The top team in baseball takes home the World Series Trophy each year. The table below tracks futures odds on every MLB team to win the upcoming World Series.
The defending champion Boston Red Sox are currently the odds-on favorites to win his year’s World Series. Their top rival in the American League, the Houston Astros, are listed just behind them. Out of the National League, the Nationals currently have the best odds to make and win the series, followed by the LA Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs.
Next we’ll look at the projected playoffs, division winners, and World Series matchup as suggested by the latest odds.
AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Indians
AL West: Astros
NL East – Nationals
NL Central – Cubs
NL West – Dodgers
ALCS: Red Sox vs Astros
NLCS: Dodgers vs Nationals
World Series: Red Sox vs Nationals
World Series Champions: Boston Red Sox
The change column represents how much the odds have improved or decreased since the last update. The +/- runs column tracks a team’s run differential throughout the season. The final column shows the normalized probability for each team to win the World Series.
| Team | 2018 Record | Division | +/- Runs | Odds | Change | World Series | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Sox | 108-54 | AL East | 1.6 | +500 | +150 | 13.83% | 16.7% |
| Astros | 103-59 | AL West | 1.7 | +700 | -50 | 10.37% | 12.5% |
| Yankees | 100-62 | AL East | 1.1 | +900 | -200 | 8.30% | 10.0% |
| Nationals | 82-80 | NL East | 0.5 | +950 | -200 | 7.90% | 9.5% |
| Dodgers | 92-71 | NL West | 1.2 | +1000 | +200 | 7.54% | 9.1% |
| Cubs | 95-68 | NL Central | 0.7 | +1000 | +200 | 7.54% | 9.1% |
| Indians | 91-71 | AL Central | 1.0 | +1400 | -200 | 5.53% | 6.7% |
| Cardinals | 88-74 | NL Central | 0.4 | +1500 | -200 | 5.19% | 6.3% |
| Brewers | 96-67 | NL Central | 0.7 | +2000 | -500 | 3.95% | 4.8% |
| Braves | 90-72 | NL East | 0.6 | +2000 | -350 | 3.95% | 4.8% |
| Phillies | 80-82 | NL East | -0.3 | +2100 | -300 | 3.77% | 4.5% |
| Mets | 77-85 | NL East | -0.2 | +2300 | +700 | 3.46% | 4.2% |
| Rockies | 91-72 | NL West | 0.2 | +2800 | +450 | 2.86% | 3.4% |
| A’s | 97-65 | AL West | 0.8 | +4000 | -750 | 2.02% | 2.4% |
| Rays | 90-72 | AL West | 0.4 | +4500 | None | 1.80% | 2.2% |
| White Sox | 62-100 | AL Central | -1.2 | +4700 | -200 | 1.73% | 2.1% |
| Angels | 80-82 | AL West | 0.0 | +5500 | None | 1.48% | 1.8% |
| Twins | 78-84 | AL Central | -0.2 | +7200 | -1200 | 1.14% | 1.4% |
| Mariners | 89-73 | AL West | -0.2 | +7500 | -500 | 1.09% | 1.3% |
| Pirates | 82-79 | NL Central | 0.0 | +8000 | -1000 | 1.02% | 1.2% |
| Reds | 67-95 | NL Central | -0.8 | +8500 | -1500 | 0.96% | 1.2% |
| Blue Juays | 73-89 | AL East | -0.8 | +9000 | -2000 | 0.91% | 1.1% |
| D-Backs | 82-80 | NL West | 0.3 | +9500 | +500 | 0.86% | 1.0% |
| Padres | 66-96 | NL West | -0.9 | +14000 | -2500 | 0.59% | 0.7% |
| Giants | 73-89 | NL West | -0.6 | +14000 | -2500 | 0.59% | 0.7% |
| Rangers | 67-95 | AL West | -0.7 | +17000 | -4500 | 0.49% | 0.6% |
| Tigers | 64-98 | AL Central | -1.0 | +25000 | -2000 | 0.33% | 0.4% |
| Royals | 58-104 | AL Central | -1.2 | +28000 | -5000 | 0.30% | 0.4% |
| Marlins | 63-98 | NL East | -1.4 | +29000 | -4500 | 0.29% | 0.3% |
| Orioles | 47-115 | AL East | -1.7 | +45000 | -13000 | 0.18% | 0.2% |
In terms of best bets on futures, we are looking at value above all else. Sometimes favorites are simply too popular to take a flier on, while betting on a longer shot to get hot at the right time and win the World Series is well worth the risk. As of the latest update, here are a few teams worth looking at.
I’m willing to bet that one of these teams ends up taking home the World Series this year. The implied odds say they are both one of the top three teams in the league, and I believe one or the other will be the best team in the entire MLB. There isn’t a huge edge here, but it’s enough to warrant an early wager on both to win the World Series. It’s likely this will be the best odds you can get on either team as the season progresses, and I’m not willing to take the chance that they will be discounted later on.