World Series Odds: Longer Odds Represent Baseball Betting Value

The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers are the clear favourites to win the 2025 World Series at 5/2 in the latest baseball odds. Los Angeles has Shohei Ohtani back on the mound this year, along with a string of blockbuster offseason acquisitions, including Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki.

The online betting markets paint the Dodgers in a league of their own. No other team is shorter than 8/1 to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy in 2025. Six teams – the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, and Houston Astros – are between 8/1 and 16/1.

There is another gap between the top seven and the rest, with the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox leading the pack at 25/1. Six teams are priced at 28/1, including the 2023 champion Texas Rangers, the Detroit Tigers, and the highly talented Arizona Diamondbacks.

PECOTA projections have the Dodgers winning 103.4 games with no one else above Atlanta’s 92.7. The Chicago Cubs, following their offseason trade for Kyle Tucker, are the only National League Central team projected to finish above .500. In the American League Central, less than eight games separate the top four teams.

Is Back-to-Back Really Possible?

No team has won consecutive World Series since the Yankees pulled off their three-peat at the turn of the century. The Dodgers – losing in 2017 and 2018 – are the only NL team to appear in back-to-back World Series since the Phillies won one and lost one in 2008 and 2009.

As the projections indicate, the Dodgers have by far the most talented roster in the majors. FanGraphs projects Dave Roberts’ team for 55 WAR, which is 5.6 more than any other team and 8.3 more than any NL rival.

Still, the playoffs are notoriously unpredictable. The best-case scenario for the Dodgers is having to win three series to defend their title, which leaves a lot of room for slumps, injuries, or freak performances.

There’s also the small matter of age. Their position player group is the oldest in the big leagues. The rotation is stacked with ace-level arms, and while they’re not all old yet, there is considerable injury risk for each of their starters. It would be a minor miracle of Sasaki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani, Snell, and Tyler Glasnow were all available for the playoffs.

There’s never value taking a team at this price to win the World Series before a regular-season pitch has been thrown.

Strong Divisions Create Uncertainty

The grouping of odds for teams behind the Dodgers is partly down to the strength of the two east divisions. There are three legitimate contenders in each division. In the AL, the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays are looking to contend, too.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Mets, Braves, or Phillies missed the playoffs. The trio are going to take games off one another, and there is very little to choose between them, despite PECOTA having the Phils tabbed for 86 wins.

The Yankees are clearly the strongest team in the AL East after the Orioles lost Corbin Burnes. New York is the safest World Series-winning option in the AL – as the odds suggest – but it’s not that far-fetched that they miss the postseason altogether. There is injury risk in Gerrit Cole and Max Fried, and the lineup could suddenly look uninspiring if Aaron Judge is on the injured list for a month or more.

Where Does The Value Lie?

It makes sense to look a bit further afield when trying to find preseason betting value. The Red Sox, for instance, could see their odds tumble if they start the season strongly. They are one of the favourites to land a wild-card berth after adding Alex Bregman, Garrett Crochet, and others this offseason.

At 25/1, we think Boston has a real chance to overachieve in the American League. Once they make the playoffs, their rotation has upside and the offence can go toe-to-toe with anyone.

In the NL, the Diamondbacks at 28/1 are the most appealing option. Arizona made a major upgrade with Burnes, joining Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly atop the rotation. If Corbin Carroll overcomes his sophomore slump, the Dbacks will once again be among the three or four best lineups in the majors.