MLB World Series Future Odds: Dodgers Lead Field
MLB Opening Day is Thursday, April 7. That means it’s time to get in your World Series futures bets and lock in some good value.
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Here are the current odds at SI Sportsbook:
Dodgers +450
Blue Jays +800
Astros +900
Yankees +1100
Brewers +1100
White Sox +1200
Braves +1200
Rays +1400
Mets +1400
Padres +1600
Red Sox +1600
Giants +2000
Cardinals +2500
Phillies +2500
Angels +3000
Mariners +3300
Tigers +4000
Twins +4000
Guardians +6000
Reds +6600
Royals +7500
Rangers +7500
Athletics +7500
Marlins +8000
Rockies +10000
Cubs +10000
Nationals +12500
Diamondbacks +25000
Pirates +30000
Orioles +40000
Matt York/AP
The Dodgers are the odds-on favorite to win the World Series at +450, and it makes sense why they are the leaders.
Not only have the Dodgers made the NLCS in five of the last six years, they have won the NL pennant in three of those years and won World Series in 2020.
Their lineup is stacked—now boasting Freddie Freeman as their newest addition—and their bench is deep. The starting rotation is now missing Max Scherzer, and will likely also be without Trevor Bauer for at least a portion of the season, but it still boasts Walker Buehler and Julio Urias—two pitchers with a sub-3.00 ERA in 2021, as well as Clayton Kershaw. And they just acquired Craig Kimbrel to help replace Kenley Jansen.
The Dodgers mean business and are expected to dominate the NL West.
MLB Power Rankings Entering Opening Day
The Blue Jays are the current AL favorites at +800, just edging out the reigning American League champion Astros at +900.
The Blue Jays have a young and talented core, but they missed the postseason by just one game in 2021. They’re without AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray and shortstop Marcus Semien, but if center fielder George Springer can remain healthy and Yusei Kikuchi can be consistent, they could go all the way.
For value, though, I prefer the Astros at +900.
The Astros have made it to the postseason in six of the last seven years with three World Series appearances. They lost shortstop Carlos Correa to the Twins, but retained starter Justin Verlander. Unlike the Blue Jays, the Astros have extensive postseason experience and the pathway through the AL West looks much easier than navigating a loaded AL East featuring the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
The Brewers owning +1100 odds and being ahead of the White Sox at +1200 says to me that SI Sportsbook believes former NL MVP Christian Yelich will have a bounce-back year. Milwaukee’s pitching is elite, but it won’t get you very far if you can’t score runs, as we saw in the playoffs last year when they fell to the Braves in the NLDS.
I prefer the value for the White Sox at +1200 odds. Chicago is a team similar to the Jays in that it features a talented young core with a top-five pitching rotation and the path should be easy through the AL Central, with only the Twins putting up a fight.
Finally, the reigning World Series champion Braves have +1200 odds and that’s value I can get behind. Sure, they lost Freeman, but they acquired first baseman Matt Olson and Ronald Acuna will return. The pitching staff is becoming more experienced and is ranked top 10 in the league. It’s hard to run it back but I’m in at +1200 odds.
Now, let’s look at some longer shots!
The Giants at +2000 odds are good value for the team that won the most games in baseball last year (107), while the Phillies at +2500 odds also look tempting.
Sure, the Phillies may have one of the worst defenses in the league, but maybe they won’t need a lot of it since they added big bats Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos alongside reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper.
The Phillies had both an MVP and CY Young finalist just last season. If the pitching staff can stay healthy and survive the terrible defense, Philadelphia could make a run.
Check the Latest Odds at SI Sportsbook
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