MLB Betting Odds & Lines - Bet on Major League Baseball 2025 Online

Major League Baseball - MLB - is the oldest professional sports league in the world. That makes because baseball is a global game with MLB being the highest level of competition. No matter where they’re born, the biggest baseball stars in the world ultimately find their way to MLB with the hope of one day winning the World Series.

Stake Sportsbook is the ideal platform for MLB betting, as well as baseball betting of all kinds. There is no shortage of betting markets or leagues available at Stake, including pro baseball in Japan , the KBO in South Korea, the CPBL in Chinese Taipei, and the Mexican League . There are also other baseball leagues in the U.S. such as college baseball and the minor leagues.

Of course, MLB is the highest level of baseball in the world and the most popular league. Therefore, it should be a key focal point for baseball fans and bettors. Naturally, making wagers on sports requires a betting guide so you know everything to expect before you start making bets. That’s why we put together a guide with everything you need to know about the 2025 MLB season.

For more expert picks and betting tips, check out our MLB picks and predictions for 2025 !

What is Major League Baseball?

MLB is the highest level of professional baseball in the world. The league currently consists of 30 teams - 29 in the United States and one in Canada. Every year, the 30 teams compete to win the World Series , which is the MLB championship series.

History of the MLB

Professional baseball in the United States dates back to 1869 when the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first pro team. The first pro franchise was ultimately followed by multiple professional leagues, most notably the National League, which was founded in 1876, and the American League, which was founded in 1901. In 1903, those two leagues signed an agreement, creating Major League Baseball. More than 120 years later, MLB remains the oldest and most preeminent baseball league in the world.

MLB Divisions & Leagues

There are 30 MLB teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL). Both leagues have 3 divisions - East, Central, and West - that have five teams each, giving MLB 6 divisions. Each team plays a significant amount of its schedule each year against teams in the same division. However, the current MLB schedule dictates that every team plays at least one series against every other team.

In MLB history, the New York Yankees have won the most World Series championships with 27. The St. Louis Cardinals are the next closest with 11 championships.

Here is a list of the teams in the American League:

Here is a list of the teams in the National League:

Format & Schedule of the MLB 2025 Season

Every MLB team will play 162 games during the 2025 season. Each team will play 13 games against the other 4 teams in its division. Of the 10 other teams in their league, they will play 8 of those teams 6 times and play the other 2 teams 7 times. Meanwhile, each team will play 3 games against 14 teams from the opposite league, leaving one primary rival from the opposite league to play 6 times.

Before the start of the 2025 season, teams will participate in spring training , which is an exhibition season that helps teams prepare for the regular season. The 2025 MLB season will begin on March 18 with the first of two games in Tokyo between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. Every other team will open the season on March 28 with the final day of the regular season scheduled for September 28. In the middle of the season, there will be a short break for the MLB All-Star Game , which will take place on July 15, 2025, in Atlanta.

Following the season, the 3 division winners in each league and the top 3 non-division winners (wild cards) qualify for the postseason. The 2 best division winners in each league get a bye in the Wild Card Round, which is a best-of-3 series. The next phase is the Divisional Round, which is a best-of-5 series. The next round is the League Championship Series, which is a best-of-7 series. Finally, the winner of the American League and the National League meet in the World Series, which is also a best-of-7 series.

How to Bet on MLB & Baseball Bet Types

There are several ways to bet on the outcomes of MLB games, as well as events that take place within a baseball game. Here are some of the most popular betting markets you can find for baseball games:

Moneyline

The simplest way to bet on an MLB game is to place a moneyline bet . This is a bet on what team will win the game, although the payout is bigger if you bet on the underdog to win the game compared to the favoured team.

Runs

It’s also possible to bet on the total number of runs that will be scored in a baseball game. Baseball totals are provided before and during each game as an over/under bet. Bettors will place wagers on whether the total runs scored in a game will be over or under the number provided by Stake or another online sportsbook.

Player props

Prop bets are also popular with baseball bettors. There are several possible prop bets available, including whether a superstar slugger will hit a home run or how many hits he will have in a game. For pitchers like Blake Snell, it’s also possible to place bets on how many strikeouts he’ll have in a game, how many outs he’ll record, and how many hits or walks he will allow in a game. Player props are also a great way to build a parlay and combine multiple bets into a single bet.

Innings specific bets

The betting board for baseball also includes inning-specific bets. This is a bet on a specific action to take place in a certain inning. Among the most popular inning-specific bets is whether or not there will be a run scored by either team in the first inning.

Futures Betting

Futures bets are also popular before and during a baseball season. The most popular are baseball playoff odds related to what team will win the World Series. But there are also future bets available on World Series participants, division winners, and whether a team will make the postseason. There are regular-season odds for how many games a team will win during the season.

Live Stream the MLB & Live Baseball Betting

At Stake Sportsbook, it’s possible to live stream MLB games on the Stake platform. All that’s required is placing a bet on that game. Not only can you track your bets by watching a livestream of the game but it’s also easier to place live bets . After all, betting lines change based on the score and inning of the game. You may also enjoy placing bets on the result of the next at-bat if you are watching the game.

MLB Betting Odds & Payouts

MLB odds can vary significantly based on the type of bet. For example, a player prop for a particular player to get a hit will have much shorter odds than for a prop on that playing hitting a home run. Even the moneyline odds for a particular game can have a large disparity if one team is a significant favourite over the other. The best thing you can do is pay careful attention to the odds and the potential payout when evaluating if that’s a bet you wish to make or not.

MLB Betting Tips, Predictions & Strategies

Baseball bets are notoriously difficult because anything is possible. After all, even bad teams will win 60 games every year and even the best hitters will fail to get a hit 65-70% of the time. Therefore, betting on baseball requires a clear strategy.

First, always do your research. Carefully examine the stats of the players and teams you plan on including in your bets. Even data from previous seasons can prove useful. Next, make sure you check injuries and the starting lineup for a game before betting on it. There could be an injury you didn’t know about or a key player who is getting a day off, potentially changing how you wish to bet. Finally, you always want to consider factors like weather and home-field advantage.

Bet Bonuses, Promotions & Responsible Gambling

At Stake Sportsbook, we set a high bar for the platform we provide for our customers. One way we try to reach that bar is by providing great promotions and bonus opportunities . Our customers can also join our VIP Club to explore extra benefits and rewards . We also strive to answer all questions customers might have about our platform, the VIP club , or anything else, which is why we put great emphasis on our customer support .

It’s also important to give our customers a large selection of deposit and withdrawal methods . This includes traditional banking and modern e-wallets. But it also includes various types of cryptocurrency like BTC , ETH , USDT , EOS , Doge , LTC , and SOL that can easily be traded at platforms like Moonpay and Swapped.com . With so many options available at Stake, we make it easy to deposit funds and withdraw your winnings. Also, since safe and secure transactions are more important than ever, we use the Stake Vault to give our customers peace of mind when transferring funds.

Finally, Stake.com is a proponent of safe gambling practices . We want our platform to be fun for our customers, but we also care about them being safe and responsible. That’s why we offer resources like Stake Smart to encourage good choices and safe behaviour when people bet at Stake Sportsbook.