World Series Odds in 82-Game Season: Dodgers Favored Over Yankees

• MLB owners have proposed an 82-game season that would begin on July 4 and wrap up by early November  
• The Dodgers (+375) are slight favorites over the Yankees (+450) to win the World Series under the new format  
  
• NL East clubs have seen their title odds plummet thanks to a regionalized schedule that would put a greater emphasis on divisional games 

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The proposal approved by MLB owners looked pretty great to starved sports fans—a brisk 82-game regular-season schedule, a universal DH and an expanded 14-team postseason that would give us even more October baseball—but alas, it was too good to be true.

With players worried about their health and their pocketbooks, and owners fretting their bottomline with no fans in the stands, there’s no telling yet if baseball will be back by the 4th of July.

However, with all that money at stake, it’s likely only a matter of time before the MLB and players’ union come to some kind of an agreement. And according to oddsmakers, that would be very good news for Dodgers and Yankees fans.

2020 WORLD SERIES ODDS

MLB Team	Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers	+375
New York Yankees	+450
Houston Astros	+1200
Atlanta Braves	+2000
Minnesota Twins	+2000
Oakland Athletics	+2200
New York Mets	+2500
St. Louis Cardinals	+2500
Tampa Bay Rays	+2500
Chicago White Sox	+3000
Cincinnati Reds	+3000
Los Angeles Angels	+3000
Washington Nationals	+3000
Chicago Cubs	+3300
Cleveland Indians	+3300
Philadelphia Phillies	+4000
Boston Red Sox	+5000
Milwaukee Brewers	+5000
San Diego Padres	+5000
Arizona Diamondbacks	+6600
Texas Rangers	+1000
Colorado Rockies	+15000
San Francisco Giants	+15000
Toronto Blue Jays	+15000
Detroit Tigers	+30000
Kansas City Royals	+30000
Pittsburgh Pirates	+30000
Seattle Mariners	+30000
Baltimore Orioles	+50000
Miami Marlins	+100000

DODGERS AND YANKEES FAVORED

The Yankees were chalk to win the World Series before COVID-19 threw a giant wrench into the wheels of society, but the Dodgers (+375) are now slight betting favorites ahead of New York (+450).

What changed? Well, in an effort to limit travel and isolate teams geographically, the proposed 82-game season has the two East divisions playing each other, the two Central divisions playing each other and the two West divisions playing each other, in addition to a slate of divisional games.

Mad Dog Russo tells the MLB players association to go to hell. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/I5omGHMSuz

— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) May 20, 2020

This means the Yankees would get a heaping helping of the Braves, Mets, Phillies and the defending champion Nationals.

In addition to their tougher regular-season schedule, oddsmakers believe the Yankees will face more competition for the No. 1 seed in the American League than Los Angeles will in the National League. This is a huge factor under the expanded 14-team postseason, where only the clubs with the best record in each league will claim a Wild Card round bye.

TEAMS TO TAKE A SWING ON

The Astros (+1200), the only other team with championship odds shorter than 20-1, have clearly been one of the biggest beneficiaries of COVID-19 as no one’s heard a peep about their cheating ways since the pandemic started. And much like the Dodgers, they stand to benefit from the lack of quality teams in both West divisions.

Their AL West rivals in Oakland (+2200) have also seen their odds shorten in recent days due to the same reason, while the Minnesota Twins continue to hold steady in the AL Central at +2000 to win the World Series.

Joel Sherman: MLB, union wage war after potential smoking gun email emerges https://t.co/9ENp2TMh0X via @nypostsports

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) May 20, 2020

The odds of all the NL East clubs have more than doubled since we last checked in—Braves from +1000 to +2000, Mets from +1400 to +2500, Nationals from +1400 to +3000, and the Phillies from +1400 to +4000—largely thanks to the fact that the new proposal would create a divisional bloodbath.

Bettors should no doubt be wary of the new regionalized schedules, but don’t forget that an additional four teams will make the postseason under the new format. Also keep in mind that sports are nothing but unpredictable – that’s why we like them.

So, take a swing on any team but the Dodgers and Yankees while the odds are still long and potentially lucrative.

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