MLB futures: Should you bet the Diamondbacks to start the season 5-0?

As previously mentioned, the season-opening series matchup can play a big role in a team going on a winning streak. This could be the case for the Diamondbacks since they are kicking off 2024 with a four-game set against the Colorado Rockies. This division rival hasn't had a winning season since 2018, which was also the last time they made the playoffs. Colorado is coming off of an embarrassing 59-103 season and has had one of the quietest winters, which suggests they won't be much better this year. All of this suggests the Diamondbacks can sweep through this opening series and set themselves up for a nice 5-0 start.

It should also be noted that Arizona has made additions to a lineup powered by the likes of Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll, and that will help it stay competitive in 2024. ESPN's Alden Gonzalez noted this much when discussing the Diamondbacks coming in at No. 9 in the preseason power rankings.

"The D-backs have responded to their surprising World Series run by doubling down, adding Eduardo Rodriguez to the middle of their rotation and injecting Eugenio Suarez and Joc Pederson into the middle of their lineup,"  Gonzalez wrote. "Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was brought back, too, solidifying left field. Arizona has done a nice job adding the pieces that would make its roster more complete. The concerns it had heading into October about the depth in the rotation and the back end of the bullpen are not nearly as prevalent."

Before you put all your money on the D-Backs to go 5-0 to start the season, we should discuss where that fifth straight win would come from: April 1st against the New York Yankees.

Expectations are very high for the Bronx Bombers this season, much more so than they are for the Diamondbacks. (The Yankees are listed at 10-1 at DK to win the World Series while the Diamondbacks are 35-1 long shots.) New York also won two out of three when these teams saw each other in 2023, tallying a 7-1 victory in the series opener and closing it out 6-4.

This doesn't mean the Diamondbacks are bound to fall in that fifth regular-season game just because the Yankees are coming to town. Arizona did get a 7-1 win during last season's series. That series also took place in New York in September, while the upcoming meeting will be in the Grand Canyon State. Plus, the Yankees are starting 2024 on the road and visit Arizona after what is sure to be a tough season-opening matchup against the Astros in Houston. 

If the Diamondbacks get momentum from that first series against the Rockies, who's to say they can't take that momentum into the next and beat the Yankees on April 1?

With Opening Day just a few weeks away, there's no better time to wager on what team you think will start the season with five straight wins. And with a beefed-up lineup and a favorable schedule to kick things off, the Diamondbacks at +700 to go 5-0 is looking like a good bet to make.