If the New York Yankees need a barometer on whether or not 2021 will be an improvement over 2020, they may need to look no further than catcher Gary Sanchez.

Last season was a disaster for Sanchez. Not to mention for those MLB betting fans who took the Bombers to win the American League pennant or World Series. Things got so bad for Sanchez he was benched in the playoffs in favor of Kyle Higashioka. The Yankees, meanwhile, saw their disappointing season end prematurely with an American League Divisional Series loss to the eventual pennant-winning Tampa Bay Rays.

Sanchez hit just .147 and struck out 64 times in 156 at-bats during the abbreviated 2020 campaign. He spent his offseason in the Dominican Winter League looking for more time at the plate and opportunities to work on a new modified swing. Hopes are sky-high in for both the Bombers and Sanchez in 2021.

“Gary’s gonna have a special year this year . . . Gary’s a guy that can go out there and win AL MVP," Aaron Judge predicted via Yahoo! Sports earlier this month.

The Yankees are – as usual – loaded on paper/pixels. AL batting champion DJ LeMahieu, Giancarlo Stanton, Luke Voit and Judge will maul depleted and overstretched pitching staffs. That front-end depth should give them the Yankees an edge over a full 162-game campaign and enough firepower to outlast – if not bludgeon – the competition in the AL East.

The throw weight in New York’s starting lineup has left a major impact on the MLB futures markets market.

Yankees World Series Odds (+550 at William Hill)

The Yankees haven been among the annual “best bets” to be the World Series winner for nearly the past decade. Surprise, surprise. The biggest question with this team remains starting pitching. Gerritt Cole is an aces of aces in the Bronx, going 7-3 during the regular season and 2-0 in the playoffs in 2020. The remainder of the Yankees rotation is less-than-assuring, even with the team’s projected $196.5 million payroll. Newcomers Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon are expected to fill the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the rotation.

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When pondering a deep postseason run after a full season, once must first look at the starting pitching. That holds even for a team like the Yankees that has the potential to score 1,000 runs. The Yankees rotation as is simply does not justify this sort of wager. However, the Yankees will in all likelihood add at least one big-name arm to their lineup at the trade deadline if they are within striking range of the postseason.

If you believe the Yankees will follow past form and get an arm, you may want to grab the +550 odds at William Hill because they might shorten.

Yankees Odds To Win The AL (+250 at bet365)

The Yankees have spent more than $2.5 billion in payroll since they last won the American League pennant (and the World Series) in 2009. Backing the Bombers to win the AL championship in the past dozen years has been a Fool’s Errand for both the Steinbrenner family and wishful bettors and fans. The Yankees have reached the postseason in five of the past six years. However, New York has only made it to the ALCS four times since their last World Series appearance (and victory). Just once did they force a seventh game – and that came against in 2017 a team that was cheating in the Houston Asterisks.

For those who see a long-awaited return to the Fall Classic in 2021, the Bronx Bombers are fetching +250 odds as favorites to win the American League title at bet365 and several other books. That price is prohibitive given the other American League teams that also harbor legitimate hopes of reaching the World Series at much better prices. But again, the same caveat noted above applies. This team is always one back-page tabloid headline from a complete shake-up.

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Yankees Odds To Win The AL East (-175 at FOX Bet)

The Yankees appear well-suited to win this division given the power and depth of their lineup. The issues concerning starting pitching are much easier mitigated over a 162-game season than they are in a five or seven-game series. The AL East champion Rays clearly overachieved during last year’s abridged season. The Red Sox have far too many concerns to be considered a serious contender and the Orioles remain a laughingstock. That leaves only the untested but much-stronger Toronto Blue Jays as a real threat.

History offers a warning. The Yankees have won the AL East just once since 2013 despite often being annual favorites or co-favorites. This year should be different because the Yankees team that leaves Tampa at the end of March will not be the same one that enters the stretch run to win the divisional title after the trade deadline. You can get the Yankees at -175 to win the East at FOX Bet.

4 Great Yankees Prop Bets To Back

Under 95.5 Regular-Season Wins (-110, BetMGM)

On the surface, the over seems like a lock. But not after you do the math. The Yankees have 76 games against their AL East rivals in a division they could conceivably win by a dozen games. A 46-30 record against the rest of the East is not out of the question. That’s nearly the equivalent of taking two out of three games extended over the course of a full season. Even with that success against the East, the Yankees still must go 50-36 against everyone else just to beat the 95.5-win total. Grab the under at BetMGM.

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DJ LeMahieu Most Runs MLB (+2000, PointsBet)

DJ LeMahieu not only won the AL batting title in 2020 with a .364 average but his OPS was a whopping 1.011. LeMahieu cannot help but get on base with the Aarons (Judge & Hicks) protecting him in the lineup before Giancarlo Stanton bats in the clean-up spot. And when LeMahieu does get on base, especially in later innings, he’ll often be pushed into scoring position depending on which Aaron opposing pitchers chose to face.

In 2019, LeMahieu hit .327 and scored 109 runs, which was ninth-best in the majors. But he only played in 145 games. He could see 700 plate appearances this season if he stays fully healthy. LeMahieu is +2000 to lead the majors in runs scored at PointsBet and is well worth the risk at that price.

Gerritt Cole Most Wins MLB (+900, DraftKings)

If the Yankees are going to compete this year and make a playoff run, they will do it on the back and right arm of Cole. Every team in baseball but the Dodgers is pretending 2020 never happened. For the Yankees, nothing means more when looking back to 2019 than the 20-5 record Cole posted with the Astros. Cole led the American League two years ago with a 2.50 ERA and the majors with 326 strikeouts. His 162-game career average is 17 wins.

While many teams across baseball are moving toward utilizing a group of starters – set to go no more than three innings – Cole is a workhorse. With the might of the Yankees’ lineup behind him, Cole is a great bet at +900 to lead the majors in wins at DraftKings.

Aaron Judge Most HRs MLB (+1600, bet365)

There’s a lot to pitch around in this lineup. Judge led the American League in 2017 with 52 home runs. That was his last full season. Even last year, he played just 28 games. A healthy Judge playing 150 games in a loaded Yankees lineup is a serious threat to win the home run title in any season.

This year, the 6-foot-8, 282-pound Judge, who sports the body and strength of an NFL tight end, has an even bigger edge to win the HR crown. MLB has deadened the baseball this season, ostensibly to cut down on home runs. While many batters may see their 390-foot homers soften into warning track outs or doubles, Judge will simply shrug as his 450-foot bombs shrink to 410-foot lower-deck, round-trippers. At +1600, Judge is well worth the investment to hit the most home runs in the majors at bet365.