The lineup cards are in. The smell of peanuts and Cracker Jacks is in the air. And the stadiums are filled with fans. It’s time for baseball!! That means MLB futures bets are flying in by the second, and betting odds are on the move. And today could be the right time to lock in your bet on the 2024 World Series champion. Before you hit that button, find out who are the favorites to win the World Series in 2024, and read out expert tips to help you make your picks.
*Odds According to FanDuel Sportsbook (As of 3/19/2024)*
The Los Angeles Dodgers made history this offseason, signing Shohei Ohtani to the largest contract in North American sports history (10 years, $700 million). They also brought in Japanese starting pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, surpassing one billion dollars in free agency spending.
Yes, you read that right. Billion…with a B. Adding these players to an already stacked roster that includes former AL MVP, Mookie Betts, and former NL MVP, Freddie Freeman, are the reasons the Dodgers stand atop the favorites to win the 2024 World Series.
Truist Park in Atlanta is a good place to go if you’re looking for one of MLB’s most consistent teams. The Atlanta Braves have reached the postseason in six straight seasons and last won the World Series in 2021.
They’re coming off of back-to-back 100-win seasons, however, that regular season success hasn’t translated into postseason success. Their past two seasons have ended in the National League Division Series (NLDS) at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies (+1500).
The Houston Astros have become one of the most clutch teams in MLB and are always a great bet to be competing for a World Series in October. The Astros have reached the American League Championship Series (ALCS) every year since 2016, appearing in four World Series; winning two during that same timeframe.
As the favorites to represent the American League in the 2024 World Series, Jose Altuve will look to surpass Manny Ramirez for most all-time postseason home runs in the process. Altuve currently sits just two home runs behind Ramirez with 27.
The New York Yankees looked poised to return to their winning ways this season when they made one of the biggest splashes of the off-season, acquiring All-Star outfielder, Juan Soto, via trade.
However, their World Series odds have steadily dropped since the injury news broke on their ace pitcher, Gerrit Cole. Cole, who is dealing with elbow inflammation, is expected to miss approximately 10-12 weeks. Placing a World Series bet on the ‘Bronx Bombers’ has suddenly turned into a risk versus reward venture.
We’ll stay in the American League East to round out the top-five World Series favorites. The Baltimore Orioles, fresh off of a 101-win season, have a young, exciting core of players that includes All-Star catcher, Adley Rutschman (25), 2023 AL Rookie of the Year, Gunnar Henderson (22), and All-Star outfielder, Cedric Mullins (28).
This young nucleus will look to take a step forward this season, and they should remain in playoff contention for years to come.
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After 30 MLB teams each play 162 games, 12 teams (six from each league) reach the postseason to compete for the World Series. The team with the best record and the second-best division winner will receive a bye and advance directly to the Division Series.
The four remaining teams will compete in the Wild Card Series. In the Wild Card Series, the third-best division winner (No. 3) plays the third-best Wild Card team (No. 6) while the best Wild Card team (No. 4) plays the second-best Wild Card team (No.5). The Wild Card Series is a best-of-three series with all games played at the home park of the higher seed.
Unlike the NFL, MLB’s bracket-style postseason does not re-seed, so the winner between Nos. 4 & 5 faces No.1 and the winner of Nos. 3 & 6 faces No.2. The Division Series is a best-of-five Series. The winners advance to a best-of-seven Championship Series. And the Championship Series winners advance to the World Series (also best-of-seven).
The team with the best regular season record receives home field advantage. If both teams had identical regular season records, the tiebreaker goes as follows: head-to-head record, then intra-division record, then inter-division record.
At any point before the MLB season begins (once betting odds are released), during the regular season, or throughout the postseason, you can place a futures bet on the 2024 World Series winner. All of New York’s top rated sportsbooks offer extensive MLB and World Series betting markets before and during the season.
A World Series futures bet is a wager on the outcome of the MLB postseason. For example, if you believe the Los Angeles Dodgers (+320) will win the 2024 World Series, for every $100 you bet today, you would win $320 in profit.
Placing a bet on the Moneyline in the World Series is straightforward. This is a simple prediction of which team you believe will win the World Series. This type of bet is not made for the future, rather once both teams have already advanced to the World Series.
