Steve Starr
- BetOnline has released updated 2019 World Series odds for all 30 Major League Baseball teams
- The New York Yankees are favored to win the World Series
- The Bryce Harper signing has made the Phillies co-favorites in the NL with the Dodgers
With just three weeks until Opening Day, many questions are left to be answered. Will big-name free agents such as Craig Kimbrel, Dallas Keuchel, and Adam Jones eventually find new homes? Still with two full years left on his contract, will Mike Trout do everyone a favor and block Bryce Harper’s number? Will the Blue Jays call up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before he balloons to 300 lbs and reveals he’s actually Cecil Fielder’s second son?
While we’ll have to wait and see on those matters, we do have updated, fresh-from-the-oven World Series odds from BetOnline. Let’s take a look and see if we can maximize value like those handsome twin bastards from Property Brothers.
2019 World Series Odds
| Teams | Odds to Win the 2019 World Series |
|---|---|
| New York Yankees | +600 |
| Boston Red Sox | +700 |
| Houston Astros | +750 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +800 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | +800 |
| Chicago Cubs | +1200 |
| Cleveland Indians | +1200 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | +1400 |
| Washington Nationals | +1600 |
| Atlanta Braves | +1800 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | +1800 |
| New York Mets | +2000 |
| Oakland Athletics | +2800 |
| Colorado Rockies | +3300 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +3300 |
| San Diego Padres | +4000 |
| Chicago White Sox | +5000 |
| Los Angeles Angels | +5000 |
| Minnesota Twins | +5000 |
| San Francisco Giants | +5000 |
| Cincinnati Reds | +6600 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | +10000 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | +10000 |
| Seattle Mariners | +10000 |
| Texas Rangers | +20000 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | +20000 |
| Kansas City Royals | +25000 |
| Baltimore Orioles | +50000 |
| Detroit Tigers | +50000 |
| Miami Marlins | +50000 |
*All Odds taken on 03/05/19
World Series Favorite: New York Yankees
How do you explain all this love for the Yankees? As Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux once said, “Chicks dig the long ball.” Last year, the club’s 267 long flies broke a 21-year-old MLB record for most team home runs in one season, and big boy Aaron Judge seems fairly confident they will top that feat.
The defending champion Red Sox have the next best odds (+700) to win the World Series with the 2017 champion Houston Astros close behind (+750).
“You get this whole team healthy, we’re going to crush the record that we set last year” — Aaron Judge https://t.co/i03iYIw3ZQ
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) March 5, 2019
NL Contenders: Dodgers and Phillies
Despite Bryce Harper’s “burning desire to bring a title back to D.C.,” his Phillies are actually co-favored with the Dodgers, losers of the 2017 and 2018 World Series, as the best National League bets to bring home the championship. Speaking of the Dodgers, is there any chance Patriots owner Robert “John” Kraft could use the Larry David defence in court?
AL Value Bet: Cleveland Indians
After three straight AL Central titles, expectations are tempered for Cleveland after losing catcher Yan Gomes, DH Edwin Encarnacion and infielders Yonder Alonso and Yandi Diaz, among others.
But the “sky’s the limit” with this starting rotation. Last year, the Indians became the first team in MLB history to have four pitchers (Trevor Bauer, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Mike Clevinger) register 200 or more strikeouts in the same season, and in 2019 many believe Shane “no relation” Bieber can be the fifth.
Not to mention the fact that shortstop Francisco Lindor and third baseman José Ramírez placed fourth and fifth, respectively, on Sports Illustrated’s MLB Top 100 Players 2019 list.
NL Value Bet: Milwaukee Brewers
Since I already tabbed the Cardinals and Nationals as nice bets to win their divisions, I’ll dig slightly deeper into the batting box and make the case for Milwaukee. First, I was impressed that Bernie Brewer shaved off his ‘stache for a good cause this winter. That’s instant good karma right there.
Check out @MagnumPICBS at 9/8C tonight. I’m not the best, but also not the worst actor you’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/ph3XVfcLae
— Christian Yelich (@ChristianYelich) March 4, 2019
Secondly, I believe reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich deserves the Emmy for his challenging cameo role in the new Magnum P.I. where he manages to flirt with an attractive blonde, swat a dinger, and listen to some Springsteen, all in under two minutes of screen time. Lastly, 18-1 odds is incredible value considering the Brewers added baseball’s top defensive catcher, Yasmani Grandal, to go along with an already formidable bullpen.
