The 2024 MLB season ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the World Series against the New York Yankees. The MLB World Series odds have the Dodgers favored to become the first team since the 2000 New York Yankees repeated as World Series champions. The Dodgers failed to reach the World Series the last three times after winning the MLB title.
The Dodgers lead the way at +350 in the MLB World Series odds. The Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees are tied at +750 for the second-shortest MLB championship odds.
The odds will likely change as the high-profile free agents find homes so keep checking out the MLB futures odds in the coming weeks.
Top Challengers in the MLB World Series Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers strengthened its pitching staff by signing Blake Snell. National League Most Valuable Player Shohei Ohtani will be available to pitch and that was not the case during his first season with the Dodgers. It is no wonder that the Dodgers are listed by the MLB odds as the team to beat.
Ohtani is the first player in MLB history with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season. What will he do for an encore?
Mookie Betts, World Series hero Freddie Freeman and Will Smith are among the other big hitters in the Dodgers lineup. The Dodgers are priced at +200 to win the National League per the MLB pennant odds.
As a result of injuries, only Gavin Stone won at least 10 games during the regular season. There will be more options when it comes to the starting pitching. Repeating as World Series is a pretty challenging feat but the Dodgers have all the pieces to do it again.
Atlanta Braves
Injuries caught up to the Braves as Atlanta went out early in the 2024 playoffs.
The big blow was Ronald Acuna Jr. being limited to 49 games. There is a report that Acuna may not be ready for the start of the 2025 season but he will be in the lineup sooner rather than later.
Ace pitcher Spencer Strider was lost early in the season as well.
Marcell Ozuna picked up the slack with a huge season. Michael Harris II, Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies combined to miss 167 games.
Chris Sale won the National League Cy Young as he led the NL with 18 wins, 225 strikeouts and a 2.38 ERA. Sale and Strider could be a dynamic 1-2 punch as the Braves are sure to be a popular pick in the MLB World Series odds.
New York Yankees
Aaron Judge won another American League MVP Award but struggled in the postseason. He will continue to be a top option in the MLB props. Anthony Rizzo is moving on and it remains to be seen what happens with outfielder Juan Soto.
Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells are among the new wave of stars for the Yankees. Having Gerrit Cole for more than 17 starts will be a step in the right direction. Carlos Rodon and AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil combined for 31 wins in 2024.
The bullpen came through in the postseason after some struggles in the regular season. Clay Holmes as the Yankees closer appears to be a thing of the past. Still, the Yankees will be a top challenger. One concern when looking at the MLB lines is that the Yankees were 36-49 against the run line as a home favorite during the 2024 season.
Phillies Look To Return To The Top
There are plenty of rumors flying around about corner infielder Alec Bohm even though he topped 90 RBIs for the second season in a row. The Phillies were in the running for the best record in the National League before losing out to the Dodgers. However, losing in four games to the division rival New York Mets in the NL Division Series was a bitter pill to swallow as the Mets advanced to the National League Championship Series.
There are plenty of 30-somethings in key roles with the Phillies. How many playoff runs are left for this group that has +1000 odds to win the World Series when looking at the MLB futures.
