The MLB futures market is now open for business, and if you’ve been complaining all winter about the lack of big-money action from the Orioles, you might be surprised at how much respect they are getting from the Vegas crowd.

The O’s are just +600 to win the American League pennant, behind only the Yankees, according to futures odds released recently by BetMGM. Though a few of the major internet gaming sites have the Houston Astros in front of the Orioles, the consensus among them is that the O’s are the second-best team in the league.

Quite an endorsement, considering that the Orioles lost their best pitcher and biggest home run threat to free agency and could not acquire an equivalent replacement for either one.

That’s not to say that some sites don’t recognize that the Orioles are weaker on paper than they were a year ago at this time. The few sites that have posted win totals (over/under) this early in spring training have set the O’s total at either 87 1/2 or 88 regular season wins – three-plus fewer than last year’s actual win total.

In case you were wondering, the odds suggest that the Yankees will beat the Orioles by four games in the AL East and lose the World Series to the billion dollar babies from LA, who are projected to be the only team to win more than 100 games. Their projected total of 103 ½ is at least 10 more victories than any other MLB team. Money really does talk.

Based on how much of it is wagered on sports in this country, I’ve got to think that AI figures into these evaluations, which should either encourage you if you’re a techie or make you wonder like I do after seeing on ChatGPT that I was born in the wrong month and graduated from the University of Maryland.

No offense to my kids’ alma mater, but if you’re going to tell the whole world that I went to a better college than Cal State Fullerton, at least make it Harvard or Princeton.

Back to the math. The Orioles are also in a consensus dead heat with the Astros when it comes to betting them to win the World Series (+1400), but along with the Yankees and the Dodgers, the Braves, Phillies and Mets are considered better bets to hoist the trophy.