World Series Futures - Possibly Subway Series Shaping up

With baseball just around the corner, it’s time to check back into the MLB odds on some teams to win the World Series.

Now’s the time for gamblers to place their future bet wagers on which teams they believe will win the World Series.

Will this year’s World Series come down to one of the teams in the biggest rivalry in sports, the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox? Or, could a surprise team in the A.L., perhaps the Tampa Bay Rays, win the series?

In the N.L. most bettors already have a strong opinion on the chances of the Philadelphia Phillies repeating.

Let’s analyze the chances of some teams to win the World Series.

MLB: World Series Futures

1. New York Yankees +400 - - The odds on the Yankees have drifted up from +300. Most of that probably has to do with Alex Rodriguez’s incredibly eventful off season. Another reason might be that pitcher A.J. Burnett wasn’t as dominant in 2008 as some thought. Looking at Burnett’s numbers, he appears very hittable. That means that the Yankees might or might not have two new “aces” on their squad. C.C. Sabbathia’s effectiveness in the A.L. is another question mark. Still, the Yankees have more positives than negatives.

2. Boston Red Sox +650 - - The Red Sox should bounce back after Josh Beckett was hurt for most of 2008. With Beckett and Dice-K back to full strength and Jason Bay returning for his second season with the Sox, Boston should be a formidable adversary to the more highly touted Yankees. Unlike the Yankees, there’s no questioning the chemistry in Boston. I like Boston this year and believe they truly do have a shot to win the World Series.

3. Chicago Cubs +800 - - The pitching staff is fantastic, Lou Pinella is a terrific manager, and the addition of Milton Bradley should help lift their bats some, but am I the only bettor who’s worried about what might happen when the Cubs are sold? This could go either way. The Ricketts family, who’s buying the club from the Tribune Co., might be more hands on owners. The might not work out so well. Then again, the Cubs might be able to use some good old fashioned familial ownership to their advantage.

4. Philadelphia Phillies +1400 - - I’ve grown chilly on the Mets for reasons that I’ve written below. That means the second best team in the N.L. to win the World Series has to be the Philadelphia Phillies. Repeating in MLB is virtually impossible, but the Phillies did exactly what they had to do by signing Ryan Howard to a long term contract over the off season. That solidified this team as a serious contender this year. The N.L. isn’t loaded with contenders. The Phillies could repeat.

5. New York Mets +800 - - The Mets have a chance to win the World Series, but I began to wonder why the Angels didn’t fight harder for Francisco Rodriguez. K-Rod is going to a different league. That could be troublesome. Johan Santana is a terrific pitcher and the rest of the Mets rotation is very good, but they’ll have to find ways to put up more runs this year and these are the Mets! They’ve failed before as favorites.