Who says money can’t buy happiness?
The World Series, beginning Friday, features the New York Yankees and the league’s most expensive active payroll against the Los Angeles Dodgers and their $340 million (tax-adjusted) roster.
It’s a showdown of the MLB’s most high-profile markets and a showcase for the brightest stars in the game. Great for TV executives and bettors alike.
We’re breaking down the odds for the World Series, including the outright winner, MVP and best player props. Game 1 is in Los Angeles.
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox.
Sign Up
World Series winner odds
Despite the Yankees winning their two series 3-1 and 4-1, they’re still underdogs to win it all at +110 on BetMGM.
The Dodgers, who have home-field advantage, are -130. That could be due to the fact nearly every October win for LA was a rout, with an average margin of victory of six runs. Their narrowest wins were against the Padres in the NLDS, with a 7-5 Game 1 win and a 2-0 series clincher in which they two-hit San Diego.
But the October Classic is expected to have legs, with the shortest odds predicting a six-game affair at +195 and -190 for a bet of over 5.5 games. If one powerhouse sweeps the other, it will pay big at +650.
World Series MVP odds
If the series does go beyond five games, that will once again turn Mr. October into Mr. November, and this year’s contenders list is as star-studded as it’s ever been.
There are six league MVPs populating the two rosters, including two-time unanimous AL MVP Shohei Ohtani (his two trophies cancel out the fact 2014 winner Clayton Kershaw isn’t active for the postseason).
Ohtani is the runaway favorite for World Series MVP at +220, with Aaron Judge next closest at +500. Both are the favorites to win their respective league’s season MVP awards.
It’s hard to bet against Ohtani, who is hitting an astounding .818 over his last 22 at-bats with runners in scoring position. That’s not slugging .818; that’s 18-for-22 when at least one runner is on second base or better. In October, that number is .667 to go with three homers and 10 postseason RBIs. Ohtani’s popularity, coupled with voters’ tendency to reward splashy moments, means the award is his to lose.
But for standout swings, Ohtani’s most interesting challenger isn’t Judge, or Juan Soto (+500), or Mookie Betts (+750). Giancarlo Stanton, a former MVP himself, has been this postseason’s most prolific big-moment merchant, blasting five homers in October and four in the ALCS. Two of his postseason bombs gave the Yanks the lead, and one of them tied the game. All came in the sixth inning or later, and though they count the same, late-game dingers tend to carry more weight than early ones.
Stanton is +950 to win MVP, but it’s hard to ignore the heater he’s on coming into the series. All it takes is a couple of clutch World Series swings to make the rest of a stat line white noise.
World Series player props
The Dodgers will be at home in Game 1, meaning they’ll bat second, but Ohtani is still favored to be the first player to homer at +450. He bats leadoff for the Dodgers, which helps, but he’s still comfortably ahead of Juan Soto (+750), who will be the second hitter of the series (Gleyber Torres bats first for New York) and just belted a pennant-clinching homer. Judge has the second-best odds at +575, and Stanton is again at +950.
But Stanton is the favorite to end the postseason with the most homers at +200. He has five to Ohtani’s three, and the latter is +450 to overtake him, with Betts the next closest at +475. Judge, who hit 58 homers in the regular season, is considered a longshot to contend. He has two homers to this point but is +1200 to finish in the lead, thanks to an uninspiring postseason track record at the plate. Hitting an anemic .203 and slugging just .450, Judge has 15 homers in 239 plate appearances in October. Safe money goes elsewhere.
If offense isn’t your thing, you might be out of luck for series props, as Carlos Rodon has a stranglehold on the postseason strikeout total. His 22 Ks are nearly double the next closest contender, and he’s -2000 to maintain his lead.
Saves is a closer race, with New York’s Luke Weaver at -225 and LA’s Blake Treinen at +180. Only one save separates the two, but given that when the Dodgers have won, they’ve won comfortably, oddsmakers see more opportunities for Weaver in the series.
However, the most fun name on the prop lists is Tommy Edman, who was picked up by the Dodgers at the deadline and was expected to be a solid platoon player for the second half. He enters the World Series having won the NLCS MVP, and is +200 to be the postseason stolen base leader. He’s also +600 to be the postseason’s RBI leader after driving in 11 in the NLCS. His total stands at 12, and he often bats cleanup for the Dodgers, so opportunities abound.
Mookie Betts is the only player with more RBIs who is still playing games in October. In a series where both teams feel like favorites, Edman represents the closest thing to an underdog on the betslip when the series begins Friday.
(Photo of Shohei Ohtani: Elsa / Getty Images)
