Now that the top free agents, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, have been signed with new teams, bookmakers adjusted World Series odds and the San Diego Padres improved to 60/1, while the Philadelphia Phillies shot up to 12/1 odds to win the 2019 championship.
Machado signed a 10-year deal with the Padres worth $300 million last week. This week, Harper and the Phillies finally came to terms on a lucrative deal that is worth $330 million over 13 seasons.
The Padres were 100/1 odds as of a week ago at the South Point Casino and Sports Book in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the Phillies were the 11th best odds on the board at 15/1.
MLB 2019 WORLD SERIES ODDS
New York Yankees 11/2
Houston Astros 6/1
LA Dodgers 6/1
Boston Red Sox 6/1
St. Louis Cardinals 10/1
Chicago Cubs 10/1
Cleveland Indians 10/1
Washington Nationals 10/1
Atlanta Braves 12/1
Milwaukee Brewers 12/1
Philadelphia Phillies 12/1
New York Mets 20/1
Oakland A’s 25/1
Colorado Rockies 25/1
Tampa Rays 30/1
Chicago White Sox 30/1
LA Angels 30/1
San Francisco Giants 40/1
Cincinnati Reds 50/1
Toronto Blue Jays 60/1
Pittsburgh Pirates 60/1
Minnesota Twins 60/1
San Diego Padres 60/1
Texas Rangers 100/1
Detroit Tigers 175/1
Seattle Mariners 200/1
Miami Marlins 200/1
Kansas City Royals 200/1
Arizona Diamondbacks 250/1
Baltimore Orioles 300/1
The New York Yankees continue to be the team to beat at 11/2 odds. The defending world champion Boston Red Sox are 6/1 odds to repeat as champs. It’s nearly impossible to repeat and win back-to-back titles in the modern era. History is against the Red Sox.
The LA Dodgers lost Machado to the Padres, but they were never in the running to sign the All-Star shortstop. The Dodgers were runner-ups in the World Series in the last two seasons. History is also against them. It’s rare for a team to go to the World Series for a third year in a row after losing the previous two.
Betting on Da Bronx
The Yankees are a popular pick this year. The Bronx Bombers set the MLB record for most home runs in a season. That major feat still occurred even though the Yanks lost Aaron Judge for several weeks with a fractured hand. Plus, catcher Gary Sanchez was bogged down in a slump most of the season, while nursing a sore shoulder.
Pundits expect Sanchez to bounce back with a vengeance. Plus, with Judge playing a full season, he’s expected to hit 50-plus home runs without breaking much of a sweat.
The Yankees bolstered their bullpen by signing reliever Adam Ottavino and re-signing Zack Britton. They also have CC Sabathia playing his final year in the big leagues before hanging it up at the end of the season. If there’s any player on the team the Yanks would want to win the series for, it’s their clubhouse leader CC.
Harper and Machado Boost
The Phillies were a potential contender going into this season, while the Padres were one of the long shots on the board. Machado instantly makes the Padres a better team, but they still lack consistent starting pitching to make the legit contenders in the difficult NL West.
The Phillies will be vying with the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves for the NL East crown. The Nats were unable to re-sign Harper despite the fact they offered him a massive deal worth $300 million over ten years before the season ended. Harper did not want to remain in DC. Instead of taking a short-term deal with the San Francisco Giants, Harper signed a 13-year deal with the Phillies because he wanted to end his career in the same city.
The Phillies moved from 15/1 to 12/1 odds, however, the Braves and Nats did not move. The odds remained the same with the Nats at 10/1 and the Braves at 12/1.
