Updated 2016 World Series Odds (Oct. 24th)

Yes, there’ll be plenty of history on the line in the 2016 World Series, but there’s also be plenty to gain or lose in the 2016 World Series odds. The Chicago Cubs are looking to break their much-talked- about 108-year World Series drought, the longest current dry spell in the Majors, and the Cleveland Indians follow them with a not-so- distant 68-year drought, the second-longest current championship drought in baseball. Whoever comes on top when all is said and done after 4, 5, 6 or 7 games is, therefore, sure to make a lot of people happy and proud. But do the guys in Vegas have to say about everything?

Updated 2016 World Series Odds (Oct. 24th)

108 years. The @Cubs are FOUR wins away from preventing 109. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/UnVPUVKb99

— MLB (@MLB) October 24, 2016

Well, ahead of Game 1 of the World Series, which is set to feature Cleveland’s breaking-ball expert Corey Kluber against Chicago’s ever-sensational ace Jon Lester, the Cubs have been installed as strong MLB betting favorite to win it all at odds that range between -180 and -200 in various books. The Tribe spot a value of +150 to +170 across various sportsbooks.

Making a Case for the Cubs to Win the World Series

The Cubbies being favored highly is, of course, not a surprise or even an exaggeration of any kind. Since spring training to the regular season where they won an MLB-best 103 games, and now in the playoffs where they breezed past the Giants and showed coolness-under- fire in the NLCS victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers; the Cubs have been the inarguable class of the league, and it hasn’t even been that close even when they somehow sputtered down the stretch of the regular season. More than just their numbers so far, the Cubs also have a hell of manager and players who are totally committed into taking the team all the way to the grandest MLB title. Joe Maddon is an expert at everything he does, from good communication and motivation to making solid decisions from the sidelines. Maddon also boasts of a slight head-to- head edge over Indians’ manager Terry “Tito” Francona, with a 69-64 advantage in their 133 career meetings, including a 5-3 edge in the postseason. On the players’ side, the Cubs have a solid pitching staff, led by Lester and Kyle Hendricks in the starting rotation, and a solid Aroldis Chapman-led bullpen. Offensively, the Cub are just as good. This is affirmed by them having scored the second-most runs in the NL this year, and the playoff-best 43 runs the team has scored through 9 postseason games, thanks to a strong showcase from NLCS co-MVP Javier Baez and decent contributions from the likes of Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell.

Making a Case for Cleveland to Win the World Series

Even with Chicago looking hotly primed to win it all, bettors should be careful about underestimating Cleveland’s chances, as the Indians have a lot of things going on in their favor, as well. For one, Francona is easily one of the best managers in the game. Even with Maddon owning an edge in his past meetings against Francona, the Tribe manager has had career worthy of a Hall-of- Famer, winning three pennants, collecting 1,381 wins and stellar a .533 winning percentage that includes a flawless 8-0 record in the World Series to go along with two championship rings. And after helping Boston to end an 86-year World Series drought, Francona should definitely fancy his chances of ending the 67-year drought in Cleveland. Offensively, the Indians have been no slouches, either, scoring 27 runs in eight games. But the biggest advantage for Cleveland has been the team’s stellar pitching in the postseason, where the Indians have won seven of eight playoff games while allowing a paltry 1.9 runs per game. Key to this strong pitching has been a balanced between fine performance from starters like Kluber and Josh Tomlin, and a very solid output from the Tribe relievers who posted a 1.64 ERA in eight postseason games, led by Andrew Miller. In the AL Championship Series against the Blue Jays, for example, Miller starred by striking out 14 in 7 2/3 innings while allowing just three hits and zero runs. With Chicago’s offense known for spells of sometimes going cold, for instance the Cubs were shut out (with only one extra base hit) in their two losses against the Dodgers, the Tribe fans should be extremely motivated for a chance to ride on their solid postseason pitching en route to a potential championship.

Final Verdict

The Cubs have the upper hand in offense while the Indians get the better node in pitching, so it will be interesting to see how things pan out in the World Series. And, as usual, the World Series is always full of surprises, and the possible return of injured players like Cleveland’s starting pitcher Danny Salazar and Chicago’s hitter Kyle Schwarber could easily spur some unexpected turn of events. All said, the Cubs appear to have better momentum and motivation to end their drought, but with Cleveland playing some really good baseball, it wouldn’t be a shocker if the underrated Tribe comes out on top. Writer’s World Series Pick: Cleveland Wins in 7