Rejoice, baseball fans. Opening Day is almost here! All 30 teams will be back in action this Thursday to begin the 2024 season, and we can't wait to get back to sweating out bets on the diamond every day. Before that, though, we only have 24 hours to lock in our futures bets for the 2024 campaign. Let's check out two season-long bets we're eyeing up before the action gets underway. 

Last-minute MLB futures

New York Yankees to make playoffs: No (+200 ESPN BET)

The Yankees have the second-best odds to make the playoffs in the American League, and we'd like to fade that notion. Reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole has an elbow injury that could cause him to miss at least the first two months of the season. Until then, New York will have to tread water with Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortez and Clarke Schmidt — not exactly a murderer's row of starting pitchers. 

Additionally, infielder DJ LeMahieu will start the year on the injured list, and outfielder Oscar Gonzalez suffered an orbital fracture this week. Oh, and Aaron Judge already missed time in spring training with an abdominal injury, plus Giancarlo Stanton hasn't played a full season since 2018.

This is a precarious situation for the Bronx Bombers, and it might only get worse as the season progresses. 

NL Rookie of the Year: Michael Busch (+3000 FanDuel)

This is going to be our favorite futures market to attack all season. Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the clear betting favorite to win the award, but only five of the last 24 ROY winners were pitchers. Yamamoto also got shelled for five earned runs in just one inning of work in his MLB debut against the San Diego Padres. 

Let's fade Yamamoto with Michael Busch, who will be the Opening Day first baseman for the Chicago Cubs. Busch hit three home runs and recorded a .833 OPS in 46 spring training at-bats, and the Cubs will give him an opportunity to win the full-time starting job. This is worth a sprinkle at 30/1. 

In the news ...

LeBron James-less Lakers erase 19-point deficit to stun Bucks — With James out of the lineup, the undermanned Los Angeles Lakers rallied from down 19 points in the fourth quarter to miraculously knock off the Milwaukee Bucks in double overtime. Anthony Davis led the way with 34 points and 23 rebounds, while D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves chipped in 29 points apiece. The Lakers are now 2.5 games ahead of the Golden State Warriors for the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference, and they are -125 to make the playoffs.  

NFL introduces controversial rule changes — The NFL owners get together around this time every year, and they've already made some rule changes that might not sit well with players and fans. The biggest change will be a revamped kickoff. Kickers will still boot it from the 35-yard line, but the other 10 players on the kickoff team will start on the opponent's 40-yard line and can't move until the returner catches the ball. The owners also banned the hip-drop tackle to reduce leg injuries, but it will be hard for referees to enforce. 

Kentucky sticking with John Calipari despite another early exit — Kentucky hasn't reached the Sweet 16 since 2019. The Wildcats missed the NCAA Tournament in 2021, lost to No. 15 seed St. Peters in the first round in 2022, lost to No. 3 seed Kansas State in the second round in 2023 and lost to No. 14 seed Oakland in the first round in 2024. Despite its recent flops in the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky is bringing Calipari back for another season, per athletic director Mitch Barnhart on X.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Jack Dougherty