Breaking Down the 2025 MLB World Series Favorites

They say, “hope springs eternal,” and that couldn’t be more true in the case of the 30 MLB teams who are starting 2025 with a clean slate.

Sure, some teams are more likely to win the World Series than others. But at this point in time, all major league clubs can mathematically make the playoffs and pursue a World Series title.

The Los Angeles Dodgers took home the title last season and look to become the first repeat champions of this millennium. Many proclaim they are a heavy favorite to do so.

Their path won’t be easy, as the National League has really bolstered its depth of quality teams with a proverbial arms race this offseason. Even though the Dodgers added Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, and others, their competition got better too.

The Mets added Juan Soto. The Diamondbacks signed Corbin Burnes. The Braves will welcome back healthy versions of many regulars. Oh, and their usual competition, the Phillies and Padres, still project to be playoff-caliber teams.

In the American League, the Yankees will look to get back to the World Series despite their ace, Gerrit Cole, already going under the knife. To do so, they will first have to make it out of a deeply competitive American League East division.

In this piece, we’ll not only discuss the cream of the crop but also some sleeper teams who could provide you with good value on a futures bet.

All odds are provided by our partners at BetMGM. If you sign up to BetMGM with our promo code JUSTBASEBALL you will receive up to $1,000 in Bonus Bets back if your first bet doesn’t win.

Odds, stats, and rankings as of March 30.

2025 World Series Odds

• Los Angeles Dodgers: +240

• Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees: +900

• Philadelphia Phillies: +1100

• New York Mets: +1200

• Baltimore Orioles: +1600

• Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros: +1800

• Texas Rangers: +2200

• Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres: +3000

• Cleveland Guardians: +3500

• Kansas City Royals: +4000

• Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays: +5000

• Toronto Blue Jays: +6600

• Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants: +8000

• Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals: +12500

• Athletics, Washington Nationals: +20000

• Los Angeles Angels: +25000

• Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins: +50000

There’s an Overwhelming Favorite

The juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers are runaway favorites to repeat as World Series champions, to nobody’s surprise. Not only does the club have superstars Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman in their lineup, but they have several more quality veteran performers.

Dodger mainstays Will Smith and Max Muncy will still contribute. Teoscar Hernández hit free agency this past offseason but returned on a three-year deal. Tommy Edman is a versatile defender who gave them quality production in the playoffs. Beloved Dodger role-player Enrique Hernández and longtime utilityman Chris Taylor are also still around to provide versatility.

Injuries are always a possibility in baseball, but the Dodgers have quality options to fill in as replacements as well. Prospect Dalton Rushing (#10 on Just Baseball’s 2025 Top 100 ranking) could help the team if Smith were to get injured.

Newly signed Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim is currently getting acclimated to his change of scenery in Triple-A but is strong infield depth. James Outman and Eddie Rosario are both in the minors as well and are experienced big league outfielders.

While we are on the topic of injury-related depth, many of the Dodgers’ arms are likely to be under innings limitations. The club will want their best starters to be healthy when it matters most, so they will need to use plenty of pitchers.

We know that they added a Rookie of the Year favorite in Sasaki and a two-time Cy Young winner in Snell. They still have Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, each of whom could be number one starters on many other clubs.

Dustin May is a tantalizing fifth option who has looked great when healthy. Landon Knack and Bobby Miller give them quality depth. The Dodgers also hope to get Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone, and Tony Gonsolin, not to mention Ohtani, back later in the season as well.

The bullpen is headlined by a three-headed monster of Scott, Kirby Yates, and Blake Treinen.

The Dodgers’ overwhelming amount of star power and quality depth make them slam-dunk favorites to be World Series champions.

The Other World Series Favorites

The American League champion Yankees are among the biggest favorites to win the World Series in 2025, but the team will look different. They lost Soto to free agency, but the front office made moves in the offseason to pivot.

Aaron Judge will look to have another 50+ home run season and repeat as MVP. None of Jazz Chisholm Jr., Paul Goldschmidt, and Cody Bellinger were Yankees on Opening Day last season, but all project to be impact bats in their revamped lineup.

Losing their ace, Cole, to injury is a huge blow, but the Yankees hope that Max Fried and Carlos Rodón can give them an above-average rotation. Acquiring Devin Williams to be their new closer is a massive addition to boost their chances of returning to the Fall Classic.

Tied with the Yankees for the second best World Series odds are the Braves, who are eager to get back to full strength. They still won 89 games and made the playoffs without many of their regulars last year, and they are clearly one of the strongest teams when healthy.

Their offensive core of Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna, and Michael Harris II is one of the best in the game. The pitching staff returns reigning Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale and hopes to add a healthy Spencer Strider at some point in April. This is a very dangerous team if everyone is in uniform come October.

The National League East is loaded at the top. The fourth and fifth-best odds to win the World Series belong to the Phillies and Mets, who both play in the Braves’ division.

The Phillies have had a familiar core for a while now, as Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Kyle Schwarber return to headline a powerful offense. The strength of the Phillies is their starting pitching, as Zack Wheeler looks to continue being one of the most productive pitchers in the 2020s. After going out with a whimper in the playoffs last season, they hope to make noise in 2025.

As for the Mets, they made a run to the NLCS after being the lowest-seeded team in the National League bracket. They followed that up this offseason by giving Soto a record-breaking contract to spend what the team hopes will be his best seasons in Queens.

They retained Pete Alonso in free agency, and Francisco Lindor hopes to have yet another productive season. The biggest question mark for this team is its starting pitching. Kodai Senga is a quality option, but he only made one start last season. The Mets will need good results from fringy rotation options to win it all this season.

