MLB Futures: 2024 World Series Winner Odds, Picks & Predictions
If last year is any indication, bettors stand to reap big rewards by accurately predicting the World Series champion in the offseason, as the Texas Rangers had +5000 preseason odds to win the World Series en route to their first World Series title in franchise history, per sportsoddshistory.com.
Among the biggest changes after a busy offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers went from the second-biggest World Series favorite at +700 odds to the favorites at +320 after the free agent signings of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamomoto.
There are still several free agents who remain without a team who would move the needle in terms of World Series futures odds, like Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and Matt Chapman. However, with spring training already underway, now is a great time to weigh in with our early best World Series bets, as there is plenty of value to be had.
Here are our 2024 MLB World Series Best Bets.
Check out all of the consensus odds for 2024 MLB World Series Winner >>
2024 MLB World Series Odds
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
TEAM | ODDS |
Los Angeles Dodgers | +320 |
Atlanta Braves | +450 |
Houston Astros | +700 |
New York Yankees | +800 |
Texas Rangers | +1400 |
Philadelphia Phillies | +1500 |
Baltimore Orioles | +1500 |
Minnesota Twins | +2000 |
Toronto Blue Jays | +2000 |
Seattle Mariners | +2000 |
St. Louis Cardinals | +3200 |
Tampa Bay Rays | +3300 |
Chicago Cubs | +3500 |
Arizona Diamondbacks | +4000 |
New York Mets | +5000 |
Boston Red Sox | +5000 |
Cincinnati Reds | +5500 |
San Diego Padres | +6000 |
2024 MLB World Series Best Bets
Philadelphia Phillies (+1500)
The Philadelphia Phillies do not have the easiest path to an NL East title playing in the same division as one of two teams in MLB projected to win 100-plus games, the Atlanta Braves. However, despite the Phillies finishing the regular season 14 games behind the 104-win Braves, it was Philadelphia that ousted Atlanta from the playoffs after winning the NLDS in four games. Even the No. 1 seed in the American League, the Baltimore Orioles, could not get past the Division Series, as last year proved regular season success does not automatically equate to postseason victories.
Philadelphia was one home win away from a World Series appearance last season, losing Games 6 and 7 at Citizens Bank Park after taking a 3-2 lead in the NLCS over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Phillies could have gone a number of different directions in the offseason after such a disappointing finish, but one of their stars voiced his happiness with the team deciding to go for it again and remain mostly intact.
Philadelphiaâs re-signing of Aaron Nola was important not just to bolster its own pitching staff but to keep him away from the division rival Braves, who were one of Nolaâs primary suitors. Nola is an innings eater, throwing the second-most innings of any pitcher in baseball since 2018, and he is just one season removed from a top-four Cy Young finish. He and Zack Wheeler give the Phillies one of the most formidable 1-2 punches at the top of any prospective playoff teamâs rotation.
The Phillies lineup was already one of the deepest in baseball, and it improved even more this offseason with the acquisition of Whit Merrifield. With the Royals, Merrifield led the AL twice in hits, and he is coming off his third All-Star appearance in a year where he slashed .272/.318/.382.
Yes, the Braves had a more impactful offseason trading for Jarred Kelenic and Chris Sale. But the Phillies have made an NLCS and a World Series in back-to-back years, and we would put their roster against anyoneâs in a postseason series.
Seattle Mariners (+2000)
Seattle is one of the remaining five teams that has not won a World Series title. However, after a year where Texas won its first championship in franchise history, how fitting would it be for the Mariners to win their first title in their first-ever World Series appearance?
Though the Mariners have made the playoffs just once in the past 22 years, they finished with 88 wins (one year after winning 90 games) and just two games behind the Rangers and Houston Astros, the two teams that played an epic seven-game ALCS.
Seattleâs pitching staff was elite in 2023, tying for the fewest runs allowed in the American League. The Mariners have one of the deepest rotations, returning with Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo and Emerson Hancock. Thus, even after losing starters Marco Gonzales (Pittsburgh) and Robbie Ray (San Francisco), perhaps no team in baseball is better equipped to offset those departures in their rotation.
Seattleâs offense held it back in 2023, ranking ninth in the American League in OPS. To help that, the Mariners acquired Jorge Polanco from the Twins, who was limited to just 80 games with an ankle injury last year, but who has averaged a 4.0 WAR per 150 games since 2019.
The Mariners have a solid young core to build around in Julio Rodriguez, J.P. Crawford, and Cal Raleigh, and were impressively in the mix for a playoff hunt in a stacked AL West division through the final weekend of the season despite striking out at the second-highest rate in the majors and batting just .247 with runners in scoring position.
With Texas dealing with starting pitching injury concerns to start the season between Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, Seattle should be able to get off to a comfortable enough start to contend for an AL West title and should win enough games in a weaker American League to guarantee a wild card spot at the least.
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Tuesday:
- NHL Prop Betting Cheat Sheet
- NHL PrizePicks Player Projections
- Top NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions
- NBA Player Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions
- 2024 Cognizant Classic: First-Round Leader Odds, Picks & Predictions
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.