Darren Myers
- The 2018 MLB postseason begins on Tuesday, October 2nd with the AL and NL Wild Card Games
- The Brewers, Cubs, Rockies, and Dodgers needed 163 games this season to determine their playoff seeding
- Will the Red Sox cap off their magical run with a World Series title?
The 2018 Major League Baseball season is officially going into extra innings. The Brewers and Cubs will square off today at Wrigley Field, and the Rockies and Dodgers will tangle at Chavez Ravine in a pair of pressure-filled play-in games to determine playoff seeding.
The mood is decidedly less tense in the American League, where the Red Sox, Indians, and Astros all clinched their respective division over a week ago. All that’s left to determine now is whether the surging Yankees or surprising A’s will emerge from the AL Wild Card Game.
We’ve looked into our crystal ball and have created new World Series odds for all 10 remaining teams.
2018 World Series Odds
| Team | Odds to Win the 2018 World Series |
|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | 4/1 |
| Houston Astros | 5/1 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 8/1 |
| Cleveland Indians | 9/1 |
| Chicago Cubs | 11/1 |
| New York Yankees | 12/1 |
| Colorado Rockies | 12/1 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 12/1 |
| Atlanta Braves | 15/1 |
| Oakland Athletics | 20/1 |
It should come as no surprise that the Red Sox are still at the top of the charts. Boston finished the 2018 season with a franchise record 107 wins and led the Majors in runs, hits, total bases, RBI, batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS.
Mookie Betts and JD Martinez have received most of the attention – and justifiably so – but Boston’s offensive onslaught was a true team effort. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts posted career-highs in home runs and RBIs, first baseman Mitch Moreland blossomed into an All-Star, and six players jacked 15 or more home runs.
Xander Bogaerts out here looking like Derek Jeter: https://t.co/UUjV6ZjQV5https://t.co/rpBOxlmoJz
— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2016
Boston is the clear-cut favourite to win the World Series, but at 4/1 odds they don’t offer much value. You’ll get slightly more bang for your buck with the Astros, who have a better staff and appear to be peaking at just the right time. The defending world champs won eight of their last 10 and went 21-6 in September.
They also addressed last year’s Achilles heel by adding Roberto Osuna to their bullpen. The controversial closer went 2-2 with 12 saves and a 1.99 ERA after being acquired from the Blue Jays on July 30th. He’s a clear upgrade over Ken Giles and addresses Houston’s one glaring weakness from a year ago.
New York Yankees Postseason Odds
| New York Yankees Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| Odds to advance past the Wild Card | 2/3 |
| Odds to advance past the ALDS | 7/3 |
| Odds to advance past the ALCS | 17/3 |
| Odds to win the World Series | 12/1 |
Few teams have been hotter lately than the Yankees, who won seven of their final 10 games, including two of three against the Red Sox. Sunday’s 10-2 defeat was a dud, but the Yankees have plenty of reasons to feel good heading into the postseason. For starters, Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks have both bounced back from injuries earlier than expected, bringing even more pop to a club that just set a Major League record with 267 taters.
The Bronx Bombers will also have the services of Aaron Judge, who appeared destined to sit out October as recently as three weeks ago. “All Rise” cleared the fences against Boston and is finally pain free after his prolonged rehab.
Oakland A’s Postseason Odds
| Oakland A’s Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| Odds to advance past the Wild Card | 3/2 |
| Odds to advance past the ALDS | 4/1 |
| Odds to advance past the ALCS | 9/1 |
| Odds to win the World Series | 20/1 |
The clock is about to strike midnight on the Oakland A’s Cinderella season. The Athletics and Yankees have remained mum on how will get the starting assignment for their Wild Card matchup, but New York has to like their odds. Luis Severino, J.A. Happ, and Masahiro Tanaka are all vastly superior to Liam Hendriks, who’s expected to get the nod for Oakland, but won’t stay on the mound for long.
Andrew McCutchen has been quietly huge for the Yankees.
w SFG: .255/.357/.415 115 wRC+
w NYY: .233/.424/.493 154 wRC+ pic.twitter.com/mJGzhwLift— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) September 26, 2018
Expect a big game from former National League MVP Andrew McCutchen, who is hitting .381 over the past seven days and finally seems to have caught up with AL pitching. The Yankees acquired “Cutch” for big moments just like.
Milwaukee Brewers Postseason Odds
| Milwaukee Brewers Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| Odds to advance past the Wild Card | 2/3 |
| Odds to advance past the NLDS | 7/3 |
| Odds to advance past the NLCS | 17/3 |
| Odds to win the World Series | 12/1 |
Milwaukee’s offense has been scary good lately. The Brewers rank second in the NL in homers, third in slugging and total bases, and fourth in OPS.
Jesus Aguilar’s 35th home run of the year gives the Brewers a 3-0 lead.
Unfortunately the Cardinals floundered and trail the Cubs 3-2 pic.twitter.com/We0WALln04
— IKE Brewers (@IKE_Brewers) September 30, 2018
By now you likely know all about Christian Yelich and his eye-popping .997 OPS, but not enough attention has been given to first baseman Jesus Aguilar, who hit .275 with 35 home runs and 108 RBIs in just his second season as a full-time player. Those aren’t just career highs, they’re over two times higher than the numbers he produced during his promising rookie campaign. The Venezuelan slugger is hitting .350 with two homers and four RBI over the last seven days and appears ready to make some serious noise in October.
