It looks like the reconstructive elbow surgery that Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani underwent in the off-season has paid off. In his first batting practice session against live pitching since the operation, he sent a fastball from reliever J.P. Feyereisen over the wall in right-center field. He will not play on Thursday when the Dodgers open spring play against the San Diego Padres, but he will take part in games before the Dodgers and Padres head to Korea, where they will play a two-game series on March 20 and 21. The Dodgers have sunk $700 million in Ohtani’s contract, and the hope is that his superstar abilities will help push the Dodgers over the top in the National League even after the crosstown Angels failed to make the postseason in any of the years that Ohtani played for them. Let’s take a closer look at the three teams at the top of the World Series Odds list to win the 2024 Title: Ohtani’s Dodgers, the Atlanta Braves, and the New York Yankees.
2024 MLB World Series Odds: Top 3 Early Favorites to Win Big this Season
L.A. Dodgers +360
In addition to Ohtani, the Dodgers also invested heavily in starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has won three straight MVP trophies in Japan. They also added one of the top corner outfielders (Teoscar Hernandez) and another star pitcher (Tyler Glasnow) in free agency. Coming in the wake of another 100-victory season, it’s hard to argue that the Dodgers shouldn’t be the odds-on favorites. It is important to note, though, that Yamamoto has not faced MLB competition, Glasnow had Tommy John surgery recently, and Ohtani won’t pitch at all until 2025. They also added James Paxton to the rotation, but he has had shaky health of his own in the past. Walker Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery as well, but he will not pitch in spring training at all. At this time, there is no timeline for his return to the rotation this season.
The biggest problem for the Dodgers is the pattern into which they seem to have settled: winning 100 or more games during the regular season but then falling short of a title in the playoffs. During the 2023 postseason, the Dodgers lost to the upstart Arizona Diamondbacks, which turned out not to be a mark of shame as the Diamondbacks rolled all the way to the World Series, where they lost in five games to the Texas Rangers. They started last season tentatively, winning just 15 of their first 27 games. Their rotation found its way in May, and first baseman Freddie Freeman found his swing, and the team posted an 18-10 record. June saw inconsistent pitching and a 12-12 record, and July was not much different (13-10); this time around, it was some pitching setbacks that got in the way. August saw the Dodgers go 24-5, with both the hitters and the pitchers getting hot at the same time. They finished with a 16-12 September, and that cooling period continued into a three-game sweep at the hands of the Diamondbacks. With the questions surrounding the Dodgers’ rotation, it’s hard to argue that these odds offer enough value.
Dodgers Lines to Win World Series
Atlanta Braves +540
Despite the fact that the Philadelphia Phillies knocked them out of the postseason, the Braves still had a terrific roster last year. They traded for Chris Sale, who made 20 starts in 2023, his most in four seasons, and he struck out 125 batters on 102 ⅔ innings. His stuff is still elite if he can stay healthy. The Braves also traded for left fielder Jarred Kelenic, who was a top-ten prospect at one point but could not meet expectations in Seattle. He’s still only 24 years old, though, and his .253/.327/.419 numbers last year represented an improvement.
In addition to Sale, the Braves are expected to start Max Fried, Spencer Strider, and Charlie Morton. The fifth spot in the rotation will likely go to either Bryce Elder (an All-Star in 2023) and Reynaldo Lopez. Elder had a tough second half of 2023, though, as innings stacked up and fatigue took over. Lopez was signed to be a power pitcher out of the bullpen. The team had announced plans to stretch Lopez out into a starter before they added Sale, and those plans have not changed. The Braves won’t need a fifth starter until the third cycle through the starting rotation thanks to a couple of off days early in the season.
As far as position players go, the Braves look set behind the plate, with Travis d’Arnaud and Sean Murphy ready to go. Chadwick Tromp would fill in should an injury arise; he came back to the team on a minor league contract and is currently in training camp as a non-roster invitee. Their infield crew will include Ozzie Albies, Luis Guillorme, Orlando Arcia, Matt Olson, and Austin Riley. David Fletcher and Luke Williams are on the bubble; Guillorme came to town on a one-year deal during the offseason. Fletcher came to town from the Angels, but that contract was more about moving money than the actual players. He can play shortstop, though, so he should be able to snag a utility slot. In the outfield, the starters will be Jarred Kelenic, Michael Harris, and Ronald Acuna Jr. There is an open bench spot in the outfield, and J.P. Martinez, Forrest Wall and Eli White will be part of that competition. White had a solid spring in 2023 and played for the major league club early in the season before going down for the year with a shoulder injury. The Braves have the talent to win another NL East crown, but the Phillies will push them hard again.
