Most baseball futures bets take a lot of patience, most of us don’t have. You might place a slip in March and wait until October to see if it cashes. These could range from World Series bets, division winners, and win totals as they all play out across 6 long months. For many, that’s too long to tie up your bankroll.
But there is one market that moves fast — Last Team to Lose a Regular Season Game.
The concept is simple. Which team will be the final undefeated club left in baseball after the season begins? Once every team has taken at least one loss, the bet settles. That means the entire futures bet usually resolves within the 1-2 weeks of the season.
Because of that short window, this prop creates tons of drama right when the season starts because every night matters. One loss knocks a team out. One extra-inning win keeps them alive. It’s like a playoff run in March and April.
The twist is that the best team in baseball does not automatically win this bet. A powerhouse World Series champ can lose on Opening Day and be eliminated immediately. Meanwhile, another strong team might stack 4-5 wins before the schedule catches up to them and they end up not making the playoffs.
That blend of team strength, early pitching matchups, and schedule luck is what really makes the market so entertaining.
Last season showed just how unpredictable the race can be.
The Dodgers opened the year 8–0 in 2025, which would tend to win this bet in most seasons. But several other contenders disappeared right out of the gate. The Braves started the year 0–7, the Blue Jays lost their opener, and the Cubs dropped their first games during the Tokyo Series. Nobody expected any of that, but then again, a great team can be out in one night.
For 2026, sportsbooks have a few legitimate contenders on the board. The Dodgers sit at the top, followed by the Cubs, Blue Jays, Phillies, and Braves. Each team has a different case for getting off to a fast start and we’re going to break them down.
| Team | 2025 Record | 2025 Finish | 2025 Starting Run | Odds (Last Team to Lose) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 93–69 | Won NL West, Won World Series | 8–0 | +750 |
| Chicago Cubs | 92–70 | NL Wild Card, Lost in NLDS | 0–2 | +950 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 94–68 | Won AL East, Lost World Series | 0–1 | +1100 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 96–66 | Won NL East, Lost in NLDS | 3–0 | +1200 |
| Atlanta Braves | 76–86 | Missed Playoffs | 0–7 | +1400 |
To nobody’s surprise, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the team to beat.
They come into 2026 as the defending champs after finishing 93–69 in 2025, winning the NL West, and eventually defeating the Blue Jays in a wild 7-game World Series. The ballclub is now chasing a 3rd straight title and they have great chances.
Of course, this roster already had star power, but the offseason only added more.
Shohei Ohtani remains the center of everything in the world of the Dodgers. His 2025 season was nothing shy of enormous as he blasted 55 dingers, drove in 102 runs, scored 146 times, and posted an insane 1.014 OPS. Very few players in baseball can impact games the way he does, yet he does it year after year.
The rest of the lineup is just as dangerous. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman still form one of the best top-of-the-order duos in baseball. Will Smith quietly led the team in batting average at .296, giving the Dodgers another elite bat behind the stars. To top it all off, the front office added Kyle Tucker on a 4-year, $240 million deal that only added to the already dangerous batting order.
The pitching staff might be even more intimidating, if that’s even possible.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered a brilliant season with a 2.49 ERA and 201 Ks, then dominated October on the way to World Series MVP honors. Tyler Glasnow brings his usual high strikeout upside, and Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki adds another elite arm — and then there’s Ohtani, but he doesn’t need an intro.
Los Angeles led the entire league with 1,505 pitching strikeouts last year. That kind of swing-and-miss ability typically gives teams an edge early in the season while offenses are still finding their rhythm at the plate.
To cap all of that off, the Dodgers also showed last year that they can jump out quickly. Their 8–0 Start in 2025 proves this roster can catch fire immediately, and with odds at around +750, bookmakers clearly view them as the safest pick to stay undefeated the longest.
The Chicago Cubs sit just behind the Dodgers on many betting boards, and the case for them is stronger than casual fans might realize.
Chicago finished 92–70 in 2025, narrowly missing the NL Central title before reaching the NLDS. They pushed Milwaukee to 5 games after surviving the Wild Card round, which confirmed they were a legitimate contender.
A good part of that is because the offense already had a solid foundation.
Seiya Suzuki delivered a huge season with 32-yard bombs and 103 RBIs. Michael Busch led the team with 34 HRs, showing real middle-of-the-order power and Nico Hoerner hit a decent .297, providing contact and speed near the top of the lineup. They had all of the makings of a great lineup.
Then the Cubs made a major move by signing Alex Bregman to a 5-year deal and that made them even more competitive.
Bregman adds tons of experience, discipline, and another dangerous bat for the middle of the lineup. His presence lengthens the lineup and gives Chicago a proven hitter in high-leverage moments. Now the Cubs have a roster that pitchers can’t pitch around.
Speaking of pitching, that’s another reason this team could start fast.
Matthew Boyd delivered one of the best seasons of his career with a 3.21 ERA across 179 innings, while Shota Imanaga posted a 0.99 WHIP, showing absolutely dominant command. Chicago also revamped the bullpen by adding Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, and Caleb Thielbar — and bullpen depth can be critical for a bet like this. Early games often stay close, and reliable relievers help protect narrow leads and keep the streak going.
