Baseball is back as MLB Opening Day is today. World Series odds for every team in baseball have been posted by top online sportsbooks. Those MLB betting markets have the Houston Astros as the favorites at . Teams like the New York Mets , New York Yankees , and LA Dodgers , are also near the top of boards.
Major off-season transactions over the winter impacted World Series odds, most notably the Phillies landing Trea Turner, the Yankees re-signing Aaron Judge and the Padres signing Xander Bogaerts. Those moves reflect current World Series odds as all of those teams have +1700 odds or lower. Check out odds to win the World Series in 2023 for every team in MLB below.
World Series odds
Compare World Series odds for 2023 for every team in MLB below. Click to bet on the price you like.
Odds to win World Series 2023
Check out World Series odds for every team as well as an outlook for the 2023 MLB season.
Houston Astros : While they let Justin Verlander go, the defending champs signed Jose Abreu to bolster what is already one of the best lineups in baseball. They also added Rafael Montero to a well-stocked bullpen.
New York Yankees : The Yankees were able to retain Aaron Judge by handing him the biggest contract yet to date, and they kept their bullpen intact by re-signing Tommy Kahnle. Then they forked out $162 million over six years to snag Carlos Rodon, forming a truly elite starting rotation on paper. Their title odds shifted from +900 to +700 after the Rodon signing
Los Angeles Dodgers : For the sixth straight offseason, the Dodgers opened as World Series favorites. They lost out on the Aaron Judge sweepstakes and let Trea Turner and Cody Bellinger both go in free agency, tempering expectations only slightly.
New York Mets : Steve Cohen flexed his wealth once again, swiping in to land Carlos Correa in free agency. The deal fell through due to Correa failing his physical. This comes on the heels of landing Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga. New York is all-in for 2023.
Atlanta Braves : It seemed like the Braves were poised to repeat as N.L. champs and potentially beat the Astros again, but they ran into a red-hot Phillies team in the NLDS. Rookies Michael Harris and Spencer Strider lead a young corps that should only grow stronger as the Braves’ elite scout system reveals more gems.
San Diego Padres : Padres owner Peter Seidler continued to shell out huge contracts by giving Xander Bogaerts a $280 million 11-year deal that will keep him on the books until he’s 41. Fernando Tatis Jr. should move to the outfield and San Diego will get one more year with Juan Soto under contract. However, the Padres no longer have to worry about losing Manny Machado as a 11-year, $350 million extension will keep the third baseman in a Padres uniform until the 2033 season.
Toronto Blue Jays : The young Blue Jays will run it back under newly-extended manager John Schneider with a potential top-tier starter added in Chris Bassitt. Vlad Guerrero Jr. and company are always a threat to lead MLB in runs.
Philadelphia Phillies : Despite landing an elite five-tool player in Trea Turner, the Phillies World Series odds remain fixed at +1700 at DraftKings. They also snagged Taijuan Walker and Matt Strahm. Philadelphia landed Detroit Tigers left-handed closer Gregory Soto, who finished the 2022 season with 30 saves, via trade.
Seattle Mariners : The Mariners have been trading early in free agency with Kolten Wong coming aboard along with former Blue Jays OF Teoscar Hernandez. Luis Castillo has signed a long-term deal and this is a young team on the rise.
St. Louis Cardinals : Adding Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado to a team that routinely leads the Majors in defensive metrics was a home run for the Cardinals. They signed Willson Contreras to fill the ample shoes of retired catcher Yadier Molina.
Chicago White Sox : Easily one of the most disappointing teams in baseball last season, the White Sox parted ways with Tony La Russa and hired former Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol to take over as manager.
Tampa Bay Rays : Getting Tyler Glasnow and Wander Franco back to full health should make the Rays top-tier contenders again. They even forked over big money (3 years, $40 million) by their standards to add a legit starter in Zach Eflin.
Boston Red Sox : Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom addressed Boston’s biggest weakness by signing Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin to try and turn a bottom five bullpen into one of the best in the business. He declined to pay Xander Bogaerts, instead opting for unknown Japanese star Masataka Yoshida. Bloom’s biggest move this winter was re-signing Rafael Devers to a long-term deal.
Cleveland Guardians : The Guardians had the best bullpen in MLB after the break and Terry Francona managed his arms well through two playoff series. They needed some pop in their lineup and got that with lefty slugger Josh Bell.
San Francisco Giants : While they lost out on the Aaron Judge sweepstakes, the Giants used those funds to land Carlos Correa on a massive 13-year deal worth $350 million before a failed physical voided it. They also added Sean Manaea and Ross Stripling to try and fill a big hole left by Carlos Rodon’s departure.
