Dodgers Have Best NL World Series Odds After Manny Machado Trade

The Los Angeles Dodgers made the biggest splash of the 2018 MLB season, acquiring Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for five prospects. The trade only improved the World Series chances of the team that might’ve already been the best in the National League.

L.A. has the best World Series odds of anyone in the NL with the All-Star break coming to an end. The Dodgers have the worst record of any NL division leader, sitting behind both the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs in the overall standings.

Los Angeles’ lead in the NL West isn’t exactly secure. They’ve got the same amount of wins as the Arizona Diamondbacks and a half-game lead over their division rivals. Four teams are still in the NL West race, considering the Colorado Rockies are two games behind the Dodgers and the fourth-place San Francisco Giants are only four games out of first place.

Even in such a competitive division, the Dodgers are expected to finish with yet another NL West title. They are the odds-on favorites with -275 odds to win the division, according to BetOnline. Arizona is a +350 underdog. Both Colorado and San Francisco are long shots at +1200.

No one team has dominated their division like the Dodgers have in recent years. They’ve won the NL West in five straight seasons, winning more than 90 games each year. Los Angeles made their first World Series during that stretch last year, falling short against the Houston Astros after winning 104 regular-season games.

Led by the league’s best pitching staff, L.A. cruised to an NL pennant in 2017. WIth Clayton Kershaw back on the mound, the Dodgers, once again, have the NL’s best ERA.

Perhaps the acquisition of Machado will give the offense enough firepower to get them back in the Fall Classic. With shortstop Corey Seager lost for the season, the Dodgers rank fifth in the NL in runs scored. Machado started at shortstop for the American League All-Star Team after ranking in the top six in AL batting average, OPS, home runs and RBI.

Getting to the World Series is one thing, but winning their first championship in three decades is another. The Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees all have better title odds than the Dodgers.