In the wake of Juan Soto agreeing to a 15-year deal worth more than three-quarters of a billion dollars, the Mets' betting odds to win the World Series have gotten a bit shorter. That's to be expected, of course, by adding a player the caliber of Soto in addition to preventing some other high-profile teams from getting him.
Still, the Mets are not the favorites to win it all. The Dodgers remain in that seat. Here are the current World Series odds for the top 20 teams, according to FanDuel:
- Dodgers +370
- Braves +800
- Yankees +850
- Mets +900
- Astros +1000
- Phillies +1200
- Orioles +1400
- Padres +1500
- Guardians +2200
- Twins +2500
- Mariners +3000
- Rays +3000
- Red Sox +3000
- Cubs +3300
- Rangers +3300
- Tigers +3300
- Diamondbacks +3500
- Brewers +4000
- Royals +4500
- Giants +6500
For those curious, the Mets were +1100 before signing Soto, so the move shortened the odds by 200 here. It makes sense that they'd still be behind a few teams. After all, they still have work to do.
For example, the rotation behind Kodai Senga right now is Frankie Montas, David Peterson, Paul Blackburn (who may not be ready for Opening Day) and reliever-turned-starter Clay Holmes. The lineup looks pretty good, though another bat couldn't hurt.
Of course, keep in mind that Mets owner Steve Cohen wants to win a championship and surely isn't prepared to just land Soto in free agency and then stop spending money. From this perspective, it might not be a bad time to hop on the Mets here with those World Series odds.
Something else to ponder with these odds is the makeup of the MLB playoff field these days. Last season, we did end up with the top record in each league heading to the World Series. Before that, though, we got two wild-card teams in the 2023 World Series and a wild-card team vs. a division winner in 2022. The club with the worst record among playoff teams won it all in 2021. This is to say that it would be perfectly justifiable to look at teams lower on the board above (Tigers, D-backs, Brewers, Royals, etc.). Where do you think the Rangers sat in December of 2022?