Baltimore Orioles : Despite selling off closer Jorge Lopez at the deadline, the Orioles remained competitive down to the wire. They might have passed the Red Sox as the cellar dwellers in the A.L. East.
Texas Rangers : The Rangers are taking a risky approach by paying Jacob deGrom over five years. Their contract with disappointing former first-rounder Andrew Heaney is more incentive laden.
Milwaukee Brewers : So far the Brewers have been pretty passive this offseason, causing their title odds to plummet from +2000 to +3500 at DraftKings.
Los Angeles Angels : Already in possession of a star trio in Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, and Anthony Rendon, the Angels are trying to build depth by adding Hunter Renfroe, Gio Urshela, and pitchers Carlos Estevez and Tyler Anderson.
Minnesota Twins : The Twins are building on a slower timeline with Byron Buxton as their centerpiece. They added elite defensive catcher Christian Vasquez in free agency.
Chicago Cubs : Theo Epstein landed his first big name during what has been a long rebuild with 2019 MVP Cody Bellinger headed to Chicago. The Cubbies also added Jameson Taillon to shore up a below average rotation.
Detroit Tigers : The Tigers finished dead last in runs per game and slugging percentage, with a pitching staff that posted the ninth-worst collective ERA last season.
Miami Marlins : Reigning N.L. CY young winner Sandy Alcantara will lead a strong top of the rotation, but the Marlins couldn’t find any offense with a collective .618 OPS after the break.
Arizona Diamondbacks : The D’Backs were one of the most surprising teams last year after struggling mightily in the 2021 season. But they went 29-47 in the strong N.L. West.
Kansas City Royals : Adalberto Mondesi is probably the most talented position player on the Royals roster and they avoided arbitration by signing him for now, though he could become a trade target this summer.
Colorado Rockies : The Rockies went 27-54 on the road last year with their offense disappearing away from the thin air at Coors Field.
Cincinnati Reds : After sinking to the bottom and selling off key assets, the Reds will start to rebuild from the ground up.
Washington Nationals : We’ll see what the Nationals got in the Juan Soto deal with SS C.J. Abrams and OF James Wood set to contribute during the second half next season, if not sooner.
Pittsburgh Pirates : O’Neil Cruz and Ke’Bryan Hayes are the most exciting aspects of a rebuilding Pirates team that seems destined to finish towards the bottom of the N.L. Central yet again.
Oakland Athletics : This franchise should soon shift from the empty Oakland Coliseum to a new stadium, but if their struggles continue over the next couple years there could be a move to Las Vegas.
How World Series odds are changing
The World Series odds will change throughout the course of the 2023 season. Here is where they stand as of March 23.
| Team | World Series Odds March 23 |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros | +600 |
| New York Yankees | +750 |
| Atlanta Braves | +750 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +850 |
| San Diego Padres | +950 |
| New York Mets | +950 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | +1300 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | +1600 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | +1800 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +1900 |
| Seattle Mariners | +1900 |
| Cleveland Guardians | +2200 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | +3500 |
| Minnesota Twins | +3500 |
| Chicago White Sox | +4000 |
| Texas Rangers | +4500 |
| Los Angeles Angels | +4500 |
| San Francisco Giants | +6000 |
| Boston Red Sox | +6000 |
| Miami Marlins | +7500 |
| Baltimore Orioles | +8000 |
| Chicago Cubs | +9000 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | +17000 |
| Kansas City Royals | +20000 |
| Cincinnati Reds | +20000 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | +25000 |
| Detroit Tigers | +25000 |
| Washinton Nationals | +50000 |
| Oakland Athletics | +50000 |
| Colorado Rockies | +50000 |
Basics of MLB Futures
Betting on the World Series is available all season long in the form of futures bets. It’s simple — find a team that you like and bet on them at their odds to win it all. For example, the Braves were +1000 to win the World Series before the start of the 2021 season. If you bet $100 on Atlanta to win it all before the season began, you would have won $1000 with a total payout of $1100. A $10 bet would have netted you $100.
Futures bets may also include the winner of the American League, National League, and each division. Some sportsbooks delve deeper with “prop bets” on individual achievements, such as who will lead the Majors in home runs, wins, strikeouts, etc.
Generally, books take bets on futures in between game action. When teams are competing on a full slate of night games, your sportsbook of choice might hold off on updating odds in the event there is a catastrophic injury or another event that might change the prospects of a contender.
