The Toronto Blue Jays have announced that 10 of their arbitration-eligible players signed one-year contracts on the same day.
That included MVP-finalist Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($7.9 million), OF Teoscar Hernandez ($10.65 million), infielder Cavan Biggio ($2.1125 million) and catcher Danny Jansen ($1.95 million). The Jays also announced that newly acquired 3B Matt Chapman inked a two-year, $25 million deal.
So sunny days in these parts. You don’t hear that in MLB camps very often. Normally there are at least a handful of contract squabbles that mark every spring training. But this is an optimistic year in Jays land.
Top down, with this lineup, they are the favorites to win the American League East. Maybe go further. Some commentators have their starting five — Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Alek Manoah, Hyun Jin Ryu, Yusei Kikuchi — as the best in baseball. And we all know — led by Guerrero Jr., George Springer, Bo Bichette, and others — that they can hit a ton.
World Series Winner Odds
| ⭐ Los Angeles Dodgers | +500 |
| ⭐ New York Yankees | +900 |
| ⭐ Houston Astros | +950 |
| ⭐ Toronto Blue Jays | +1000 |
| ⭐ New York Mets | +1000 |
*Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook Ontario
Jays Should Dominate MLB Wagering
It's tough to project exactly where Ontario sports betting interest in the Jays is going to go when the season opens for real (April 8 at home against the Texas Rangers), but the excitement the Jays are generating now suggests that interest is going to jump measurably.
According to a spokesperson from the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corp.: “The Blue Jays competitiveness will be a giant factor this year. Leafs and Raptors regularly dominate wagering for us in their respective sports, and we expect the Jays to be no different.”
The full and regulated Ontario iGaming market is scheduled to launch on April 4, just days before the Jays’ season opener.
Big Jays Interest Last Year
Of the 10 highest-bet regular season series last year, the Jays were involved in the top eight. Keep in mind that there was only one full month of regular season baseball betting last year, shortly after PROLINE+ was launched in August 2021.
Still, meaningful games and series have a huge impact on sports betting. The Jays’ final three series of the season, when they were fighting for a playoff spot, did the highest betting in the regular season for PROLINE+. What we’re saying is with how this team is currently stacked there will be quite a few meaningful series this upcoming season.
“While Major League Baseball may not have the overall popularity of NFL, NBA or NHL in Ontario, it may well come close to surpassing them in wagering due to the sheer number of games as well as the lull in other sports during the summer months,” the OLG spokesperson said.
And you need to look no further than the futures market to feel the buzz and see that Ontario bettors are jumping aboard: The PROLINE MLB Championship Futures market is showing more money bet on the Blue Jays to win the title than on all the other teams combined, including their usual nemesis, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. They also easily lead the American League as well as the American League East Futures markets.