Braves Lines to Win World Series
N.Y. Yankees +940
As often is the case, the Yankees are listed higher on odds lists than they are in the power rankings. The Pinstripes went after Yoshinubu Yamamoto to join Gerrit Cole in their starting rotation, but losing out on that chase has left them with depth issues in their starting rotation. Nestor Cortes must stay healthy, and Carlos Rodon needs to atone for a subpar first year as a starter. Clarke Schmidt could grow into a quality starter, but that’s far from certain.
One player who has continued to produce during a bit of a downtime for the Yankees is D.J. LeMahieu. He is halfway through the big contract he signed after the 2020 season, but he is a hitter who can produce at the top of the lineup, with an approach based more on contact than power. He doesn’t chase pitches out of the strike zone, although he did strike out 22.2% of the time in 2023, which was an outlier. He improved in the second half of the season, hitting .272. He should enter 2024 hitting leadoff and playing third base, with Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hitting behind him. If LeMahieu can approach his 2022 walk rate (12.4%) and hit for contact, the first three batters in the Yankee lineup could do a ton of damage.
The outfield has some questions going into 2024. The team didn’t pick up a true center fielder in the off-season, and while Aaron Judge can play both right and center, the team would rather Judge put less wear and tear on his legs and play right field. However, Juan Soto is more likely to play right because of his defensive shortcomings. Left field will likely see Trent Grisham and Alex Verdugo. It’s possible that the Yankees will still go after a center fielder, but free agency looks thin at this point. It’s definitely worth asking if the Yankees should offer more value at this point, given the questions in their lineup.
Yankees Lines to Win World Series
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2023 Top 3 Favorites
MLB Top 3 Favorites for the Next 2023 World Series
When we look at sports betting futures in Major League Baseball, the most popular is picking the winner of the World Series. Last year’s winners were the Houston Astros, who had the best roster on paper and benefited from the fact that the L.A. Dodgers were upset by the San Diego Padres in the NLDS – and that the Padres fell to the wild-card Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. Houston returns as a favorite in 2023, along with the New York Yankees and Mets at +600. We will look at the MLB odds for each team to win the World Series this year, along with suggestions for your picks.
| Teams | Odds |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros, N.Y. Mets, N.Y. Yankees | +600 |
| L.A. Dodgers | +700 |
| Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres | +900 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | +1200 |
| Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners | +1300 |
| Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Guardians, Chicago White Sox | +2200 |
| Milwaukee Brewers, L.A. Angels | +3500 |
| San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers | +4500 |
| Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins | +5500 |
| Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs | +7500 |
| Miami Marlins | +9000 |
| Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks | +10000 |
| Kansas City Royals | +15000 |
| Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates | +22500 |
| Cincinnati Reds | +27500 |
| Washington Nationals, Oakland A’s | +50000 |
The Houston Astros are a legitimate co-favorite, but no team has repeated as World Series champions since the Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000. There are just so many variables that affect a team’s ability even to get to the postseason, but then oddities can happen in the playoffs. For example, in 2019, the Astros found themselves in the World Series against the Washington Nationals, who had made the playoffs as a wild card, but the road team ended up winning all seven games for the first time in any seven-game series in any of the major North American professional sports, so the Nationals pulled off the upset. The Astros saw Justin Verlander go to New York to join the Mets, and while they still have an elite staff, picking them to repeat goes against history – and overlooks the other quality teams in both leagues. Also, before you snag a favorite, remember that six of the last eight World Series winners had odds of +1000 or higher in the preseason. This included the Astros last year (+1000) and the Braves the year before (+1000). Those Nationals won with +1600 preseason odds. When Boston won in 2018, their preseason odds were +1150. Houston’s 2017 title came with +1175 odds in the preseason, while the biggest recent dark horse was Kansas City, who entered 2015 with +3300 odds to win it all but took the title nonetheless.
The Philadelphia Phillies shaped up nicely last season, finishing strong and taking the last wild card in the National League before rolling to a pennant. However, they come into 2023 without slugger Bryce Harper, and they did nothing in the offseason to replace him temporarily. Max Kepler was available and would have made a nice starting left fielder, letting Kyle Schwarber slide over to DH until Harper is ready to return.
The Milwaukee Brewers have a terrific pitcher in Corbin Burnes, but Burnes’ motivation may be less than ideal after the team took him to arbitration instead of agreeing with him on a new deal. Arbitration is often a process that shreds the relationship between the team and the player, as management comes into the hearing armed with evidence that the player deserves less money. The conversation is often less than amicable – and taking players to arbitration can keep other free agents from coming to join the team.
The Cleveland Guardians won the American League Central last year and had a chance to upgrade their roster to bring their offense closer to their pitching in terms of quality. They did add Josh Bell, but if they had been willing to make some trades, another big bat or two would definitely have helped, especially with the Twins breathing down their necks.
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