Here is a quick summary of how the odds are displayed for MLB Futures bets:
- Some sportsbooks will use a system that shows the odds as 5/1, while some display them as +500. This is just semantics, as both systems indicate that a winning $100 bet on the team would cash out at 5x that amount ($500).
- Odds can also be split into fractions. A team may be listed as a 9/2 favorite on one book, which is the same as a +450 favorite, i.e. a winning ticket pays out 4.5x the amount of the bet.
History of MLB futures
Placing a long shot Futures bet on baseball is a very risky proposition. In NBA betting, for one, it’s almost akin to throwing away your money. The NFL is a bit more unpredictable with its single-elimination postseason, and the MLB is somewhere in between.
Rarely has a team come out of “nowhere” to win the World Series over the past several years, but plenty of fringe contenders have started the season with long odds before getting hot at the right time. According to archives compiled by William Hill Sportsbook, the Kansas City Royals were listed with +3300 odds to win it all during the first month of the 2015 season. Those odds dropped to +1400 in May, +1000 in June, and were down to +550 by the time the playoffs began.
In 2014, the San Francisco Giants opened the season with +2500 World Series odds and went on to win it all. The Boston Red Sox were getting +2800 odds prior to the 2013 season, and the St. Louis Cardinals were getting +2500 odds prior to the 2011 season.
Hence, there is value in placing a small bet on an underdog early in the season. There is a chance that an unexpected champion is crowned, but it is not guaranteed in today’s MLB due to the importance of pitching in the postseason.
Recent World Series winners and preseason odds
Here is a look back at the last five World Series champions along with a consensus of the winner’s preseason odds. The 2020 regular season was reduced to 60 games as a result of the global pandemic. It also included an expanded playoff field.
| Year | Team | Preseason Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Houston Astros | +700 |
| 2021 | Atlanta Braves | +1400 |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Dodgers | +450* |
| 2019 | Washington Nationals | +2000 |
| 2018 | Boston Red Sox | +1300 |
Other ways to bet on the World Series
For those with wagering experience in other sports, much of the baseball terminology and concepts will be familiar. However, as with all sports, there are certain bet types and props that naturally are particular to the individual sport.
Here are the various ways to get a wager down on the World Series.
- Moneyline: As with other sports, the moneyline represents the odds of a team winning a game. A “minus” sign indicates the favorite. The number next to the minus sign represents the amount of money a bettor would need to wager to win a theoretical amount of $100. A “plus” sign indicates the underdog. The amount next to the plus sign represents the amount of money a bettor would win on a theoretical amount of $100.
- Run line: Typically set at either -1.5 or +1.5, the run line functions much like the point spread in other sports. In a conventional run line scenario, the favored team must win by two or more runs or the underdog must lose by two runs or less in order for the run line to be covered. Odds are assigned next to the favorite (which is designated with a run line of -1.5) and underdog (which is designated with a run line of +1.5).
- Total runs (over/under): The total combined number of runs projected to be scored in the game by both teams. As with other sports, bettors can place bets on the total either being exceeded or being greater than the amount of total runs scored.
- Series line: With baseball usually being played in multi-game series between two teams — three- or four-game series being the most common — wagers are also available on which team will emerge as the winner in each matchup.
- Player props: A variety of wagers based on individual players reaching certain benchmarks within a game or in a season. Seasonal examples include over/under wagers on the number of hits, extra-base hits or home runs a player might hit in a season. In-game examples include over/under wagers on the number of hits, walks or home runs a player might hit in a game.
- Team props: A variety of wagers based on teams reaching certain benchmarks within a game. Examples include over/under wagers on whether a team will score a team will score a certain amount of runs in a game. Or, how many runs a team will score by a certain inning within a game.
- Parlays: Parlay wagering is defined as a series of bets that must all be correct in order for a bettor to be paid. Parlay bets feature more favorable odds and payouts due to the increased difficulty involved in predicting multiple outcomes correctly.
MLB betting FAQ
Where can I bet on the World Series in the US?
Currently, there are 30 states that offer some form of legal sports betting. Residents of those states can use top online sportsbooks (if available) or casino sportsbooks to place legal, real-money bets.
Who is the favorite to win the World Series in 2023?
The 2022 World Series champion Houston Astros are the early favorite to repeat with +600 odds. The Yankees and Braves, both at +750, are close behind. Count the LA Dodgers among the early favorites as well with +850 odds. The defending NL champion Phillies currently sit in the middle of the pack at +1700.
Expect these future odds to shift once the regular season begins. In 2022, the Astros were sitting at +1000 in early April. By Oct. 5, their odds shifted to +425. Only the Dodgers (+350) had shorter odds.