Dodgers Win World Series
28 October 2020
The 2020 World Series came to an end on Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers won Game 6 3-1 and took the series 4-2. The Dodgers were +350 to win the World Series back in February during spring training and were also +350 when the season finally started in July. When the playoffs began in early October, the Dodgers were the big favorite at -200, and they delivered to their backers.
Game 6 was the lowest-scoring game of the series, and the Dodgers didn’t lead until the sixth inning. There will be many storylines talked about for a long time, including why Tampa Bay took pitcher Blake Snell out in the sixth inning, and what happened with Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner testing positive for the coronavirus during the game.
But the big question for Major League Baseball now that the World Series is over is, what does the 2021 season look like?
While the Dodgers celebrate their first title since 1988, all 30 teams will start looking toward next year. At this point in time, it is impossible to know if the winter meetings will happen in Dallas in December or if spring training will open on time in February. Whether or not teams spend money on free agents after not earning as much revenue as a normal year also remains to be seen.
Futures Odds
Even though many teams will change drastically through free agency, retirements and trades, oddsmakers wasted no time in putting out 2021 World Series Odds.
The Favorites
Just like in 2020, the Dodgers are the favorites. They should get pitcher David Price back from opting out and check in at +375 to repeat. Keep in mind that no team has repeated as World Series champs since the Yankees did in 1998-2000.
Speaking of the Yankees, they have the best odds in the American League at +700. The Yankees were the AL favorites for 2020 as well before falling to the Rays in the American League Division Series.
Contenders
The San Diego Padres used their youth and enthusiasm to make the playoffs this year for the first time since 2006. They are +750 to win the 2021 World Series and are expected to make some moves this offseason to bolster their roster. They also should get pitchers Mike Clevinger and Danielson Lamet back from injury.
The Rays and the Minnesota Twins are the next American League teams, as both check in at +1000. The Chicago White Sox (+1100), Atlanta Braves (+1200) and Oakland A’s (+1400) are next after all made the playoffs this year.
Other playoff teams from 2020 who are in the top 10 in odds are the Cleveland Indians (+1700), Houston Astros (+1700) and Chicago Cubs (+2000).
Longshots
A couple of long shots that are expected to be in the mix for 2020 free agents and trades are the Washington Nationals (+3000), Los Angeles Angels (+4000) and Philadelphia Phillies (+4000). Just about nothing went right for any of those teams in 2020, but they all have superstars on their rosters, managers who have won World Series titles before, and owners willing to spend money.
