After a hectic 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, the dust has finally settled.

Some teams became surprise-buyers as playoff races tighten down the stretch, while others capitalized on a strong sellers market to maximize their returns on players with expiring contracts.

Without a doubt, the biggest name moved this deadline was Tarik Skubal. The back-to-back AL Cy Young winner from the Detroit Tigers was moved to none other than the Los Angeles Dodgers, for a strong prospect package that many were surprised other contenders in the National League didn’t beat.

Nonetheless, the race has been shaken up quite a bit, and in this preview we’ll break down where the contenders and playoff hopefuls stand along with addressing how some of the true sellers in this thin market were able to accrue young talent as they look beyond 2026 into 2027.

Note: All odds provided are courtesy of BetMGM. For new users, use code JUSTBASEBALL for a first-bet offer up to $1500 if your first pick loses.

2026 Futures: MLB World Series Winner Odds

The True World Series Contenders:

With their acquisition of Tarik Skubal, the 2024 and 2025 champion Los Angeles Dodgers lead Major League Baseball in odds to win the 2026 World Series by a large margin.

The sheer amount of star-power on this roster is ridiculous, and even though the Dodgers currently sit in position to play a Wild Card series, BetMGM still believes they are best poised to return to the Fall Classic and win it.

Some of the toughest competition the Dodgers will face on their path back to the World Series will most likely come from NL rivals like the Atlanta Braves or Milwaukee Brewers.

With both teams seemingly locking up their respective division races, they remained somewhat dormant during the deadline season. Milwaukee added back-end of the rotation starter Dustin May and bullpen pieces such as JoJo Romero and Antonio Senzatela. Atlanta added much of the same, acquiring Tyler Mahle for the rotation from San Francisco and outfielder Lane Thomas from Kansas City.

Shifting to the American League, the true top contenders are among three teams that all reside in the same AL East division.

Many would argue the New York Yankees had an extremely disappointing deadline this year, but BetMGM still has them as the clear-cut favorites to come out of the American League.

The belief was that New York would import a right handed hitting catcher to alleviate the struggling left handed Austin Wells from tough matchups, but they opted to stick with Ali Sanchez as the market for top-end catching talent evaporated. Instead, New York turned to Washington to improve their lineup by acquiring first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. for four pitchers.

Sticking on the subject of catchers, both of the Yankees’ biggest rivals to come out of the American League imported at least one new catcher each at the deadline.

Most notably, the Boston Red Sox made a huge splash in acquiring Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles in an in-division trade that saw Boston depart with multiple top prospects. To headline the deal, Anthony Eyanson (Red Sox #2) along with Kyson Witherspoon (Red Sox #4) headed down the turnpike.

The Tampa Bay Rays also added a catcher, trading for Liam Hicks from Miami, while also adding now-reclamation project starting pitcher Freddy Peralta from New York (NL).

Fringe Contenders and Playoff “Pretenders”:

The echelon just below the six teams mentioned above arguably consists of four franchises in similar positions with respect to their divisions they reside in.

Starting with the NL, the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs seem destined for a first-round Wild Card series, and both made a plethora of moves at the deadline to fill some, but not all of their roster holes.

Philly most prominently added second baseman Luis Arraez in a deal with the Giants, which has shifted around their whole team’s defensive alignment. Bryce Harper is transitioning back to right field, while Bryson Stott has taken over third base and Alec Bohm assumes responsibilities at first base.

The Cubs, in the market mainly for starting pitching, acquired Kevin Gausman from Toronto, Braxton Garrett from Miami, and Clay Holmes from New York (NL).

With a rotation decimated by injuries, and an offense that ranks second in the majors in team wRC+, this was clearly the focal point for Jed Hoyer’s Front Office.

Both these franchises comfortably sit outside of the top three NL teams in terms of World Series odds provided by BetMGM but most definitely have a real chance to make some noise in the 2026 Postseason.

As for the American League, both the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox lead their divisions with marginal records at best.

Over the deadline, Houston’s main acquisition was Daulton Varsho from Toronto, a left-handed-hitting outfielder with plus defense in center. More actively, the White Sox acquired veteran Luis Castillo from the underperforming Mariners to help lead a young pitching staff.

All in all, it really can’t be the same said for both AL teams as compared to the NL teams briefly mentioned above in regards to their playoff expectations. Maybe the format will play to the Astros’ or White Sox’s favor, while the Phillies and Cubs face a loaded National League.

On the Outside Looking In, Or Looking Towards Next Year:

Some of the best winners of this past trade deadline were teams that took a look in the mirror and realized this probably wasn’t the season to go for glory.

The emphasis for this section should be put on teams like the San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, and finally the Los Angeles Angels.

They actually did it. It only took until John Mozeliak was put in charge, but the Angels actually sold this past deadline. Moving a key piece like starting pitcher Jose Soriano, or role players like outfielder Jo Adell and reliever Ryan Zeferjahn, the Angels were able to acquire young controllable talent in return.

The best piece the Angels received undoubtedly was shortstop Arjun Nimmala from Toronto.

The Giants moved on from Robbie Ray in an in-division trade with San Diego, and parted with Heliot Ramos to the New York Yankees. The aforementioned Luis Arraez also was moved to Philadelphia as previously touched upon.

Baltimore parted with Adley Rutschman as the headliner, with pieces like Taylor Ward to Seattle and Tyler Wells to Tampa Bay being greatly impactful. Don’t forget the “buying” Minnesota Twins also nabbed Dean Kremer for their rotation.

The Miami Marlins saw Braxton Garrett and Liam Hicks depart for strong prospect packages, while trading some of their depth relievers too. At the time of the deadline, the Marlins sat just 1.5 games out of the final wild card spot, but opted to prioritize the future rather than attempting to go through the gauntlet that is the 2026 National League.

Lastly, breaking down the return for Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers acquired the Dodgers’ top prospects Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, and Brady Smith. They also parted with another high-end starting pitcher in Casey Mize, who was shipped to San Diego for Kash Mayfield, and Jackson Wolf.

Key Takeaways and 2026 World Series Thoughts:

As broken down above, there are obvious groupings you could place each major league team into. Some teams fared better than others addressing their ball clubs’ needs at the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, while others remained mostly dormant.

Focusing on the true contenders for this World Series, it’s clear that Vegas, as provided by BetMGM’s odds, still strongly believes the Dodgers are miles ahead of the competition.

Even while currently positioned as a Wild Card team, they still have the shortest odds to win the World Series, and it’s not particularly close.

At +155, BetMGM provides an implied probability of 39.22% that the Dodgers will three-peat as champions, with the closest and only team to have odds shorter than +1000 being the New York Yankees at +750 (11.76%).

It’s worth dissecting that each team’s chances to win the World Series, as broken down by implied probability does not collectively add up to 100%, due to vigorish added in by BetMGM or any sportsbook for the matter.

It’s also fair to say that there are probably several National League teams better than the Yankees, but because they all have to face each other in the National League playoffs, their odds come in longer than the AL favorite.

Instead of giving my World Series pick, because it definitely would be biased, I’d rather use the information BetMGM is providing us through their odds to gauge where each team stands as the stretch run winds down.

The Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, Brewers, Red Sox, and Rays all seem to be the main contenders this year, with the Phillies and Cubs followed by the White Sox and Astros just a notch below them.