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The Los Angeles Dodgers finished with the best regular-season record in 2017 at 104-58 and fell one game short of winning the World Series. The Dodgers will try to seal the deal this year as the favorites to win the championship in 2018.
Los Angeles is a +500 favorite on the odds to win the 2018 World Series at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Coming off such a strong season in 2017, the Dodgers have opted for a quiet offseason, leaving themselves the financial freedom to make moves at the deadline or to make a splash next offseason if necessary.
While the Chicago Cubs (+750 to win the World Series) and Washington Nationals (+800) could get in Los Angeles’ way in the National League, the Dodgers’ path to the World Series looks a lot clearer than the one involving the big guns in the American League.
The New York Yankees (+550) made the biggest splash of the offseason in trading for Miami Marlins mega-slugger Giancarlo Stanton. The Yankees were already coming off an impressive year in which young players took big strides to help New York advance into the postseason and upset the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS. Adding one of the biggest bats in baseball to that core arguably makes this the team to beat in 2018.
Of course, the Yankees will have to get through the defending champion Houston Astros (+550), who went 101-61 during the regular season last year, and the Indians (+850), who finished with the American League’s best record of 102-60 last season.
And it may also be premature to write off the Boston Red Sox (+1400), who bolstered their own roster with the signing of slugger J.D. Martinez this week. All four of these teams had a legitimate shot at winning the championship last year, and 2018 should be another battle.
Other potential contenders to win the World Series in 2018 include the San Francisco Giants (+2000), St. Louis Cardinals (+2000), Arizona Diamondbacks (+2500), Los Angeles Angels (+2800) and New York Mets (+2800). The Angels saw a sharp bump in their odds after signing Shohei Otani, an elite Japanese prospect being hailed as the “Japanese Babe Ruth”.
2018 World Series Betting Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers +500
New York Yankees +550
Houston Astros +550
Chicago Cubs +750
Washington Nationals +800
Cleveland Indians +850
Boston Red Sox +1400
San Francisco Giants +2000
St. Louis Cardinals +2000
Arizona Diamondbacks +2500
Los Angeles Angels +2800
New York Mets +2800
For more odds info, picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news, check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes, or check it out at OddsShark.libsyn.com.