An Updated Look at the Current MLB Odds to Win the World Series
Scott Morris | September 11, 2014
It’s hard to believe but we are merely a few weeks away from the end of the 2014 Major League Baseball season. It’s been a great season. Hopefully you’ve made some money. Now that we’re getting close to the finish line, I want to give you a chance to make some more money – or get back above even for the season. Here is a look at the current odds to win the World Series and my “best bets” and “value bets”:
| Team | Odds |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 9/2 |
| Oakland Athletics | 9/2 |
| Washington Nationals | 6/1 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 7/1 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 7/1 |
| Detroit Tigers | 8/1 |
| Kansas City Royals | 10/1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 12/1 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 15/1 |
| Seattle Mariners | 20/1 |
| San Francisco Giants | 22/1 |
| Atlanta Braves | 30/1 |
| New York Yankees | 40/1 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 50/1 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 60/1 |
| Cleveland Indians | 75/1 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 75/1 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 100/1 |
| Miami Marlins | 100/1 |
| New York Mets | 500/1 |
| San Diego Padres | 2000/1 |
| Boston Red Sox | 5000/1 |
| Chicago Cubs | 5000/1 |
| Chicago White Sox | 5000/1 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 5000/1 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 9000/1 |
| Colorado Rockies | 9000/1 |
| Houston Astros | 9000/1 |
| Minnesota Twins | 9000/1 |
| Texas Rangers | 9000/1 |
Obviously, most of the teams on that list aren’t going to win the World Series. Texas, Minnesota, Houston, etc – they’re nearly mathematically eliminated. Before we decide on teams to win the World Series, let’s go over the teams with serious playoff chances:
AL Teams: Los Angeles Angels (lock), Baltimore (lock), Kansas City (likely), Oakland (likely), Seattle (decent chance), Detroit (decent chance). New York is not included because they are F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D, finished.
NL Teams: Washington (lock), St. Louis (lock), Los Angeles (lock), San Francisco (likely), Atlanta (decent chance), Pittsburgh (decent chance), Milwaukee (decent chance).
Best Bets and Value Bets
Just because a team has the best record doesn’t mean they’re going to win the World Series. As we’ve seen so many times in year’s past, it’s more about match-ups and the team that is playing the best baseball and healthiest once the playoffs come around.
Los Angeles Dodgers have been the favorite nearly from start to finish. At 9/2, you won’t make much off them. But they just might be the best bet. Los Angeles is absolutely stacked even though they have been fairly inconsistent this year. As long as Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp stay healthy, this is a very solid lineup. But the strength of the Dodgers is – of course – the greatest pitcher in baseball, Clayton Kershaw. He’s one of the best pitchers we will ever see. And even though he hasn’t performed well in the postseason thus far in his career, he’s still the type of pitcher that can carry a team in the playoffs.
Oakland is an interesting team. They remain one of the favorites because their pitching staff is as talented as any. But they’ve played really bad baseball for the past month. However, there’s still time for them to get hot before the postseason. With that said, Oakland isn’t one of my best bets because there isn’t much value there and the A’s never play well in the postseason.
The best bet is the Los Angeles Dodgers. The best ‘value’ bet is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Angels – at 7/1 – are a great value bet because they have the talent to win it all and you are getting good odds. My only concern with the Angels is can they replace Garrett Richards in the postseason? His injury will force Jered Weaver to become the “ace” he once was. The World Series very well could be a Southern California battle.
