The 2021 MLB season is days away and with Opening Day coming up on April 1, oddsmakers are listing the Los Angeles Dodgers as the betting favorites in MLB World Series odds.
The Dodgers are +300 betting favorites to win the 2021 World Series and be the first team to go back to back since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000. The Dodgers continued to flex their financial muscle in the offseason by adding reigning National League Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer to their stable of stud starting pitching.
Speaking of the Yankees, they’re next on the oddsboard at +550 in 2021 World Series odds and added another ace starting pitcher in Corey Kluber in an effort to retool in free agency.
The next team on the list in World Series odds is the San Diego Padres (+800), who may have had the busiest offseason of any MLB team by acquiring pitchers Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove to bolster their starting rotation.
Who Is The Favorite To Win 2021 World Series?
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +300 |
| New York Yankees | +550 |
| San Diego Padres | +800 |
| Chicago White Sox | +1000 |
| Atlanta Braves | +1000 |
| New York Mets | +1100 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | +1600 |
| Minnesota Twins | +2000 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | +2500 |
| Houston Astros | +2500 |
| Oakland Athletics | +2800 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +2800 |
| Washington Nationals | +3000 |
| Boston Red Sox | +4000 |
| Los Angeles Angels | +4000 |
| Cincinnati Reds | +4500 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | +4500 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | +5000 |
| Cleveland Indians | +5000 |
| Chicago Cubs | +5500 |
| Miami Marlins | +8000 |
| San Francisco Giants | +8000 |
| Kansas City Royals | +8000 |
| Seattle Mariners | +10000 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | +12500 |
| Baltimore Orioles | +12500 |
| Detroit Tigers | +15000 |
| Texas Rangers | +15000 |
| Colorado Rockies | +20000 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | +25000 |
Why Are The Los Angeles Dodgers Favored To Win The 2021 World Series?
Finally getting the monkey off their back and winning their first World Series since 1988, the Los Angeles Dodgers are primed for another run in 2021. Nearly all of their players are signed for the upcoming season with the recent re-signing of 3B Justin Turner.
Turner aside, it was the signing of starting pitcher Trevor Bauer that immediately stood out as the biggest move of the offseason. Bauer is fresh off winning the National League Cy Young and it can be argued he’s the Dodgers’ third-best starting pitcher. That’s because the starting staff is anchored by emerging ace Walker Buehler and the redeemed Clayton Kershaw. Add LHP David Price, who is coming back this season after opting out in 2020, and this rotation is scary.
The Bauer signing just shows the embarrassment of riches that Dodgers ownership possesses. Bauer would be an ace on 90 percent of MLB teams and is coming off a career year in 2020 with a 1.73 ERA in 11 starts for Cincinnati.
At +300 in World Series odds, it’s not the best value at this stage to take LA because there are a lot of unanswered questions about how the 2021 season will shape up. However, the one question we certainly have an answer to is which team has the best starting pitching. That answer is the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yankees Retool for World Series Run
Although the New York Yankees struggled to close the 2020 regular season, don’t get it twisted – they’re still the best team in the American League. The Yankees obviously boast a daunting batting order for opposing pitchers with the likes of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Luke Voit, etc. The Yankees have enough power to field two batting lineups.
Their Achilles heel in 2020 was starting pitching. As great as Gerrit Cole is, he can only pitch every four or five days and it was a bit of a challenge for the Yanks to find a reliable second starter. Enter Corey Kluber.
Look, I’m not going to pretend Kluber is going to be Cy Young material again after being hurt for most of 2020 but he’ll instantly become the second-best starting pitcher on the roster. And New York also swindled the Pirates by acquiring Jameson Taillon for peanuts; he’ll fit in as the third starter.
At this point, you know the Yankees are making the postseason so when betting on the Bronx Bombers in 2021 World Series odds, try to project who they may see in the playoffs. The Rays, Athletics and Astros all took a step back while the teams that could challenge them are the White Sox and Blue Jays. In a seven-game series against either of those clubs, the Yankees are the team to beat in the American League.
Will Padres Challenge Dodgers in National League?
The San Diego Padres were one of the more fun teams to watch on a game-to-game basis last season because their talent made it look like they were having fun and just happy to be there. Well, the fun is over because Padres management made some huge win-now moves by restocking the starting rotation with an eye on the 2021 World Series title.
The Padres have a solid batting order led by NL MVP candidates Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. The latter may be the most exciting player in the game today with his outstanding defense coupled with his ability to hit for power. The Padres were in the top five in MLB in a number of offensive categories last year, including home runs, RBIs, OPS and total bases.
San Diego has legit momentum heading into the 2021 season. The newly acquired trio of Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove have the ability to shut down opposing batting orders, especially in pitcher-friendly Petco Park. If they can be 80 percent of the pitchers they were last season and SP Chris Paddack continues his ascension, the Padres may end up having the best record in MLB by the conclusion of the season.