Betting the total of a World Series game is an over/under wager of how many runs will be scored. Let’s pretend the Dodgers and Yankees have advanced to the 2024 World Series and the total runs for Game 1 is 7.5 runs. You would bet if the total number of runs scored in that single game would be over, or under, 7.5 runs.
Runline betting in the World Series can be thought of as betting the “spread” of an individual game. For example, if the spread of Game 1 of the 2024 World Series is Dodgers (-1.5), this means that the Dodgers are favored to win that specific game by 1.5 runs. You would be betting on the Dodgers to win by at least 2 runs to cash-in your ticket.
World Series prop bets are bets on a team or individual to reach a certain goal or on a specific occurrence; such as hits, strikeouts, or the first team to score. For example, if the prop bet you felt most confident in is the Yankees to score first in a 2024 World Series matchup of Yankees/Dodgers, when Aaron Judge crosses the plate for the game’s first run – you’d be a winner!
Live betting in the World Series is based on the action going on in the moment. Let’s say you feel it in your gut that the Yankees are going to win Game 1, but in the aforementioned (potential) 2024 World Series matchup between the Yankees and Dodgers, the Dodgers take a 2-0 lead into the 4th inning. That’s the moment you can bet live on the Yankees to win, locking in better odds than you would have received during the pregame festivities.
Parlay betting the World Series can bring you incredible odds. This method of betting is predicting multiple things to happen in a game, or throughout the entire World Series. The only catch is you must get all parts of your parlay correct in order to win your bet. If even one “leg” of your parlay doesn’t hit, you miss out on your wager. It is the true risk vs. reward form of World Series betting.
There’s only one caveat to my advice; if the Dodgers aren’t hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy in October (or November), something has gone horribly wrong. With that being said, the 2023 World Series Champion, Texas Rangers, entered last season as the 17th favorites (+4500) to win it all.
They became the longest shot to win the World Series (based on pre-season betting odds) since the Minnesota Twins won it all in 1991 (+8000). The favorites don’t ALWAYS win, and there’s a reason they play the games.
The Philadelphia Phillies have been knocking at the World Series door each of the past two seasons. While they don’t have the most talented roster on paper, I believe they provide the best value to cash in on a long shot in 2024. Don’t underestimate a fully healthy Bryce Harper.
Betting the Astros to win the World Series isn’t the correct pick based on the odds. That’s reserved for the overwhelming favorites, the Dodgers. The Astros, however, have the easiest path to represent their league in the World Series. Because unlike the Dodgers, the Astros don’t have a team like the Braves in their way, and you have to be in it, to win it.
| Year | Winning Team | Winner’s Odds | Losing Team | |
| 2023 | Texas Rangers | +4500 | 4-1 | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 2022 | Houston Astros | +700 | 4-2 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 2021 | Atlanta Braves | +1000 | 4-2 | Houston Astros |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Dodgers | +460 | 4-2 | Tampa Bay Rays |
Date: TBD (Should begin in October and potentially conclude in November)
Location: TBD (Game 1 - the home stadium of the team with the better regular season record)
Time: TBD
TV Coverage: FOX
Most World Series Wins: New York Yankees (27)
Most World Series Losses: Los Angeles Dodgers (14)
Most World Series Home Runs: Manny Ramirez (29)
Most World Series Games Played: Yogi Berra (75)
How many World Series have gone to 7 games? 40 (Since 1905)
Most runs scored by a single team in a World Series game? 18, NY Yankees (vs. the NY Giants - 1936)
Biggest comeback in a single World Series game? 8 runs (Philadelphia Athletics beat the Chicago Cubs 10-8 after being down 8-0)
How many teams have won after being in a 3-1 deficit? 14
The odds for which team will ultimately win the World Series show which team is favored and which teams are less likely to win. At odds of +320, a $100 bet on the LA Dodgers would give you $320 in profit if they were to win.
If you’re in New York you can place bets on the World Series at any of the state’s legal sportsbooks including FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, Fanatics and more.
Absolutely, you can bet on the outcome of individual World Series games, as well as what will occur during the game such as the total number of runs.
Pre-season, the LA Dodgers are favorites to win the 2024 World Series.
The team with the best winning percentage during the regular season gets home field advantage in the World Series.
The Texas Rangers won the 2023 World Series. They beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games.