The biggest storyline surrounding the Cubs is whether they can turn a strong roster into a true championship contender, but for this particular bet, they simply need to stack wins during the first week. We have no doubt they’ll make the playoffs, but that’s a discussion for another day.
With odds hovering around +950 at most books, Chicago offers a strong mix of talent and value.
You knew they’d be on this list. The Toronto Blue Jays enter 2026 with unfinished business.
They won 94 games in 2025, captured the AL East, and advanced all the way to the World Series. The season ended with a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Dodgers, leaving Toronto one win short of a title.
Teams that come that close typically kick off the next season with serious motivation and the Jays are no different.
Toronto’s offense relies more on depth than pure power. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remains the anchor of the lineup after punching .292 with 23 HRs and an .848 OPS. George Springer added 32 bombs of his own and a strong .399 OBP, giving the lineup a consistent spark.
Of course, one of the bigger storylines was that the team lost Bo Bichette to the Mets during the offseason, which undoubtedly removes a big bat, but the front office quickly reshaped the roster.
The biggest move was signing Dylan Cease to a long-term deal. Cease brings that swing-and-miss stuff to the rotation and instantly raises the staff’s ceiling. The Blue Jays also added Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto, along with bullpen help from Tyler Rogers. Now throw in the fact that veteran ace Max Scherzer is returning to the rotation, which gives the team even more experience on the mound.
As we mentioned earlier, pitching often drives early-season success, which is why Toronto remains a strong candidate in this market even if there are some unknowns with Bichette’s departure.
There is one concern that makes us — and the bookmakers — a little more hesitant. Jose Berrios will miss the start of the year because of an elbow stress fracture. That removes a dependable arm from the rotation during the opening weeks, but then again, the rest of the pen and rotation look good.
At +1100 odds, they remain firmly in the mix for this prop and the price might be good enough to get in on the action despite Berrios.
There are only a few teams in baseball that combine star power and pitching depth the way the Philadelphia Phillies do, hence they’re perennial contenders for the playoffs.
Philadelphia finished 96–66 in 2025, winning the NL East before losing to the Dodgers in the NLDS. Even with that early playoff exit, the regular season showed just how balanced this roster is.
The offense revolves around several big names. Kyle Schwarber delivered one of the most powerful seasons in baseball with 56 taters and 132 RBIs. Bryce Harper continued to anchor the middle of the lineup, as expected, while Trea Turner led the team with a .304 AVG.
Fortunately, the Phillies kept that core intact during the offseason.
Schwarber signed a 5-year extension, and catcher J.T. Realmuto returned on a 3-year deal. The club also added Adolis Garcia, bringing more power and strong defense in the outfield. As far as improvements to their already dominant lineup, they’ve put the league on notice.
The pitching staff may be the biggest reason Philadelphia could start the season hot.
Zack Wheeler remains one of the most consistent aces in all of baseball after posting a 2.71 ERA and 0.94 WHIP last year. Jesus Luzardo also had a dominant season, finishing 15–7 with 216 Ks.
Those types of frontline starters can control early games when hitters are still adjusting to live pitching and trying to find their rhythm.
Philadelphia’s odds around +1200 place them just behind the other contenders, but the roster clearly has the ability to string together early wins. They will undeniably have some kinks to work out for the full season, but they have the firepower to catch many teams off guard.
The Atlanta Braves are the most unpredictable team on the board despite the bookmakers loving them year after year.
Their 76–86 record in 2025 looks disappointing at first glance, but injuries and some suspensions played a massive role in that outcome. Several core players missed significant time, especially at the beginning of the season. However, even in a rough season, the talent was obvious and that’s why they held onto their playoff odds by the bookmakers for so long.
Matt Olson hit 29 home runs with 95 RBIs, while Ronald Acuna Jr. still produced a .290 AVG and a .417 OBP despite appearing in only 95 of their 162 games.
On the pitching side of the clubhouse, Chris Sale delivered a dominant 2.58 ERA, and Spencer Strider returned to the rotation after injury.
The biggest question is health. If Atlanta stays healthy, this roster suddenly looks far closer to the elite Braves teams of recent years.
The front office also focused heavily on the bullpen this winter by signing Robert Suarez and bringing back Raisel Iglesias, giving Atlanta a powerful late-inning combination.
That matters for a market like this where early-season games often come down to the final innings, and strong closers can protect narrow leads with just a few pitches.
We’re pretty sure that because of last year’s record, the Braves sit around +1400 in this market. That makes them the biggest value play among the top contenders. This is a real team with real talent and +1400 could be a huge payday.
We are just days away from Opening Day on March 26th, when all of these teams start their games. From that moment forward, the race to remain undefeated begins.
A few teams will lose immediately because that’s just how it happens; however, others will build momentum. Within days, the list shrinks to only a handful of clubs.
That is when the bet becomes the most exciting. Fans start watching every game involving the remaining undefeated teams and a single swing of the bat can eliminate a contender.
The race rarely lasts long, but during that first week of baseball, it becomes one of the most entertaining props on the entire betting board and you don’t have to wait 6 months for it to cash.
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