It’s been a long time since the San Diego Padres have been viewed as contenders. After all, since their 1969 founding, they have exactly five National League West titles, the most recent coming 15 years ago, and they have made two appearances in a World Series, none since 1998. However, they made the playoffs as a wild card entry last season and have not rested since, adding Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove to a rotation that already included Dinelson Limet. The Padres have more talent now than anyone else in Major League Baseball…except for the Los Angeles Dodgers — a team in their own division.
As you consider sports betting on MLB futures, let’s look at some early odds for each team to win the World Series this year.
MLB News: Way Too Early World Series Odds
| Team | Odds |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +400 |
| New York Yankees | +600 |
| San Diego Padres | +900 |
| Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox | +1000 |
| New York Mets | +1200 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +1400 |
| Oakland A’s, Minnesota Twins | +1600 |
| Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals | +2200 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | +2500 |
| Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers | +3000 |
| Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals | +3500 |
| Los Angeles Angels | +4000 |
| Boston Red Sox | +5000 |
| Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners | +8000 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers | +10000 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | +15000 |
The Dodgers did lose Joc Pederson, Kike Hernandez and some relief pitches to free agency, but they added Trevor Bauer to their rotation, and David Price will make his debut as a starter after he opted out of 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. The battle between the Dodgers and the Padres will be an intriguing one to watch.
The Yankees are the latest team to take a gamble on former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, who only lasted an inning or so with Texas last season. They also added Jameson Taillon to the starting rotation, along with journeyman reliever Darren O’Day, the submariner. Their 2020 season was particularly impressive given the injuries to Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge. The Yankees have depth in terms of quantity in their pitching staff, but they really do not have a true ace yet.
Atlanta added two veteran starting pitchers in Drew Smyly and Charlie Morton, and given that the Braves almost got by the Dodgers in the NLCS with Max Fried, a converted reliever and three rookies in their rotation, their shot this year seems even better. However, their bench is the weakest of any of the contenders, and they will be fortunate to hit as well as they did again in 2021.
The White Sox added Lance Lynn from Texas to bolster their starting rotation, joining Dallas Keuchel and Lucas Giolotoand they brought in Liam Hendriks to close games. Alex Eaton provides a bat in the outfield, and the White Sox also bring back last year’s AL MVP, Jose Abreu. Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez have had a season to add experience and look like future All-Stars.
Minnesota won the AL Central a year ago, and they lost Eddie Rosario, but they added starter J.A. Happ, reliever Alex Colome and shortstop Andrelton Simmons. The Twins’ relievers were third in MLB in fWAR in 2020, and while some of those pitchers left, Alex Colome should bring stability.
The Mets added a lot of pieces around starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, as they inked Carlos Carrasco and Joey Lucchesi to their rotation, as well as shortstop Francisco Lindor and catcher James McCann. Can they vault past Washington — and contend with Atlanta? They spent enough money to do so, so we will see if the players can earn that money.
MLB Betting Odds
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