After a wild offseason across Major League Baseball, it’s almost time to start the race for the 2023 World Series Championship. There are more than a handful of teams that have a legitimate shot to win the October classic, with the usual suspects at the top of the list. One of those is the defending World Series Champions, who happen to be favorites to bring home back-to-back titles. With new faces in new places and teams making big moves to improve their chances for 2023, Opening Day on March 30th can’t get here soon enough.
Odds To Win The 2023 World Series
Houston Astros (+600)
In 2022, the Houston Astros won their second World Series Championship in six years, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. Coming into 2023, they still field the dangerous core of Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, and Jeremy Pena. If this offense wasn’t dangerous enough, the Astros have added former MVP first baseman Jose Abreu to the fold which will make this lineup the best in baseball.
On the pitching side, despite losing Justin Verlander, Houston still has one of the best rotations in baseball led by Framber Vladez who is getting better every season. Lance McCullers, Christain Javier, Luis Garcia, and Jose Urquidy fill out of rest of the rotation. With the talent and depth at the Astros’ disposal, they’re a real threat to repeat as champions.
Los Angeles Dodgers (+800)
Like the Astros, the Los Angeles Dodgers are always near the top of the World Series odds but the difference is they never seem to get over the hump. They did win it all in 2020 but that was in a 62-game schedule. The last time they won the World Series in a full 162-game season was in 1988. The Dodgers have yet another good chance to secure a championship in 2023. They had an eventful offseason, to say the least.
The Dodgers lost Cody Bellinger and Trea Truner on the offensive side but they have the players to replace the missing pieces. While the losses might hurt, it helped that they signed J.D. Martinez to add more power to this lineup. Los Angeles still has former MVPs in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman to hold this lineup together, just to name a few.
They re-signed Clayton Kershaw to retain this deep starting rotation but also brought in Noah Syndergaard and Shelby Miller to strengthen this pitching depth even more. After having a league-best 111 wins in 2022 but yet falling short in the NLDS against division rival San Diego Padres, this team will be even more on a mission to bring home a World Series Championship.
New York Mets (+850)
There was a serious argument to be made that the New York Mets could be tied in the odds with the Dodgers or even ahead but the loss of All-Star closer Edwin Diaz is a huge blow to this team. However, the Mets still have a dangerous club that can make a run at their first World Series title since 1986.
Ever since Steven Cohen took over ownership, the Mets have been in serious conversation to play late October baseball. When Cohen says he’s going “all in”, he means it. They’ve spent A LOT of money over the last two seasons in free agency. They have really good talent in this lineup with Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor to start while also locking up Brandon Nimmo to an eight-year, $162M contract.
The Mets also picked up a lot of pitching, starting with the very talented arm of Justin Verlander (2-year, $86.6M) to pair with Max Scherzer, making them one of the deadliest one-two punches in the league. They also signed Japanese star pitcher Kodai Senga (5-year, $75M) and Jose Quintana (two-year, $26M), who will miss a few months due to injury but will be back. Don’t forget bringing back reliever Adam Ottavino (2-year, 14.5M), adding to the pen with David Robertson and Brooks Raley, who will need to step up even more with the injury of Diaz. Nevertheless, the Mets still have too much talent to deteriorate their chances at a World Series.
New York Yankees (+850)
Every offseason, the New York Yankees do everything in their power to make sure they stay in World Series contention and for the most part, they do that. The only problem is that they haven’t won the AL Pennant in 13 years. That’s a long time for a team like the Yankees, proving once again that offseason spending doesn’t guarantee a winning formula.
Putting that aside, the Yankees made some moves that can finally put them over the top in 2023. After he was set to become a free agent, they re-signed Aaron Judge to a 9-year, $360M contract. This coming after hitting .311 with 62 home runs (AL record) and 131 RBI to go along with a 1.111 OPS. Next to Judge, the Yankees have the power of Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo, making them one of the best lineups in baseball. Not only do they have the offense, but they have the rotation to compete with anyone. Despite the Frankie Montas injury, the Yankees starting pitching is strong.
It all starts with one of the best pitchers in the game Gerrit Cole. He’s followed by Nestor Cortes, who has been really good the past two seasons and had a breakout year in 2022, and Luis Severino. On top of that, the Yankees signed Carlos Rodon to a 6-year, $162M contract to bolster this rotation even more. Even though he will start the season on the IL, that won’t impact the Yankees’ chances, barring setbacks throughout the year. And if they can get Montas back by the end of the year or into the playoff run as their fifth starter, that makes them even more of a threat to go the distance.
Atlanta Braves (+900)
Despite not doing much in the offseason, the Atlanta Braves have a good chance to win their second World Series in three seasons. With the likes of Ronald Acuna Jr., Michael Harris, Ozzie Ablies, Matt Olson, and Austin Riley on offense, the Braves are just as dangerous as anyone. Not to mention 28-year-old catcher Sean Murphy, who they just traded for from the A’s.
To take it another step further, Spencer Strider leads a very talented and promising rotation. Behind Strider, the Braves have the likes of Max Fried to go along with Charlie Morton, Kyle Wright, and Michael Soroka (once healthy). They have a mix of great young talent, players in their prime, and seasoned veterans that makes the Braves just as dangerous as teams like the Astros, Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees. While they are fifth in the odds to win the World Series, they could easily be higher on this list with the amount of talent surrounding this team.
Next Best Odds
San Diego Padres (+950)
Toronto Blue Jays (+1100)
Philadelphia Phillies (+1500)
St. Louis Cardinals (+2000)
Seattle Mariners (+2000)
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