MLB World Series Odds: Top 3 Early Favorites to Win Before the Opening Day

Hard as it may seem to believe, we are now just a little over a month away from the start of the 2024 MLB season. 2024 MLB Lines | MLB World Series Betting Update: Top 3 Favorites to Win

Spring training begins this week, so we will start getting our first look at teams and what they might be bringing to the table in the upcoming season. As great as it is to have baseball back, it is still worth remembering that the preseason is just an opportunity for players to get back in the swing of things and to get some reps in. it is not always an indicator of how things might play out once the real games start. We are going to have some longshot teams play great ball in spring training, while early season favorites struggle. It all, in the grand scheme of things, means nothing until opening day. That said, the bookies already have their favorites picked for the coming season, so let’s look at the current top 3, while also taking a quick peek at some potential dark horses at the end of this piece.

MLB Spring Training Info

When: February 22nd to March 28th
Where: Jupiter, FL. Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
TV: ESPN, ESPN2, FS1
Stream: Hulu, Live TV, MLB Network

LA Dodgers (+360)

The biggest story this offseason was the status of Shohei Ohtani. It became clear in the middle part of last season that Ohtani’s time with the LA Angels was coming to an end, with the battle for his signature sure to get crazy. The winner of the Ohtani sweepstakes proved to be rather unsurprising, with the LA Dodgers once again opening their wallet to make an offer he could not refuse. That move alone might well be enough to have them in as the favorite to win the World Series this season.

The Dodgers winning the NL West has become something of a common thing, as they have won the division in 10 of the last 11 seasons. Given the money they have invested in players over that time, their division record should not be that surprising. That said, that money was spent to bring in championships, with the Dodgers winning the World Series just once in that stretch, although they made it to the championship round on 2 other occasions. Still, they would have hoped for a good deal better than that.

Last season, the Dodgers had a great year offensively, but there were some concerns about the pitching heading into the postseason. That concern proved to be worthy, as they fell at the first hurdle, getting swept by the Padres in the Divisional Round. They will hope that the addition of Ohtani beefs up the pitching staff, while also adding some more power to the lineup. This team should easily win the division once again, with their win total set at 104 ½.

Atlanta Braves (+540)

The Braves come into the new season looking to win the NL East for the 7th straight year, and I would suggest that they are a good bet to do so. This team is absolutely stacked, but like the Dodgers, they have perhaps not delivered as much as their lineup suggests they should have. After winning the World Series in 2021, the Braves have had back-to-back seasons where they went out of the playoffs in the opening round, losing to the Phillies both times. They need to find a way to get over that hurdle.

Individually, the Braves have had players win awards in each of the past 6 seasons, with Ronald Acuna the latest addition to the list with an MVP performance last season. That alone should give you some idea of the level of talent that Atlanta has to work with. They have surpassed the 100-win mark in each of the last 2 season, and the bookies seem to think they have a shot at that again, as they have the Braves win total set at 100 ½ for the coming season.

The Braves sit behind the Dodgers in the bookies odds for the NL pennant, sitting at +295, while the Dodgers are at +182. Like their opponents, the regular season does not seem to be the issue. It’s getting past the opening round of the playoffs and going on a deep run that is what is demanded of this team.

Houston Astros (+830)

If you want to talk about consistency over the last few years, you need to talk about the Houston Astros. Yes, the whole sign stealing saga might blight their achievements in the eyes of some fans, but they have won regularly even when not using underhand tactics. Since 2017, the Astros have been to the World Series no less than 4 times, ending up as the champion on 2 of those occasions. They came very close to making it 5 last year, falling in the ALCS to the Rangers in 7 games.

While you could make an argument that the Astros play in a weaker division, you still cannot discount what they have done once they get to the postseason. Is that something they can do again this year? There are some concerns, one of which is that the 90 wins the Astros had last season was the lowest they had in that 7-season stretch, discounting the COVID year, so is this a team seeing their window of opportunity begin to close? Their win total for this year is set at 92 ½, which, if they hit that number, will likely be enough to win them the West again and get them into the playoffs. The Yankees figure to be better this year, and the Rangers are not going anywhere, so getting out of the AL and into the World Series will not be easy for Houston.

Outside The Top 3

If you don’t really fancy any of the 3 teams listed above to win it all, there are some good dark horse options available. You have the New York Yankees at +940, the Texas Rangers at +1300, which looks like a steal to me, and the Baltimore Orioles at +1350. Who do you like from this batch or are you looking elsewhere?

MLB World Series Betting Update: Top 3 Favorites to Win

With the summer coming to an end, it’s time to turn our minds toward the Major League Baseball postseason. While we’re seeing some teams making some leaps toward the top of their divisions, the oddsmakers have kept the favorites the same. Let’s take a look at the top three favorites to win the Fall Classic this season, along with their MLB World Series odds.

Los Angeles Dodgers +260

How ironic is it that the Dodgers are the favorites to win the World Series, yet they aren’t even leading their own division? The Dodgers have been hot as of late, going 9-1 in their last ten games and trimming the San Francisco Giants division lead down to 1.5 games.

When the Dodgers acquired Trea Turner and Max Scherzer from the Washington Nationals, many felt that this move put them over the top. They will now boast a starting rotation of Scherzer, Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, and, when he returns, Clayton Kershaw. This could be a deadly group for opponents to deal with in the postseason.

As for the Dodgers offense, we’re not sure that there’s a better group in baseball. Turner has been on fire, and he has a dynamic group of hitters behind him. Max Muncy, Mookie Betts, Justin Turner, and Corey Seager have a lot of punch. If last year’s World Series MVP, Cody Bellinger, can shake out of his season-long slump, it’ll be hard to stop Los Angeles.

The one Dodger weakness is the bullpen. Closer Kenley Jansen has had some issues closing games this year, and the rest of the bullpen has had their moments as well. If they can get things figured out, that will go a long way in helping the Dodgers win it all.

Houston Astros +450

Houston is out to prove to everyone that they have put the cheating issues behind them and that they can win a World Series fair and square. The Astros have a well-balanced squad. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa have led a powerful Houston offense. Houston’s offense leads baseball in batting average and are near the top in OBP, slugging percentage, RBI’s, and home runs.

The pitching staff has been quite good this season. They have a rotation full of power arms that can strike people out at a high rate. Houston solidified their already strong bullpen at the trade deadline by acquiring Kendall Gravemen from the Seattle Mariners.

Houston’s starters know that when they turn the game over to the bullpen that the game is in good hands.

Chicago White Sox +650

What a turnaround it has been for the White Sox. They tore down a team a few years ago and built this team from the ground up. Led by Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu, and a group of young sluggers, the White Sox offense has put up tremendous numbers this season.

The White Sox have put together a stellar starting pitching staff. Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Carlos Rodon, Dallas Keuchel, and Dylan Cease could be the best rotation in baseball. They’ll be tough to handle in the postseason.

Put them together with a group of flamethrowers in the bullpen, and it’ll be tough for their opponents to score runs. The acquisition of Craig Kimbrel at the trade deadline made their already stellar bullpen a lot stronger.