The Toronto Blue Jays have the home-field advantage over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 World Series. The only problem is that the Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani.
The two-way superstar is the overwhelming World Series MVP odds favorite ahead of Game 1, and the line should probably be even shorter.
Join me as I explain why Ohtani is the right choice for your MLB picks ahead of the 2025 Fall Classic, with Game 1 coming on Friday, October 24.
2025 World Series MVP odds
| Player |  |
|---|---|
 Shohei Ohtani |
+175 |
 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. |
+640 |
| George Springer |
+1100 |
| Freddie Freeman |
+1650 |
| Mookie Betts |
+1750 |
| Teoscar Hernandez |
+1900 |
| Blake Snell |
+1900 |
| Max Muncy |
+2100 |
| Daulton Varsho |
+2700 |
| Alejandro Kirk |
+3300 |
2025 World Series MVP predictions
Best bet: Shohei Ohtani (+175)
Yup, despite being listed at relatively short odds, it's extremely difficult to stray from Los Angeles Dodgers two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani when projecting the World Series MVP winner.
Despite a slow start to the postseason, where he went 3-for-25 with 10 strikeouts between Game 1 of the NLDS vs. the Philadelphia Phillies through Game 3 of the NLCS vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, his Game 4 performance immediately erased any "playoff bust" narratives around the superstar.
Ohtani went 3-for-3 with three home runs while also tossing six shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out 10, to clinch a World Series berth.
This sort of potential ceiling is so astronomically high that Ohtani is the first player in decades who feels like he'd be a legitimate option even if the Dodgers lose the World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays. It's only happened once before, but Ohtani is no stranger to making history. In 2024, he became the first pure DH to ever win a regular-season MVP as he was recovering from surgery that prevented him from pitching.
So, even at short odds, I can't in good conscience recommend anyone else with much confidence. However, the best foot forward may involve waiting until after Game 1. With Blake Snell on the mound for Los Angeles, we'll have to wait for Ohtani to pitch in the series, so a lackluster showing to kick off the series could result in longer odds ahead of Game 2.
As we saw in the NLCS, he can turn the tide in a single game.
If you're looking for longer odds off the jump, the most fun narrative picks are Teoscar Hernandez (+1900) and Bo Bichette (not yet listed).
Hernandez spent several productive years with the Blue Jays before being dealt to the Seattle Mariners and subsequently signing with the Dodgers. When he was on the open market this past winter, he was a rumored target for Toronto in what would have been a reunion with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but he ultimately returned to Hollywood. A fan favorite during his time in Toronto, his winning World Series MVP would have a certain poetry to it.
However, the real Hollywood ending would be if Bichette were named to the Blue Jays' roster and pulled off a heroic effort after not playing in either the ALDS or ALCS due to injury. Expect odds to surface once the roster is announced.
Still, I am being boring and taking chalk with Ohtani. He's possibly the greatest all-around player we've ever seen, and doubting him is silly at this point.
