As the calendar nears mid-June in baseball season, MLB oddsmakers are getting a better idea of how good or bad teams are, then accordingly adjusting World Series odds.
Not surprisingly, the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers remain the No. 1 choice in every sportsbooks' 2021 World Series betting odds. That's despite L.A. sitting second in the very competitive NL West. While the Dodgers are fairly stable, plenty of other teams are seeing much more significant shifts in their MLB futures odds.
Let's look at the current 2021 World Series odds.
Odds to win the 2021 World Series
Odds above are up-to-date and reflect the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare MLB futures odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
World Series futures action report
Biggest climb: Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays cooled off a bit over the first few days of June, but they were flat-out on fire the second half of May. Tampa Bay tore off 11 straight wins from May 13-24, took a home loss to Kansas City, then won its next five. The 16-1 surge put the Rays atop the AL East, where they remain through June 10.
"The Rays are definitely making the biggest climb up the odds board," PointsBet USA sports analyst Mike Korn said. "Just a month ago, the Rays odds were +2,400 to win the World Series, but after these impressive last few weeks, their odds have shrunken all the way into +1,400. Coming into the season, the Rays were +2,500 to win the World Series."
Heading into the June 11 slate of games, Tampa Bay is on a superb 20-5 streak. At 39-24, the Rays own the second-best record in the majors, behind only the Giants.
Furthest fall: Los Angeles Angels
This isn't the first time this season that the Los Angeles Angels landed in this category, and it probably won't be the last. Mike Trout is in the midst of missing six to eight weeks, and while Shohei Ohtani can do a lot, he can't do it all. The Angels are 30-32 through June 10.
"After Mike Trout got injured with his calf sprain two weeks ago, we shifted the already-struggling Angels out to +6,600 to win the World Series," Korn said. "Coming into the month of May, the Angels' odds were at +3000, and the Angels came into the season at +4,000 odds."
Team to watch: New York Mets
Jacob deGrom came off the injured list on May 25 and promptly struck out nine Rockies over five innings in a 3-1 home win, which started a 5-1 run for the New York Mets. Through June 10, the Mets are on an 8-4 surge that has them atop the NL East with a 30-24 mark, the only team in the division above .500.
PointsBet USA's risk room is optimistic that the Mets will continue to improve.
"While the Mets were plagued with injuries throughout May, they managed to stay afloat and are currently up 3.5 games in the NL East," Korn said. "If the Mets can stay healthy, they are definitely a team to watch out for come fall."
Korn said the Mets entered May at +900 to win the World Series, shortened to +850, backed up to +1,000 and are now the +900 fourth choice at PointsBet USA.
Favorites to win 2021 World Series
Beyond the consensus favorite, teams at the top of the World Series odds board are starting to shuffle around as the season rolls into June. The talent-rich Los Angeles Dodgers remain PointsBet USA's 2021 World Series favorites at +350. Dodger Blue is second in the NL West, with a 37-25 mark through June 10, 1.5 games behind first-place San Francisco.
From there, positions have shifted a bit on PointsBet's World Series odds board. The New York Yankees (33-30) are no longer the No. 2 choice, sliding all the way to the +1,1.00 fifth position. Now batting second in odds to win the World Series are the Chicago White Sox (38-24) at +650, bolstered by a current 10-4 run.
The San Diego Padres (37-27) are the +700 third choice, followed by the New York Mets at +900. The Tampa Bay Rays, who went on a 16-1 spree in May and are 20-5 in their last 25 games, surged to the +1,400 sixth choice at PointsBet USA.
Understanding World Series futures odds
Sportsbooks will post odds for the World Series as early as the day after the end of the previous MLB postseason. These odds are constantly adjusted throughout the offseason as players get hurt or are suspended or traded. Once the season begins, title odds will change as often as daily as teams win and lose games and as players get hurt or suspended. Sportsbooks will also adjust MLB futures odds based on handle and liability to certain teams.
World Series futures odds will usually look like this:
- Tampa Bay Rays +210
This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to profit $210 if the Rays win the World Series. If it's close to the end of the regular season or during the playoffs and if there is a very dominant team, you might see that a team is has a minus sign (-) ahead of its odds.
- Los Angeles Dodgers -120
This means that you would need to bet $120 to win $100 on a Dodgers championship.
Above we have posted the American odds for MLB futures. However, these are easy to convert to decimal odds or fractional odds with our odds converter tool.
How to bet on MLB futures odds
There are a few different ways to bet on professional baseball futures odds. One way is by selecting the winner of the World Series. You're able to do this from basically after the final out of the previous year's World Series all the way through to next year's playoffs.
There are many other baseball futures markets to dive into as well, such as odds to win the National League and American League pennants, odds to win each division within both the NL and AL, and by taking the Over or Under on a team's total wins for the season. Some sportsbooks will also offer markets on player awards such as the MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year.
Get more baseball betting strategies in our How to Bet section and join the conversation with thousands of serious baseball bettors in our MLB Betting Forum.
Where can I bet on World Series odds?
You can bet on MLB and World Series odds at every online and casino sportsbook. Find ratings and reviews for the best sportsbooks for betting on baseball futures in your area.
