Chris Boline
Next week, Opening Day will arrive for Major League Baseball and this is something that millions of people can’t wait for. As things stand, plenty of teams are ready to make a splash for the title, but the Astros are the favorites to win the World Series in 2023 entering the first game of the campaign. Will the AL West side repeat as the champs, or will someone else come out on top?
That’s something that plenty of people keep asking themselves, as Dusty Baker’s squad sure is looking tough leading up to the start of the new campaign. Last year, the Astros shocked the world, as they cruised through the playoffs to win the WS once again. Now, despite some talent leaving the squad, Baker knows his guys still have a ton of confidence to come out on top.
| World Series odds |  |  |  |  |
| Astros to win | +600 | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Yankees to win | +700 | +700 | +700 | +700 |
| Braves to win | +750 | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Dodgers to win | +750 | +750 | +750 | +750 |
People are still talking about Justin Verlander leaving Texas for the Big Apple, as he inked a new deal with the New York Mets. This is surely going to be a tough loss for the Astros, but they have enough depth in their starting rotation to overcome that loss. Verlander is one of the best in the bigs, but Baker has full belief in his other hurlers to step up.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Astros hold +600 MLB betting odds to win the World Series this year. They’re the top dogs for a reason, as the lineup featured for this club is surely one of the best in all of baseball. As good as Houston is, though, we’re going in a different direction for our World Series winner this season.
We've struck gold. pic.twitter.com/QNSAMtRgqo
— Houston Astros (@astros) March 19, 2023
The Yankees are our pick to win the World Series this season
That’s right, we’re going with a special group from the Bronx, as the Yankees are our pick to win the World Series this season. It turned out to be an incredible offseason for New York, as they were able to keep one of the best talents in the game home: Aaron Judge. There was plenty of speculation that Judge would end up signing with a new club, with the Giants showing interest.
In the end, Jones, who belted 62 home runs last season to set the new AL record, decided to stay put with the Yankees on his massive nine-year, $360 million contract. That monster deal came after Judge took home AL MVP honors in 2022, which came as a surprise to no one. Judge is one of the best home-run hitters in the game, and he’s got huge expectations for ’23.
Not only was re-signing Judge huge, but left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon has been brought in as well. Rodon has nasty stuff and he’s going to be an issue for opposing hitters from start to finish this year. Manager Aaron Boone is thrilled to have Rodon in the AL East, as he and Gerrit Cole figure to be one of the best pitching duos this upcoming season. Cole is also a beast.
Aaron Judge with the 3 run HR tonight in Tampa! @Yankees leading the @Pirates 6-0 in the top of the 3rd inning #SpringTraining2023 #MLB pic.twitter.com/bchQdiCWEt
— Eric Spracklen🇺🇸 (@EricSpracklen) March 7, 2023
Per the oddsmakers, the Yankees hold +700 World Series betting odds, as they’re behind the Astros right now. If these two teams face off in the ALCS, the Yankees will surely have revenge on their minds after Houston eliminated them from the playoffs last season. Our gut tells us the Bronx Bombers will do exactly that, and then they’ll go on to take down whoever wins the NLCS in the World Series as well.
Who will end up winning the National League?
While a lot of the focus right now is on the Yankees and Astros, with us taking New York to capture the glory, a lot of people are wondering who will end up winning the National League? Leading up to Game 1 of the new season, a lot of eyes are going to be on the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers. These two clubs are very evenly matched up.
Starting with the Dodgers, guys like Mookie Betts, Justin Turner, Clayton Kershaw, Freddie Freeman, J.D. Martinez and more are ready to make a huge splash this season. Martinez is ready to prove a lot of his doubters wrong, as he just signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Dodgers early this offseason. He is ready to try and help LA win the World Series.
Meanwhile for the Braves, you can’t say enough good things about the job manager Brian Snitker has done for this team ever since he took over. There’s loads of young talent, of course highlighted by Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albiez. However, you can’t forget about veteran playmakers like Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson. Just like the Dodgers, the Braves are stacked with talent.
From our chair, it’s really a close battle between these two teams, as they both have what it takes to win the NLCS later this year. It almost feels like a coin flip. Regardless, either of these two squads could prove to give the Yankees issues in the Fall Classic. However, we’re still going to stay strong with our pick of the Yankees winning it all, but keep an eye on the Braves and Dodgers moving forward.
