With the All-Star break in the rearview and the trade deadline fast approaching, now’s the time for MLB teams to decide where they stand.
Few teams have been more of an enigma than the L.A. Angels and San Diego Padres, who started the season with preseason win totals of 82.5 and 93.5, only to have a projected total of 79.2 and 75.9 wins as of Monday.
With the Angels five games back and Padres six games out of a playoff spot at the break, BetCalifornia.com utilized records from MLB.com to find the biggest comebacks of the 21st century following the All-Star break.
There are no legal California sportsbooks to wager on the Angels or Padres. It will be at least 2024 before a referendum goes back before voters.
Biggest MLB All-Star Break Comebacks Since 2000
There is no BetMGM California, but nationally the operator has the Angels at +5000 to win the AL West, while San Diego is +4000 to win the NL West.
Where Angels, Padres Stack Up
Both the Angels and the Padres would rank in a tie with four teams (the 2001 Indians, 2002 A’s, 2005 Astros and 2011 Cardinals) for the seventh biggest comeback in the divisional standings at five games entering the All-Star break.
The all-time biggest comeback in a divisional race since 2000 was the 2006 Twins, who captured the AL Central with a 96-66 record after entering the break at 47-39 and 11 games back in the division.
Other MLB comeback teams include the 2012 A’s (nine games back at the All-Star break), 2003 Twins and 2021 Cardinals (7.5 games back apiece), the 2016 Dodgers (6.5 games back) and the 2017 Cubs (5.5 games back).
The biggest jump in games over .500 among the MLB’s greatest comeback clubs was the 2002 A’s, who went from 50-38 at the break to 103-59 at year’s end — gaining 31 games (from +12 over .500 to +43 at season’s end).
Conversely, the team with the worst year-end record to capture their division was the 2005 Astros, who went from 44-43 at the break to 89-73 at the end of the year, capturing the NL Central along the way.
Although there are no California betting apps, national operators rank Atlanta as the current World Series favorite at +350, with the L.A. Dodgers second at +550.
Whether the Angels and Padres can use a second-half surge to make the postseason will be dictated by their play down the stretch.
