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For the second straight year, the Los Angeles Dodgers aren't running away with the National League West. Entering play on Monday, May 11, the Dodgers are tied with the San Diego Padres.
Now, expectations remain different for the Dodgers (+190) and Padres (+4000) vis-a-vis their World Series odds, and L.A. won the Fall Classic last year despite not looking like a regular-season behemoth, but that gap in the number is still surprising, even if it shouldn't be.
The Padres have a +3 run differential. The Dodgers are +69.
MLB odds have the Dodgers atop the board, and likely will for the foreseeable future, even if many teams are technically above them in the overall standings.
2026 World Series winner odds
2026 World Series odds over time
Here, we'll track how the World Series odds shift throughout the offseason, free agency, spring training, and 2026 regular season.
MLB World Series futures bets
The Los Angeles Dodgers are rightly favored to win the World Series, and you can certainly justify wagering on them at +200 or thereabouts.
However, a lot can happen in a few months. Granted, even their late-season swoon didn't hurt them too much, but the Dodgers were +500 as of the Wild Card Series.
Bet
Odds
Bet date
Units
Atlanta Braves
+1100
May 11
0.5
Detroit Tigers
+2500
February 26
0.25
With Tarik Skubal out for an extended period of time, and the Detroit Tigers offense looking a bit out of sorts, I think it's worth pivoting to an alternative World Series pick. I'm going with the Atlanta Braves.
I am not buying the Tampa Bay Rays or the Athletics, two of the three AL teams with winning records, and I'm not about to commit to the Chicago Cubs with all of their concerns in the starting rotation.
But if I'm eyeing an alternative to the Dodgers, and don't want to pay a premium on the New York Yankees, I'll grab the Braves.
First of all, they have baseball's best record and the biggest division cushion. Thanks to uneven and bad play from the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, the Braves have a nine-game lead in the NL East.
At +87, Atlanta owns the best run differential. And even with Ronald Acuna Jr. sidelined, the offense keeps humming along thanks to a resurgent Matt Olson, slugging sophomore catcher Drake Baldwin, and others.
The rotation is being held together by toothpicks and super glue, but Spencer Strider finally looked more like himself, and Chris Sale continues to mow people down. Getting them anywhere close to +1000 is a gift.
Previous World Series picks thread
2-26: Tigers
This might be the Detroit Tigers' best shot at winning the Fall Classic before the window closes a tad before re-opening. Two-time American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is poised to enter free agency after the season, which would greatly diminish their chances going forward, even with fellow southpaw Framber Valdez anchoring the rotation. But with Skubal and Valdez at the front of the rotation, Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize providing solid innings in the middle, and veteran Justin Verlander returning home for one last shot at glory with the team that drafted him 22 years ago, the pitching side of things is promising enough to inspire confidence. The lineup is where risk and uncertainty come into play, which is why we can get them for +2500. Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Spencer Torkelson are more or less penciled in as the heart of the batting order, which is a bit wobbly. Colt Keith could take another step forward, and Gleyber Torres has a reasonably high floor, but the ceiling feels limited. However, the Tigers have an abundance of prospects knocking on the door of the major leagues. Shortstop Kevin McGonigle and outfielder Max Clark are the two with the most promise, and they should make their debuts fairly early on. McGonigle is a candidate to crack the Opening Day roster, while Clark is likely to arrive closer to midseason. Trey Sweeney has already had a taste, Max Anderson is probably the second baseman of Detroit's future, and Hao-Yu Lee and Jace Jung could be useful pieces from the jump. The point is, the Tigers won't mess around with Skubal's final year. And with the AL Central still in flux, Detroit has a projected 72.6% chance of reaching the postseason — the second-best odds in the American League, behind only the Seattle Mariners at 79.1% — per FanGraphs. Getting to the postseason is, obviously, the first big hurdle. And if the Tigers are in the mix at the All-Star break, management will likely add at the trade deadline, so the soft spots on the roster today won't be the same in a few months.
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World Series betting splits
Will revisit betting splits as more data is available for the 2026 World Series.
Past World Series winners
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2025 World Series by toppling the Toronto Blue Jays in an epic seven-game series.
Here are the last 10 World Series winners, along with their opening odds.
Season
Winner
Opening odds
Runner up
2025
Los Angeles Dodgers
+240
Toronto Blue Jays
2024
Los Angeles Dodgers
+350
New York Yankees
2023
Texas Rangers
+5000
Arizona Diamondbacks
2022
Houston Astros
+800
Philadelphia Phillies
2021
Atlanta Braves
+1000
Houston Astros
2020
Los Angeles Dodgers
+600
Tampa Bay Rays
2019
Washington Nationals
+1800
Houston Astros
2018
Boston Red Sox
+1200
Los Angeles Dodgers
2017
Houston Astros
+1600
Los Angeles Dodgers
2016
Chicago Cubs
+1050
Cleveland Guardians
The biggest World Series underdogs
Below are the 10 World Series-winning teams since 1985 with the longest opening odds.
Season
Winner
Opening odds
1991
Minnesota Twins
+8000
2003
Florida Marlins
+7500
2023
Texas Rangers
+5000
1987
Minnesota Twins
+5000
2013
Boston Red Sox
+4000
2002
Anaheim Angels
+4000
2010
San Francisco Giants
+2500
2005
Chicago White Sox
+2200
2008
Philadelphia Phillies
+2000
2014
San Francisco Giants
+2000
Teams with most World Series titles
Team
World Series titles
Most recent championship
New York Yankees
27
2009
St. Louis Cardinals
11
2011
Oakland A's
9
1989
Boston Red Sox
9
2018
Los Angeles Dodgers
9
2025
San Francisco Giants
8
2014
Cincinnati Reds
5
1990
Pittsburgh Pirates
5
1979
Detroit Tigers
4
1984
Atlanta Braves
4
2021
Chicago Cubs
3
2016
Baltimore Orioles
3
1983
Minnesota Twins
3
1991
Chicago White Sox
3
2005
The New York Yankees are the most decorated team in MLB history, and it isn't close. In addition to winning a whopping 27 titles, they've played in 41 World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers are second all-time with 23 World Series appearances, while the St. Louis Cardinals have won the second-most championships at 11.
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