Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees Are Clear World Series 2020 Favorites For Shortened MLB Season

The future of the 2020 MLB season is in doubt, and even if baseball is played it’ll be nothing close to the usual 162-game schedule. Whether the league returns with 48 or 75 contests to be played by each team, the World Series favorites remain unchanged.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are the top contenders in each league, just as they were during spring training. Both teams made blockbuster offseason additions that could put them on a path toward a meeting in the Fall Classic.

Across the board, L.A. and New York are the World Series favorites. The Yankees have +400 championship odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook and William Hill. The Dodgers’ odds range from +375 to +400 at those sportsbooks.

The Houston Astros are on the fringe of being a top-tier contender. The defending American League champs have between +600 and +800 World Series odds.

Houston defeated New York in the 2019 ALCS, but the balance of power shifted in free agency. Gerrit Cole left the Astros for the Yankees, signing a historic nine-year, $324 million contract. Cole won’t earn anything close to his original $36 million salary for 2020, but he could still have a similar impact on New York’s title chances.

After going 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA in the 2019 season, Cole was even better in the playoffs with a 1.72 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. No matter how many regular-season games the Yankees play, Cole could still be the greatest postseason weapon on any playoff team.

The Dodgers traded for Mookie Betts and David Price, who led the Boston Red Sox during the team’s 2018 title run that culminated in a World Series matchup with Los Angeles. Betts is arguably the best player on a team that already has reigning NL MVP Cody Bellinger.

Los Angeles was defeated in both the 2017 and 2018 World Series. The Dodgers blew a 2-1 NLCS lead last year to the Washington Nationals, who went on to beat the Astros in the World Series.

Washington doesn’t have better than +1700 title odds at any of the aforementioned sportsbooks. The Atlanta Braves are a distant second favorite in the National League with no better than +1200 odds.