Bovada released its over-under odds for the win totals for all 30 Major League teams on Monday, and the Las Vegas Sportsbook set the Cubs over-under for number of wins at 82.5 for the upcoming season.
According to the win totals set by Bovada, the Cubs would have the seventh most wins in the National League behind the Nationals (92.5), Dodgers (92.5), Cardinals (88.5), Padres (85.5), Giants (84.5) and Pirates (83.5).
The win total set by Bovada falls in line with the over-under win totals released by Steve Mikkelson.
Steve Mikkelson of the Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno posted his annual Major League Baseball regular season win totals last week. Mikkelson pegged the Cubs at 81.5 wins for the 2015 season, and on the outside of the National League playoff picture.
According to Mikkelson, the Nationals (93), Dodgers (91) and Cardinals (87.5) would be the division winners with the Pirates (85.5) and Giants (85) as the two NL wild cards. If the Cubs were to finish the season around .500, based on Mikkelson’s over-under odds, the Cubs would end up behind the Padres (84) for the seventh best record in the Senior Circuit, tied with the Marlins (81.5) and just ahead of the Mets (81).
Remember kids, Vegas exists in all of its glory because Vegas normally wins.
Oddsmakers aside, the projection systems point to around a 10-win improvement for the Cubs during the upcoming season.
FanGraphs thinks the Cubs will finish third in the National League Central Division with an 83-79 record and tied for the second NL Wild Card spot with the Giants.
PECOTA has the Cubs winning 82 games and finishing a game back of the second NL Wild Card spot. But the 82-80 record would place Joe Maddon’s squad behind the Cardinals and in second place in the NL Central.
And ESPN’s David Schoenfield thinks the Cubs will be one of the most improved teams in baseball this season. Schoenfield sees the 73-89 Cubs from a year ago winning 11 more games this season and finishing the year with an 84-78 record. When Schoenfield ranked the Cubs as No. 13 in his pre-Spring Training power rankings, he said if he had more guts and the Cubs weren’t in the same division as the Cardinals and Pirates, he would pick them to win the division.