Andrew Ortenberg
It’s a busy time of the year for sports fans, with NFL free agency in full swing and March Madness dominating the airwaves. But it’s not all about college hoops right now, the start of the MLB season is also right around the corner. Baseball will be back in action tomorrow, and time really flew by since the Dodgers were crowned World Series champs.
It’s going to be a very interesting season, as the league is coming off an unprecedented year where they played only 60 games due to COVID-19. Nobody knows how that shortened season will affect the 2021 campaign, but we’re about to find out. Before the season starts you’ll need to get your futures bets in, so let’s break it all down.
We’ve got a ton of great MLB content coming, so make sure to check out our ‘MLB news‘ tab in the coming days. As soon as the games start, head on over to our ‘MLB picks‘ tab for free picks on the side and the total of every game. But right now we’re talking World Series, and we’ll start with the odds, courtesy of DraftKings:
Dodgers +350
Yankees +550
Padres +800
White Sox +850
Braves +1000
Mets +1000
Twins +2000
Astros +2200
Blue Jays +2200
Cardinals +2200
A’s +2500
Rays +2500
Those dozen teams are the frontrunners, with everybody else being north of 30/1. The Dodgers are the odds-on favorite to be repeat champions, which would certainly be impressive after their 30+ year drought. Can the Yankees, with all the talent they’ve paid an exuberant amount of money for, finally make it back to the World Series? They’re the favorites out of the American League.
If you had said a couple of years ago that the Padres had the third-best odds to win the World Series, people would’ve laughed in your face. San Diego has done a great job of rebuilding, and with Fernando Tatis Jr. and their suddenly elite rotation leading the way, they’ve got a legit shot. Can Blake Snell deliver them to the promised land?
The Rays were just a couple of games short of winning it all last season, so they’ve got to feel a bit disrespected by having the 12th-best odds at 25/1. That’s what trading Snell will do to you. The White Sox have been trending in the right direction for a while, and they’re going to be a very popular pick from the public this offseason.
Best World Series bet
Of these teams, I lean toward the Braves at 10/1. Atlanta was in the NLCS just last season, and they held a commanding 3-1 lead over the Dodgers before blowing it. They were one win away from the World Series last year, and I don’t see any reason to believe they’ll be worse in 2021.
Two of their key starters, Mike Soroka and Ian Anderson, are only 23 and 22 respectively, so they should continue to get a lot better. Young third baseman Austin Riley (23) should also take the next step, as should budding superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. (23). In addition to all the young guys who should progress, they’ve still got two of the National League’s best veteran sluggers in Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna.
Freeman just won the MVP, Ozuna finished sixth, and Acuna finished 12th. They’re loaded with talent and will come back especially motivated for this season after last year’s meltdown. Watch out for Atlanta.
Best long-shot World Series bet
If I’m sprinkling a few bucks on a World Series long-shot, it’s the Angels at 40/1. You’ll want to shop around here, as you can find the Angels at 50/1 or 60/1 at some books. They were a huge disappointment last year due to a really slow start, but they turned things on down the stretch.
They went 17-12 in their last 29 games after an abysmal start, and I think they would’ve made the playoffs had it been a full 162-game schedule. Mike Trout has heard all the talk about how he can’t deliver when it matters most, and he’s going to have an extra large chip on his shoulder in 2021. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the league. Shohei Ohtani will also be returning to the mound after not pitching last season, and this team quietly has a lot of upside. Don’t be surprised when they’re a contender.
Sad baseball season is still another day away? You’re in luck, because Pickswise is the home of March Madness Predictions. Check out all of our March Madness Picks, including daily March Madness Parlays throughout the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
