The 2024 Major League Baseball season ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers topping the New York Yankees to win the MLB World Series. While some players have come and gone from both teams, they are still among the teams to beat heading into the 2025 MLB season.
Even though no team has won back-to-back World Series titles since the 2000 New York Yankees, the MLB odds list the Dodgers as the betting favorite, as the 2025 roster might be even more imposing than the group that just led the Dodgers to their first World Series title since 1988.
The Dodgers will start the season with games on Mar. 18 and 19 against the Chicago Cubs in the Tokyo Series. The Dodgers are priced by the MLB spread at -160 to win their season opener, with -105 odds for the game to land over the 8.5-run total.
You don’t have to wait until the World Series to get going to start your online betting. Let’s look at the options when making MLB series bets going into the 2025 MLB season.
Looking At The MLB Series Prices
Keep An Eye On Pitching Matchups
In a three-game series, the winner of the series could come down to the final game. For those who love to bet the underdogs, going with an underdog to win a series could help avoid running into an ace pitcher.
If the Atlanta Braves opt to use the series finale as a bullpen game, that could offer more value than trying to make money when reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale takes the mound in the first or second game of the series.
If the New York Yankees are playing the Chicago White Sox, picking the Yankees to win the games outright will not offer much value. However, it could be a different story regarding the MLB series prices.
Favorites Can’t Be Ignored
Picking favorites to win individual games might offer some value, but some are quick to check out the MLB series prices.
The Moneyline might be more tempting to win the series than to take individual games.
Buyer beware. Tread carefully when division rivals are meeting. Even if the Yankees are 12 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the MLB standings, when those teams get together, assuming the favored will take care of business can be risky
Remember that before partaking in MLB picks and parlays.
Do Your Research
With players coming and going, just checking out past head-to-head results between teams heading into a series might not tell the whole story.
If a new starting pitcher was acquired in the offseason, how he fared against the hitters could be a key part of the MLB series odds.
Injuries can also impact the odds. If a starting pitcher or two are out of action or a team is missing a couple of important hitters, that can sway the action one way or the other.
Which team has won the most World Series titles?
The New York Yankees have won a record 27 World Series titles.
Who are the MVP favorites?
Aaron Judge (+300) is the American League MVP favorite. Shohei Ohtani (+185) is favored in the National League.
Who is a pitcher to watch?
Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates is priced at +225 in the National League Cy Young odds.
Who has the shortest Rookie of the Year odds?
Jasson Dominguez of the Yankees (+350) is favored as the American League Rookie of the Year. Roki Sasaki (+200) is the National League favorite.
