Spring is in the air, flowers are blooming, and Baseball is back starting today. After a seemingly unnecessarily dramatic off-season where the commissioner became a one man meme machine, we're finally ready for real games to start. Baseball is a bettors paradise based on the sheer volume of action, although get ready for the inevitable ups and downs of late inning meltdowns and crazy bad beats. Let's play ball!

Game of the Day: We were supposed to get Red Sox vs. Yankees on Opening Day but they pushed it back due to inclement weather. We were preparing to fade the Yankees in that game so instead, we're going to look to fade another public team with the Angels hosting the Astros. Whenever Shohei Ohtani is on the hill it draws a lot of attention and he did go 6-0 at home last season. We still like the Astros who are underdogs at +110 in a game we would have made a pick'em. Houston was able to get to Ohtani last year and they have the better bullpen which will be nice and fresh for the opener.

Invest in the Future: We don't always like to bet futures in other sports and have our money tied up for 6 months, but MLB is certainly a sport where value can be had. Here are some MLB futures that caught our eye:

Luis Robert for AL MVP +1500 -- The White Sox have the easiest path to the playoffs in the American League and Robert is likely their biggest bat coming off a .338/.378/.567 slash line. That's a great combo to rack up MVP votes.

Jose Berrios for AL Cy Young +2000 -- There is a reason the Jays gave him the most lucrative extension in team history. He is at the right age to break out on the best team in the AL. A 20-win season could be in the cards here.

Pete Alonso Most Homers +1100 -- Everyone loves the Polar Bear. There is no doubting he has the power to lead the Majors and this year he has more protection in the lineup and the ability to take the occasional game at DH. He is second in odds behind Vlad Guerrero Jr. but still offers some value at the +1100 number. 

For more MLB betting analysis, we've got you covered:

World Series Betting Odds

Win Total Best Bets

MVP Award Preview

Cy Young Award Preview

AL East Betting Preview

AL Central Betting Preview

AL West Betting Preview

NL East Betting Preview

NL Central Betting Preview

NL West Betting Preview

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In Other News....

NBA Playoff Field is Set: Each team still has a few games left on the schedule to decide seeding, but the fields are set for the playoffs. The Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament is going to be wild with Brooklyn the betting favorite in the East, still having to "earn" their way in and last year's Eastern Conference runner-up Atlanta among the four-team field. This is going to be a wild one!

Jose Ramirez locks in: The Guardians third baseman got a tidy $124M extension and seems like the rare Guardian player to stick around long-term. One of the best power/speed combos in the game and a target for many a Fantasy player come draft day, his AL MVP odds sit at an attractive +2500. He's finished top 6 in MVP voting for four years running, including 3 top three finishes. This might be a case where the player's team drags them out of the discussion, but the talent is surely there to make yet another MVP run.