Best Values from Outside of the Top Five

Texas Rangers (+2200)

One of my favorite value picks to win the World Series is the Rangers. They won it all in 2023, have a legendary manager, and still have much of their roster from that fateful season. Their lineup looks like it will rake, and there is serious upside with this pitching staff, given good health.

The health of star pitcher Jacob deGrom is paramount for the Rangers, as he is clearly one of baseball’s best when available. He is likely to be limited for much of the regular season to be unleashed down the stretch, but the Rangers have the depth to perform in the regular season without him.

Nathan Eovaldi is an experienced arm with a strong playoff pedigree. Former first-round picks Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker could make a big impact on this rotation. Veterans Tyler Mahle and Jon Gray provide good depth. Cody Bradford emerged as an interesting left-handed option last season.

The bullpen is a bit of a question mark, but that is something that can be addressed fairly easily via trade at the deadline. The Rangers have as good of a chance as any team to win the American League pennant, in my opinion.

Arizona Diamondbacks (+3000)

The Diamondbacks fell to the Rangers in the 2023 Fall Classic but are another team that strikes me as having the potential to unseat the Dodgers in the playoffs. They have talent all over the diamond and swept the Dodgers in the NLDS as part of their storybook pennant run.

The starting pitching for the D-backs was greatly improved by the signing of Burnes, who is a legitimate ace with a great feel for pitching. Zac Gallen may not be a bona fide ace, but he is still a quality arm. Merrill Kelly is as dependable as they come.

Brandon Pfaadt will hope to break through as an impact starter this season. Eduardo Rodriguez is the fifth starter, and just a couple of years ago, he was a really solid pitcher. This rotation should be one of the best in baseball.

Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte are the most well-known offensive weapons for the D-backs and are among the best players in baseball. Eugenio Suárez hit 30 home runs with 101 RBI last season. Josh Naylor figures to be a quality replacement at first base after the loss of Christian Walker in free agency. The top of this lineup will be able to hit enough to get this team in the mix.

In the bullpen, lefty A.J. Puk and righty Justin Martinez are both quality relievers who can close out ballgames. Puk struck out 88 batters in 71 innings last year, while Martinez fanned 91 in 72.2 innings. It’s easy to see either of these two getting big outs in the playoffs.

San Diego Padres (+3000)

The Padres seem like a bit of an afterthought this season when it comes to World Series conversations. Let’s not forget, this team nearly beat the Dodgers in the playoffs last season, and Mookie Betts called them “the most talented team I’ve seen.”

The only impact piece that the team lost is Tanner Scott, and they still have quality bullpen options in Robert Suarez, Jason Adam, and Jeremiah Estrada.

Impending free agents Dylan Cease and Michael King have been rumored to be garnering trade interest this offseason, but the Padres elected to retain them. Adding Nick Pivetta later in free agency was a solid get for a team in need of rotation depth. Hopefully Yu Darvish will be able to give them some quality innings in his age-38 season, as well.

The top of this lineup can still bang. Fernando Tatis Jr. is a superstar. Jackson Merrill was excellent as a 21-year-old rookie last season. Manny Machado is still among the best third basemen in baseball. Xander Bogaerts and Luis Arraez still provide quality at-bats.

The problem with the Padres is that they don’t have a lot of depth in any area. If they get hit with the injury bug, there’s a good chance they even miss the playoffs in a crowded National League race. But if the Padres are able to get into the playoffs and are healthy in October, they can be dangerous.

World Series Long Shots To Watch

Kansas City Royals (+4000)

The Royals made it to the ALDS last season, so it’s a bit of a surprise to see them projected to have the second-lowest World Series odds in their division.

This is a young, up-and-coming team that is hungry to build off of a successful season last year. They have one of the best players in all of baseball in Bobby Witt Jr., which is obviously a great start. Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino are also quality options in the lineup.

Admittedly, the Royals’ offense is a little weak overall, but they could be motivated to buy at the deadline if things are going well. It helps that they have a solid rotation and bullpen.

Last year, Cole Ragans was great and established himself as an ace. He threw ten innings of one-run ball in the playoffs last season at Camden Yards and Yankee Stadium. Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha are both veterans who can give the team professional innings.

As for the bullpen, the Royals added one of the most effective relievers in baseball last year at the deadline in Lucas Erceg. He may not be closing immediately due to the financial commitment associated with signing Carlos Estávez this offseason, but he will be valuable in any role.

Left-handers Angel Zerpa and Sam Long both threw big innings in relief during the playoffs as well. This bullpen is solid.

The Royals’ organizational motivation to replicate last year’s run is a huge reason why I like them as a long shot.

Tampa Bay Rays (+5000)

Admittedly, this one feels like a crazy long shot. I’m not necessarily recommending spending your hard-earned money on this one, but they are another long shot that could have some key ingredients for a run.

The Rays’ starting pitching is rock solid. If Shane McClanahan can get back on the field and make a successful return from Tommy John surgery this season, he gives them a potential ace. Ryan Pepiot, Taj Bradley, and Shane Baz all could be impact arms. Anything that they can get out of Drew Rasmussen after three career UCL surgeries would be a bonus.

In the bullpen, Pete Fairbanks is a quality closer. Edwin Uceta had a huge breakout in a set-up role last year and projects as a high-leverage guy. We also know the Rays will manage to find another quality reliever whose whereabouts have been a mystery for the past year.

The offense was one of the worst in baseball last year, but the Rays’ farm system is among the best. We could see some improvements as the season rolls on.

The American League doesn’t have nearly the amount of top-end talent as the National League, so if the Rays get in, perhaps their strong pitching could help them make some noise.