MLB Odds – Updated World Series Futures (Post-Deadline Edition)

The MLB’s non-waiver trade deadline has officially passed, thus closing the books on any more major roster moves. Other than minor league call-ups, what you see is what you get with MLB rosters. And with a lot of uncertainty gone, World Series favorites have split into two familiar groups: “the haves” and the “have-nots.”

When we updated the futures in June, most of the teams near the top were already holding down playoff spots. Strong deadline additions by the Royals and the Dodgers solidified their position at the top of the World Series contenders. While the Cardinals didn’t make any flashy trades, Brandon Moss, Steve Cishek and Jonathan Broxton were good depth moves for a team with tons of experience winning in the postseason.

The biggest movers up the list were a pair of AL East teams, though they jumped for two very different reasons. The Blue Jays were the consensus winners of the Trade Deadline, adding (arguably) the best shortstop in all of baseball in Troy Tulowitzki along with David Price, easily the best pitcher in the American League over the past five years. Those trades, coupled with some moves which shored up the pen, have the Jays looking like a team that can do more than score runs; they now look like a balanced squad that could win it all.

New York, in a very un-Yankee-like-fashion, only added Chase Headley at the deadline. Despite few additions and the loss of Michael Pineda, they’ve kept on chugging, scoring 62 runs over the past week, proving the Jays aren’t the only offense to fear in the MLB.

Though both teams are in the thick of the wild-card race in the AL, Minnesota and Baltimore join the “have-nots” as they don’t look like teams that have the horses to stay in the race all the way to the finish.

In the NL, the Cubs, Pirates, Giants, Nationals, and Mets are all getting good odds after busy deadlines of their own; but at least one of these teams will be watching the playoffs from home.

Here’s the entire list of World Series futures for the MLB’s stretch-run. In case you’re too lazy to look up the old ones, we’ve included the odds from June 23 in parentheses.

Current 2015 World Series Futures:

• Kansas City Royals – 9/2 (15/2)
• Los Angeles Dodgers – 7/1 (15/2)
• St. Louis Cardinals – 8/1 (no change)
• New York Yankees – 9/1 (18/1)
• Toronto Blue Jays – 9/1 (28/1)
• Washington Nationals – 12/1 (15/2)
• San Francisco Giants – 12/1 (11/1)
• Houston Astros – 12/1 (16/1)
• New York Mets – 12/1 (22/1)
• Chicago Cubs – 16/1 (14/1)
• Pittsburgh Pirates – 16/1 (14/1)
• Los Angeles Angels – 16/1 (25/1)
• Detroit Tigers – 40/1 (14/1)
• Baltimore Orioles – 40/1 (28/1)
• Minnesota Twins – 40/1 (33/1)
• Tampa Bay Rays – 50/1 (25/1)
• San Diego Padres – 50/1 (33/1)
• Texas Rangers – 66/1 (25/1)
• Cleveland Indians – 66/1 (28/1)
• Boston Red Sox – 66/1 (33/1)
• Chicago White Sox – 66/1 (50/1)
• Seattle Mariners – 100/1 (40/1)
• Arizona Diamondbacks – 100/1 (250/1)
• Oakland Athletics – 200/1 (66/1)
• Atlanta Braves – 200/1 (75/1)
• Cincinnati Reds – 300/1 (150/1)
• Colorado Rockies – 500/1 (150/1)
• Miami Marlins – 500/1 (150/1)
• Milwaukee Brewers – 500/1 (1000/1)
• Philadelphia Phillies – 1000/1 (no change)

(Photo credit: Keith Allison (flickr) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode])