MLB Spring training has begun, and Opening Day is just around the corner. Let's take a look at the latest World Series odds.
The latest: To no one's surprise, the Los Angeles Dodgers are favoured to repeat after landing a haul of elite free-agent talent. The New York Yankees pace all American League teams with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets also expected to be competitive.
Check out the latest odds to win the World Series with spring training still weeks away.
World Series odds
See the latest odds to win the World Series. Click linked odds to add selection to your betslip.
The favourites: Los Angeles Dodgers (+265)
Is MLB broken? You could argue yes simply by looking at Los Angeles' pre-season odds.
The Dodgers added two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell and 23-year-old Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki (2.02 ERA in Japan Pacific League) to a rotation featuring Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May and Shohei Ohtani.
Keep in mind that Glasnow missed the World Series run due to injury and Ohtani didn't pitch at all in 2024. This championship-calibre club is getting a ton of reinforcements, which doesn't seem fair.
Los Angeles also landed 2024 all-star reliever Tanner Scott from the San Diego Padres. Scott had a 1.75 ERA and 22 saves last season and should make an immediate impact in the Dodgers bullpen.
Offensively, Ohtani is at the centre of the Dodgers' success, and he has a unanimous NL MVP award to show for it. But the returning depth is staggering, too.
Seven of the Dodgers' top eight hitters from last season (in terms of bWAR) are back in blue.
That includes Teoscar Hernandez, who slugged a career-high 33 home runs in 2024, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Blue Jays World Series odds
Toronto whiffed on Soto and Sasaki one winter after whiffing on Ohtani. And more importantly, they failed to extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before his self-imposed deadline.
The Blue Jays haven't been completely dormant this winter, to be fair. They traded for Andres Gimenez and brought in a trio of notable names via free agency: Three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, closer Jeff Hoffman and outfielder Anthony Santander.
Scherzer is in his twilight years but helps push some other arms down the rotation and Santander's bat should provide the immediate offensive boost the Blue Jays are desperate for.
The 30-year-old slugged 44 home runs last season and should slide right behind Guerrero Jr. in the batting order.
Still, the Blue Jays' +5,000 odds for the time being indicate that they're a long way from contention.
Coming off a 74-win, last-place finish in the challenging AL East, the Blue Jays head into 2025 with the potential for significant upheaval.
Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Chris Bassitt are all entering the final year of their respective contracts.
If things go awry in the first couple of months, a rebuild wouldn't be out of the question.
World Series notes
- The Yankees (+700) likely won't replace Soto's production, but they've quickly responded to the departure by bringing in star-calibre players with postseason experience. The reigning AL pennant winners signed former Braves ace Max Fried to a lucrative deal and traded for all-star closer Devin Williams. Additionally, the Yankees acquired former NL MVP Cody Bellinger to hit alongside Aaron Judge in the middle of the order.
- A back-to-back lineup tandem of Francisco Lindor and Soto is almost as daunting as Soto/Aaron Judge was last season in the Bronx. The Mets (+1,100) also retained Pete Alonso and Sean Manaea but did lose Luis Severino and Harrison Bader.
- The Royals (+3,000) had a 30-win improvement last year to become one of the most surprising teams in the field. But is it repeatable? Bobby Witt Jr. is a bonafide MVP candidate, and Cole Ragans was one of the best starters in baseball last year. If Salvador Perez and Seth Lugo can continue defying the aging curve, there might be something cooking in KC.
