home runs three times.
Arenado also is one of the most durable players in Major League Baseball, making this bet appear too good to be true.
More MLB: Introducing FanNation's Inside The Cardinals: Sports Illustrated's Newest Page
