Can Yankees finally get over the hump to first World Series in over a decade, or will Mets overshadow them?

This weekend, fans (and bettors) saw the return of sport in its new guise in full display all over their televisions.

The German Bundesliga was back, as was NASCAR, golf, and UFC, giving people all kinds of action on which to wager.

But for many in New Jersey, sport will not be truly back until Major League Baseball is live.

Last week, MLB and its teams sent a proposal to the players union that would see the sport return in July and play 82 games (just over half a season). That return would be good news for fans all around the country, but especially for the split fanbases in NJ, who go into the 2020 season with their hope overflowing.

Right now on the New Jersey betting sites, the New York Yankees are the prohibitive favorite (according to the bet365 NJ sportsbook) to finally break through and win an American League title, after they went a whole decade without making the World Series.

The last time that happened prior to 2010-2019 was 1910-1919. While most Yankees’ fans can remember the drought between 1982 and 1995, which saw some truly horrific teams in the late 1980s, the lack of World Series appearances over the last 10 years has been excruciating for a fanbase that has not been known to accept failure.

To make things worse, the Yankees lost the 2017 American League Championship Series in seven games to the eventual champion Houston Astros, who have since been disgraced as cheaters, lost the 2018 AL Division Series to their hated rivals Boston Red Sox, who have also been tarnished in the sign-stealing scandal, then fell in the 2019 ALCS (in six games) to the Astros again.

That is a tough run to take.

But the Yankees head into the expected 2020 season as a +175 favorite to win the American League. Those Astros are the second favorite at +350, then there are two up and coming teams at +800, one which the Yankees own, and the other which cause them all kinds of problems: the Minnesota Twins and the Tampa Bay Rays.

If the Yankees can stay healthy, which is a massive if, if you have followed this team at all, they look to be the deserved favorites to advance to the World Series. The main question is, will a shorter season help them, or hurt them?

Over a 162-game schedule, the better teams usually distance themselves from the pack. But baseball is a game of streaks, and a shortened season could actually help a team that gets hot at some point. It does, however, look to be the Yankees to win. I might throw a few bucks down on the Rays, though, as well.

In the National League, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are getting various amounts of love from the books. The Mets currently sit at +900 on SugarHouse NJ to win the NL Pennant, while the Phillies are +1100.

The main problem for both of those teams, which might be exacerbated in the shortened season, is that the National League East is stacked. The Atlanta Braves are the second favorite (+600), while the defending champion Washington Nationals are +750. But everyone is chasing the Los Angeles Dodgers (+170), who have been just as snakebitten as the Yankees, losing the 2017 and 2018 World Series to the Astros and Red Sox.

While the Yankees look to be a good play, the Mets and Phillies could be for the diehards that have a glimmering hope in their hearts that 2020 is their year.

This content was produced in partnership with Gambler.Media.

If you or anyone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.