World Series Odds: 2019 Futures Update

Spring Training games are now underway in the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues, which means the start of the Major League Baseball season is just one month out and the 2019 World Series odds have been updated.

And as this year’s Hot Stove turned tepid thanks to ownership’s unwillingness to sign free agents, along with a dozen or more teams openly tanking, Opening Day rosters are still being cemented.

Accordingly, online sportsbook Bovada’s updated odds of winning the 2019 World Series for all 30 MLB teams are sure to change – what with stars like Bryce Harper, Dallas Keuchel, and Carlos Gonzales still waiting to be signed – but as of now baseball remains dominated by a familiar fearsome foursome.

Battle Between Haves, Have Nots Will Define Chase

Moments after the Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games to clinch last year’s Fall Classic, and their fourth title of the 21^st century, Bovada installed them as (+700) favorites to win it all once again.

Those odds have since narrowed slightly to (+600), but Boston remains the cream of baseball’s current crop of aspiring dynasties alongside the Houston Astros (+600) and New York Yankees (+600).

The Astros beat the Dodgers to win the 2017 World Series, before falling to Boston in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) last October. And the Yankees reached the ALCS in 2017, losing to the Astros of course, before enjoying a 100-win season en route to a playoff loss against Boston last year.

Sufficed to say, MLB’s “haves” are firmly entrenched atop the league’s hierarchy, as the Dodgers (+700) – hoping to finish things off after two straight World Series disappointments – are the only other team offering better than 10 to 1 odds.

Not surprisingly, the Red Sox maintain the highest payroll in all of baseball at over $221 million, while the Yankees (3^rd – $198 million), Dodgers (4^th – $192 million), and Astros (10^th – $153 million) all occupy top-10 spots among MLB’s payroll leaderboard.

The league’s second-highest payroll belongs to the Chicago Cubs at $210 million, and with the team having long since left its “Lovable Loser” image behind, the North Siders are listed at (+1100). Chicago has won at least 92 games in each of the last four years – including a 2016 World Series win more than a century in the making – and the Cubs largely return the same loaded roster.

Speaking of roster movement, one half of the dual free agent frenzy most baseball fans expected to see this offseason finally landed in San Diego, after the Padres signed infielder Manny Machado to a 10-year deal worth $300 million.

After the Padres went 66-96 last season – their eighth straight losing campaign – oddsmakers listed them as (+12500) longshots on the 2019 World Series odds. Nonetheless, Machado’s arrival amidst an encouraging rebuilding effort vaulted San Diego to the middle of the pack at (+4000) – making them the biggest movers in the MLB by far.

The most coveted free agent still waiting to put pen to paper is outfielder Bryce Harper, who is fielding offers from the Philadelphia Phillies (+1000), San Francisco Giants (+9000, and Dodgers at the moment.

Considering his limited playoff success leading the Washington Nationals (+1600), Harper is likely to eschew the Giants and their impending rebuild for either Philly or L.A. – so bettors who buy those teams now may be getting a steal if the stars align.

Latest 2019 World Series Odds for all 30 MLB Teams

Use the table below to compare opening odds on winning the 2019 World Series for all 30 MLB teams to where they stand today: