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The 2026 MLB season begins on Wednesday, March 25 and we'll look at the latest MLB World Series odds, MLB futures, how to approach MLB betting and where sports fans can bet on the World Series ahead of Opening Day.

Best sportsbooks for MLB World Series odds

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World Series odds: Current markets

Here's a look at how the MLB futures are shaping up for the World Series, league pennants and other markets ahead of the 2026 season. Odds are current as of March 19, 2026.

World Series odds (via DraftKings)

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MLB World Series odds change once game results, injuries and trades occur throughout the season but the current odds favor the sport's giants. The Dodgers, who are aiming for a three-peat, are the +230 favorites after continuing to spend big money. They added prized free agent Kyle Tucker to their roster which also includes stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

The Yankees, who lost to the Dodgers in the 2024 World Series, are behind the two-time defending champions at most sportsbooks in the World Series futures market. Aaron Judge continues to anchor the lineup and we'll see if last year's breakout star Trent Grisham can continue his power hitting ways. Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, Ben Rice and Jazz Chisholm Jr. all return to a roster which belted the most home runs in the majors a year ago. However, the most important player for New York might be pitcher Gerrit Cole, who is set to return after recovering from Tommy John surgery. If Cole can be back by the end of May or early June, the Yankees will likely see their World Series odds improve.

There's a big contingent of teams right behind L.A. and New York. The Seattle Mariners, who made a run to the ALCS a year ago, are third in the odds table. The Mets are behind the Mariners while the Blue Jays, who were a handful of plays away from winning the World Series last year, are fifth in the odds table.

League pennant odds

Betting on the World Series winner isn't the only futures market available for MLB fans. You can also bet on which team will win the American League and National League pennants. The Dodgers, who are the favorites to win the whole thing, are naturally favorites to win the NL at DraftKings at +120. They are followed by the Mets (+700), Phillies (+800), Cubs (+900) and Braves (+900). The AL side is much tighter. The Yankees are +450 favorites but the Mariners are right behind them at +500, followed by the Blue Jays (+650), Red Sox (+700) and Tigers (+900). Toronto won the AL last season before falling to the Dodgers in the World Series in seven games.

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Division winner odds

There are six divisions in MLB and bettors can wager on who will finish atop each division. Division winners automatically qualify for the postseason. Despite being favored to win the AL, the Yankees are arguably in one of the tightest division races thanks to the presence of the Red Sox, Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. New York is +180 to win the AL East.

The Tigers are +110 favorites to win the AL Central but they actually haven't won the division since 2014. The Cleveland Guardians have three division titles in the last four seasons and they are +425 to make it three AL Central titles in a row. The Kansas City Royals are ahead of Cleveland at +225. 

The AL West will also be interesting as the Mariners are +100 favorites but the Houston Astros (+250) and Texas Rangers (+340) are not far behind. The Astros won the World Series in 2022 and the Rangers won in 2023, so these teams could be due for resurgences after down seasons in 2024 and 2025.

Similar to the AL East, the NL East is also going to be a tightly contested division with the Mets (+150), Phillies (+180) and Braves (+225) all in contention. The Milwaukee Brewers (+235) won the NL Central last year and had the NL's best record but they lost some key players during the offseason and are now behind the Cubs (+110) to win the division in 2026.

It's a different story in the NL West, where the Dodgers are massive -650 favorites to win the division. Los Angeles has won four straight NL West division titles and has finished on top of the division in 12 of the last 13 seasons.

To make or miss playoffs

Sportsbooks offer MLB futures markets on whether teams will make or miss the playoffs. You can make wagers on either side for individual teams, and you can parlay these bets into a single wager. For example, I can wager on the Yankees, Mariners and Dodgers to make the playoffs in a parlay at -112 at DraftKings, which is much better than placing individual wagers on each team as the Yankees are -270 to make it, the Mariners are -280 and the Dodgers are -5000.

It's important to note all futures bets are live once they are placed and each sportsbook will have its own rules on how these bets are graded if a season is shortened for any reason.

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Odds to win the World Series 

Here's a look at how some contenders stack up when it comes to MLB World Series odds for the 2026 season.

The favorites

In this season, there's only one true favorite with the Dodgers. They are priced at +230 on DraftKings, well ahead of the rest of the field. The Yankees next in the odds table but there's a substantial gap, as New York is +1000.

The contenders

For this section, we'll list teams between +1000 and +2500. These teams likely have a roster capable of winning it all but also have question marks about how they stack up against one of the top teams, particularly the Dodgers. The Mariners, Mets, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Phillies, Cubs, Braves, Tigers, Orioles and Astros all fall in this category.

The longshots

There are two teams who fall just outside of the contenders list in terms of odds but have good cases to make runs in 2026.

The Brewers did have the best record in baseball a year ago and even though losing ace Freddy Peralta is big, it's hard to see that trade putting Milwaukee out of the playoff and World Series conversation. This team still has former league MVP Christian Yelich, a rising star in Jackson Chourio and contributors up and down the lineup. Milwaukee was third in team batting average, seventh in RBI and 26th in strikeouts. Even though they didn't hit home runs at a high rate, the Brewers didn't strike out a lot and were able to manufacture runs consistently.

The San Diego Padres are coming off an interesting 2025 campaign when they made the wild card round but lost to the Cubs. This happened after a 2024 season where they won 93 games and took the Dodgers to the brink in the NLDS, losing in Game 5. So which San Diego team shows up in 2026? The Padres are not going to rank highly in home runs due to playing at Petco Park, and most hitting metrics are susceptible to variation. San Diego ranked first in team batting average, eighth in RBI and seventh in total bases in 2024. Those respective rankings were seventh, 18th and 22nd in 2025. The Padres have largely the same lineup entering 2026 and their hitting should normalize a bit, which helps on the margins against top teams.

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Past World Series winners

Here's a look at some of the recent World Series winners

  • 2025: Dodgers
  • 2024: Dodgers
  • 2023: Rangers
  • 2022: Astros
  • 2021: Braves
  • 2020: Dodgers
  • 2019: Nationals
  • 2018: Red Sox
  • 2017: Astros
  • 2016: Cubs
  • 2015: Royals
  • 2014: Giants
  • 2013: Red Sox
  • 2012: Giants
  • 2011: Cardinals
  • 2010: Giants
  • 2009: Yankees
  • 2008: Phillies
  • 2007: Red Sox
  • 2006: Cardinals
  • 2005: White Sox
  • 2004: Red Sox
  • 2003: Marlins
  • 2002: Angels
  • 2001: Diamondbacks
  • 2000: Yankees

MLB regular season and postseason structure

MLB has the longest regular season of the four major professional leagues as each team plays 162 games. The first half and second half are traditionally separated by the All-Star break, which will happen in July. The 2026 All-Star Game will take place on July 14. The trade deadline is usually near the end of July, and the deadline for 2026 is Aug. 3.

Six teams from each league make the playoffs. The three division winners automatically qualify and are assigned the top three seeds based on record. After that, the next three teams come into the postseason field as wild card teams regardless of division affiliation. If two teams are tied, head-to-head tiebreakers are used to determine which team gets in.

The top two seeds in each league get a bye. The worst division winner will play the last wild card team in the No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup, while the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds play in the other wild card matchup. The wild card round is a best-of-3 series.

Unlike some postseasons, there is no reseeding in MLB. The No. 1 seed will play the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 series and the No. 2 seed will play the winner of the No. 3 vs. No. 6 series. This is the divisional round and is a best-of-5 series. The winners from here meet in the championship series, which is a best-of-7 series. The league champions will then play each other in a best-of-7 World Series.

Home-field advantage goes to the higher seed in each round. MLB used to determine home-field advantage based on which league won the All-Star Game, but that practice has been abandoned and the team with the better record now gets home-field advantage for the Fall Classic.

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World Series awards and player futures

Baseball fans can wager on more MLB futures outside of the World Series winner, such as series awards and MLB player futures. Odds were last updated March 19, 2026.

World Series MVP odds

World Series MVP odds won't be available at most sportsbooks until there is a clear idea of which teams will actually be in contention for the Fall Classic.

League MVP odds

Each league will have an MVP for the regular season. This award is determined by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), where voters rank their top 10 MVP candidates on a ballot. The first-ranked player gets 10 points, the second-ranked player gets nine and so on. The player with the most points after all the votes have been tallied is the MVP for that league. Here's a look at the odds for AL and NL MVP in 2026 via DraftKings.

AL MVP

All others are 15-1 or longer

NL MVP

All others are 15-1 or longer

Cy Young odds

The Cy Young award is given to the top pitcher in each league and is also voted on by the BBWAA. Here's a look at the odds for that award for 2026 via DraftKings.

AL Cy Young odds

All others are 15-1 or longer

NL Cy Young odds

All others are 15-1 or longer

Rookie of the Year odds

Unlike some other leagues, the MLB Rookie of the Year award goes to the top player who is in his first year in the majors. Those with experience in professional leagues outside of the United States are still eligible to win Rookie of the Year, as are players who spend part of the season in Triple-A before moving up to the majors. The current threshold for players is 130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched or 45 days on a MLB roster before Sept. 1, so it's possible some of these players don't actually start with their MLB clubs on Opening Day. This award is also voted on by BBWAA, but voters only pick the top three players. Some players may have also gotten brief cameos last season, but didn't accrue enough playing time to lose rookie eligibility. 

Here's a look at the 2026 Rookie of the Year odds in MLB via DraftKings.

AL Rookie of the Year

All others are 15-1 or longer

NL Rookie of the Year odds

All others 15-1 or longer

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Strategies for betting on World Series odds

A lot can happen across a 162-game season. Some teams may start hot and cool down while others may get decimated by injuries. Some teams have great lineups with a poor pitching staff while others have elite arms but minimal offense. It's important to understand how each team is constructed when looking at MLB World Series odds and making wagers.

A good way to start sorting out teams looking to contend against those not necessarily interested in making a playoff run is payroll. MLB teams that spend more money are typically trying to win games and championships. They are more likely to have star players, better depth and can be aggressive in trade deadline acquisitions. If you're placing a bet on a team to win the World Series, there's a good chance that team will have a payroll within the top 10 in the majors. There are some exceptions like the Mariners and Brewers, but in most cases, the teams that spend the most money have the best players.

Baseball analysis is full of advanced metrics, and you can use a variety of these to determine whether a team's performance is actually lining up with its results. Some teams may be performing well but getting unlucky, while others are getting lucky while actually being average. This can help determine which teams offer value in the MLB futures market.

Strength of schedule is not as relevant in a 162-game season but it can matter for teams in tougher divisions. The Dodgers are favorites not only because they have the best roster but because they play a large chunk of their games in a relatively weaker overall division. Compare that to a team like the Yankees, who have to battle other contenders like the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Orioles for a big portion of their schedule. It doesn't disqualify New York as a World Series threat but it makes their path to wins, the division title, favorable seeding and the pennant a bit tougher.

One of the most important strategies is to look at hedging opportunities at key points in the season. Teams might suffer a big injury to a star player or get a key player back, which impacts the odds market. The trade deadline could see contributors move from a struggling squad to a fringe playoff team and boost its odds. The All-Star break could allow for some vital recovery time, or it could be an unfortunate disruption for a team on a long winning streak. There's a lot of randomness to baseball but these events shape the MLB futures market more than day-to-day results.