Before dropping three straight to the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays had won nine straight games.
Even with the modest losing streak, Tampa has a firm hold on the AL East, leading the New York Yankees by 5.5 games (and yet, the Bronx Bombers are still being given more grace in the World Series odds).
The Rays have always seemed anomalous. On paper, this doesn't look or feel like a championship team. However, like the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL, the Rays have used their modest team budget and expert scouting well to eclipse expectations once again.
MLB odds still have the Los Angeles Dodgers as the overall favorites, though they've gone from +150 to past +200 over the course of their recent fallow stretch. Still, that wildly mirrors their summertime slump from a year ago, and we all know how that ended.
2026 World Series winner odds
| Player |  |
|---|---|
 Los Angeles Dodgers |
+213 |
 New York Yankees |
+809 |
 Milwaukee Brewers |
+1049 |
 Tampa Bay Rays |
+1120 |
 Atlanta Braves |
+1415 |
 Chicago Cubs |
+1567 |
 Boston Red Sox |
+1752 |
 Philadelphia Phillies |
+2464 |
 Houston Astros |
+3025 |
 San Diego Padres |
+3126 |
Odds last updated on 8-17. Odds from Polymarket. Use our Polymarket promo code (COVERS) for a $50 trading bonus when you deposit at least $20 as a new user.
MLB World Series futures predictions
The Los Angeles Dodgers are rightly favored to win the World Series, and you can certainly justify wagering on them at +200 with a rotation that now features Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto at the top.
| Bet | Odds | Bet date | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves |
+1100 | May 11 | 0.5 |
 Detroit Tigers |
+2500 | February 26 | 0.25 |
The Atlanta Braves are more or less healthy, and while the rotation depth is wanting, Spencer Schwellenbach may return before the end of the season. Spencer Strider, on the other hand, might be a reliever and might not return at all.
Both predictions are still alive, though, and the Braves have a 7.5-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Central, offering a strong cushion. For a team that has this clear a path to October, I like the current odds around +1400.
As for the Detroit Tigers, they're four games under .500 but are only one game out of the final AL Wild Card. Losing three straight over the weekend hurts, but this team is better than its record, with or without Tarik Skubal.
The Tigers still have the second-best run differential in the AL, trailing only the Yankees.
Previous World Series picks thread
5-11: Braves
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
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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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 |
World Series Odds FAQs
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the current betting favorites over the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies.
The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games to win the 2025 World Series.
The World Series has been a best-of-seven series with a 2-3-2 format since 1922.
Since 2017, home-field advantage has been awarded to the team with the better winning percentage in the regular season.
The cash-strapped Florida Marlins entered the 2003 season with +7,500 odds to win it all after finishing four games below .500 the year before. Oddsmakers seemed to be right as the club got off to a sluggish 16-22 start, but a managerial change and some inspired play led to a second half surge and the Fish downed the heavily-favored Yankees in six games in the Fall Classic.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have the best odds to win the 2026 World Series after winning in 2024 and 2025.
World Series odds are calculated based on a team’s perceived likelihood of winning, factoring in metrics like roster strength, pitching depth, injuries, schedule difficulty, betting volume, and historical performance. Oddsmakers use advanced models and market trends to set the opening lines. As the season progresses and bets come in, the odds shift to reflect team performance and public sentiment.
Preseason favorites win the World Series far less often than you'd expect. In the last 20 seasons, only a handful of top preseason favorites have gone on to win it all. Baseball is highly unpredictable, with injuries, midseason trades, and postseason volatility playing a huge role. Underdogs like the 2023 Texas Rangers (+5000 preseason) have proven that even long shots can go the distance.
Yes, most sportsbooks offer World Series MVP odds once the Fall Classic matchup is set. You can bet on individual players before the series begins. As games are played, live MVP odds may be updated. Keep in mind, only players from the two World Series teams are eligible, and the award is often based on clutch performance, stats, and narrative impact across the series.
