The New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics are the only two franchises in MLB history that have won at least three consecutive World Series titles, with the former accomplishing the feat on three different occasions. The Los Angeles Dodgers' aspirations of joining the exclusive club just got considerably stronger. The trade deadline is Monday at 6 p.m. ET, and the best sports betting apps have MLB futures and "next team" odds on players who might be on the trading block.
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As Monday's trade deadline approaches, Los Angeles -- which has won back-to-back titles for the first time since the Fall Classic debuted in 1903 -- already was favored to continue its dominance and win a third straight championship this October as it owns one of the best records in the major leagues. The club may have made it a mere formality late Saturday night as it acquired the top prize on the market in two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers.
Despite the fact Skubal is set to become a free agent at season's end, it appeared for a while that he would remain with the Tigers. Less than two weeks ago, the 29-year-old left-hander expressed his desire to do so and attempt to win a World Series with the team that selected him in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB Draft.
However, Detroit -- which has won three of four and is 2 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot -- sent Skubal to the Dodgers for a trio of prospects less than two days before the deadline. The deal wasn't totally surprising, as DraftKings Sportsbook listed Los Angeles as the favorite to acquire the stud starter at +140. The sportsbook had the Milwaukee Brewers as the second favorite with +280 odds, while the sportsbook had him staying with the Tigers priced at +1000.
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The Dodgers entered Sunday with a 69-42 record, which has them half a game behind the Brewers (69-41) for the best mark in the majors. They own a 10-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West and have done so with hardly any help from Tyler Glasnow or two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. Those two have combined to make eight starts this season because of injuries.
Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has been superb on the mound, posting an 8-2 record and 1.79 ERA over his 14 turns, but he hasn't started on the mound since July 3 due to knee and biceps issues. The Dodgers have had several pitchers step up in the absences of the three, but with Yoshinobu Yamamoto already in place and Skubal coming aboard, the team's rotation figures to be among MLB's best upon their return.
And when Glasnow, Snell and Ohtani are back on the mound, the rotation fill-ins will help make Los Angeles' bullpen stronger. So the addition of Skubal likely makes the Dodgers better in two areas instead of just one.
Los Angeles already was the favorite at the major sportsbooks to win its third consecutive World Series title before acquiring Skubal. The team's odds obviously got shorter following the deal, but the movement wasn't incredibly dramatic.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS ODDS TO WIN 2026 WORLD SERIES
DRAFTKINGS | ||||
Before Skubal trade | +190 | +180 | +175 | +170 |
After Skubal trade | +150 | +140 | +150 | +160 |
Several other teams have attempted to improve prior to Monday's trade deadline, but none of the deals included a player close to Skubal's caliber -- and none moved the needle much at the sportsbooks.
The Chicago White Sox, who own a three-game lead in the AL Central, were +4000 at DraftKings to win the World Series before obtaining right-hander Luis Castillo from the Seattle Mariners on Saturday. Their odds improved to just +3500 at the sportsbook after the trade.
The NL East-leading Atlanta Braves received outfielder Lane Thomas and left-hander Bailey Falter from the Kansas City Royals. However, their odds to capture the championship at DraftKings (+1100) and FanDuel (+1000) did not change. New York Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta reportedly was traded to Tampa Bay on Sunday, but the Rays' odds only moved from +1400 to +1200 at DraftKings.
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Players such as three-time batting champion Luis Arraez and right-handed starters Kevin Gausman and Jose Soriano are expected to be on the move before Monday's deadline. None figure to seriously impact the odds of their potential new teams, and certainly not enough to overtake the Dodgers as the favorites to win their third straight championship.
