The rosters are now locked in with the passing of Monday's trade deadline, and MLB teams are hoping their added pieces help them break through to the postseason. The best teams in MLB mostly got better, while the non-contenders hope they found some pieces for the future. We're taking a look at how the MLB World Series futures odds were affected by the flurry of moves over the weekend leading up to Monday night's deadline.
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Of course, the biggest move came on Saturday as the Los Angeles Dodgers continued to stack up talent, jumping on the best player available when they struck a deal to acquire two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. The left-hander, who has won the past two AL Cy Young Awards, makes his first start for the two-time reigning champions on Tuesday in his first visit to Wrigley Field. The Dodgers are looking to avoid a season-high fifth straight loss, and they enter Tuesday's matchup against the Cubs with the second-best record in the National League.
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2026 World Series odds after trade deadline (odds from DraftKings)
| Team | Odds on Aug. 4 | Odds on July 29 |
|---|---|---|
Dodgers | +160 | +190 |
Yankees | +600 | +550 |
Brewers | +950 | +900 |
Braves | +1000 | +1100 |
Rays | +1300 | +1500 |
Cubs | +1500 | +1500 |
Red Sox | +1500 | +2200 |
Phillies | +1800 | +1500 |
Astros | +2200 | +3500 |
Mariners | +2200 | +1600 |
White Sox | +3000 | +4000 |
+3500 | +1600 | |
+4000 | +3500 | |
+6000 | +6500 | |
Twins | +7500 | +7000 |
Padres | +7500 | +8000 |
Orioles | +9000 | +7500 |
Tigers | +12000 | +6500 |
+12000 | +7500 | |
Blue Jays | +13000 | +10000 |
The Dodgers were already heavy favorites to win their third straight World Series, and the addition of Skubal only solidified that. L.A. went from +190 favorites last week at DraftKings to +160 on Tuesday (after briefly getting to +150). Los Angeles is loaded, even with injuries taking a toll. Four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, who has won the honor past three years, has been hampered by a knee injury that has limited his role on the mound, while two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow have missed time. When those three are healthy enough to join a rotation that also features Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto -- currently 11-7 with a 2.76 ERA -- L.A. will be tough to beat.
It's the Brewers who actually have the best record in baseball, and their pitching staff featuring NL Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski has the National League's best ERA. They added another starter in right-hander Dustin May and bolstered the bullpen with relievers Antonio Senzatela and JoJo Romero. They weren't splashy moves, but Milwaukee is the +950 third favorite in the race for the championship. That's actually slightly longer odds from the +900 they were last week because they are chasing L.A. The Dodgers are -110 favorites to win the NL (improving from +105), while the Brewers are +475, same as they were entering deadline weekend.
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One team that could almost match L.A.'s rotation if everything goes right is the AL East-leading Rays, who were on the list of teams that coveted Skubal but had to settle for Freddy Peralta of the Mets. Peralta was having the worst season of his career in New York at 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA as the team has floundered despite high expectations. He finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting in 2025, so a change of scenery and lighter scrutiny from media and fans could be good for the 30-year-old. He joins a Tampa Bay rotation that includes Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez and Shane McClanahan.
The Rays also added a catcher/DH who can regularly get on base, getting Liam Hicks from the Marlins. They improved from +1500 at DraftKings last week to the +1300 fifth favorite to win the World Series. They also are the +450 second choice to win the AL behind the Yankees (+260).
New York sits second in the AL East but has also dealt with major injuries, including three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge being out since May 31 with a rib issue. Still, the Yankees are the +600 second favorite to win the World Series after adding infielder Luis Garcia Jr. and outfielder Heliot Ramos. New York is the favorite to win the American League pennant, ahead of Tampa Bay and Boston (+550). The Yankees are hoping Judge can come back late this season, while Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton should return relatively soon.
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The Red Sox made one of the splashiest moves at the deadline when they acquired catcher Adley Rutschman from the Orioles. The three-time All-Star and first overall pick in the 2019 draft helped Baltimore win the AL East title in 2023 and earn a wild-card spot in 2024. He has been slowed by injuries since, playing in 157 of the team's past 264 games. The 28-year-old switch-hitter has missed 45 games this season and is hitting .251 with a .764 OPS, eight homers and 47 RBI. Boston has leaped into the title conversation alongside teams like the Rays and Phillies at +1500, tied with the Cubs for the sixth-best chance to win it all, as they are 22-3 in their past 25 games.
The Cubs were aggressive in trying to keep pace in the NL, but their odds to win the World Series remained unchanged at DraftKings, as they are +1500 along with the Red Sox. They added starter Kevin Gausman of the Blue Jays, hard-throwing reliever Ryan Zeferjahn from the Angels and raided the Mets for pitchers Clay Holmes and David Peterson and platoon outfielder Tyrone Taylor. A deal for the Angels' Reid Detmers reportedly fell through, but the Cubs look like a different team and are one of four teams shorter than +1000 to win the NL pennant.
The Braves and Phillies also made some moves to try to keep up with L.A. and Milwaukee, though their machinations didn't move the needle a ton in terms of odds. The Braves have a comfortable 7.5-game lead in the NL East over Philadelphia, and while the Phillies added three-time NL batting champion Luis Arraez from the Giants, the overall improvements for both teams were negligible. The Braves added a couple of starters in Tyler Mahle and Brent Suter, but fans expected more. They did improve slightly from +1100 to +1000 to win the World Series, while Philly lost ground, going from +1500 to +1800 at DraftKings.
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The Dodgers' NL West rivals, the San Diego Padres, also made notable moves, adding starter Casey Mize from the Tigers after having already dealt for San Francisco's Robbie Ray to join the rotation. San Diego is 11 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West but is 8-2 in its past 10 games to move into the wild-card race. They sit two games out of the final spot entering Tuesday's games. The Padres have the seventh-best odds to win the World Series at +3000, improving from +4000.
Fourteen teams have better odds to win the World Series than San Diego, which is +7500 along with the Twins. The Padres entered deadline weekend at +8000. They kept their elite bullpen featuring Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon intact, so if they make the playoffs (they're +180 to do so), they could cause some trouble.
Two of the biggest odds movers flew a little under the radar on deadline day, with Houston and the White Sox solidifying themselves as AL contenders. The Astros' odds have improved steadily on the strength of their recent play, as they have stormed into the AL West lead by winning 11 of their past 13 games. They did add outfielder Daulton Varsho, and their odds to win it all have gone from +3500 to +2200
Houston is the +800 fourth choice to win the AL after sitting at +1200 last week, which was tied for sixth along with Chicago. The White Sox are now +1000 to win the pennant, and they achieved all of their goals over the weekend. They added starter Luis Castillo from the Mariners, reliever Huascar Brazoban from the Mets, plus outfielder Brenton Doyle and catcher Joey Bart. None of the moves raised eyebrows, but they helped the South Siders go from +4000 to +3000 in the World Series futures.
Some other teams who look like they could have a chance to make the AL playoffs still decided to be sellers, including the Tigers and Orioles, who both reached the deadline just 2.5 games back in the wild-card race. The Tigers, of course, traded their best pitcher and also shipped Mize to the Padres, while Baltimore sent Rustchman to the Red Sox in a stunning move.
Those deals pushed Detroit and Baltimore to the bottom of the odds among playoff contenders, with the Orioles down to +9000 (were +7500) and Detroit at +12000 (was +6500), and neither cracks the top 10 to win the AL.
