World Series 2018 Betting Odds: Astros, Yankees, Red Sox Rank As Top Title Contenders

The New York Yankees retook their place atop the MLB standings this past weekend with a series victory over the Boston Red Sox. Boston has the second-best record in baseball, but neither team begins the season’s fourth month as the favorite to win the World Series.

That distinction belongs to the Houston Astros, who aren’t far behind either AL East powerhouse. Trailing both the Yankees and Red Sox by 1.5 games in the American League standings, the Astros still have the best odds to successfully defend their championship.

Houston might be even better than they were a year ago when they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. After winning their first-ever title in franchise history, Houston traded for Gerrit Cole, who is on the short list of AL Cy Young award candidates.

The Astros’ record doesn’t tell the whole story of their chances to win another World Series. They are only a half-game ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the AL West standings, even though Houston has outscored their opponents by an incredible 170 runs over the course of the season. Seattle has a plus-22 run differential.

New York, Boston and Houston have clearly separated themselves as the best teams in baseball. One of the three teams will end up in the AL Wild-Card Game. It’s possible that the Astros will face the second-place AL East finisher in that contest, though they are favored to beat out the Mariners for the division title.

The Dodgers have the best World Series odds of any National League team. The Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals are the other NL teams with better than 10/1 World Series odds. None of those teams are currently in first place.

World Series 2018 Odds [Bovada]

Houston Astros 15/4

New York Yankees 4/1

Boston Red Sox 6/1

Chicago Cubs 9/1

Los Angeles Dodgers 17/2

Washington Nationals 9/1

Cleveland Indians 14/1

Arizona Diamondbacks 15/1

Atlanta Braves 15/1

Milwaukee Brewers 16/1

Philadelphia Phillies 25/1

Seattle Mariners 25/1

St. Louis Cardinals 30/1

San Francisco Giants 40/1

Colorado Rockies 60/1

Oakland Athletics 100/1

Los Angeles Angels 125/1

Minnesota Twins 250/1

Pittsburgh Pirates 250/1

New York Mets 350/1

Detroit Tigers 500/1

Tampa Bay Rays 500/1

Toronto Blue Jays 500/1

Chicago White Sox 900/1

Cincinnati Reds 900/1

Miami Marlins 900/1

San Diego Padres 900/1

Texas Rangers 900/1

Baltimore Orioles Off the Board

Kansas City Royals Off the Board

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