Updated 2019 World Series Odds – September 30th Edition

The ten postseason slots in Major League Baseball have been set for 2019, and some of the preseason favorites are out (Philadelphia in the National League East and Cleveland in the American League Central, for example). So is the defending World Series champion, as Boston’s winter starts early. Some of the expected teams are in, of course, as the Dodgers, Yankees and Astros are in, and there are some upstarts as well, including the Twins, Rays and A’s. With the Chicago Cubs missing the postseason, manager Joe Maddon, who took the Cubs to the postseason four straight years and ended that long World Series drought, is out. We have the 2019 World Series odds for each of the ten postseason contenders as well as thoughts on several of the teams.

Updated 2019 World Series Odds – September 30th Edition

One last chance to tell us how right we are. https://t.co/NQEjLSiDDM

(MLB x @CocaCola) pic.twitter.com/aTtciahb87 — MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2019

• Houston Astros                                                                                             +210
• L.A. Dodgers                                                                                                 +300
• N.Y. Yankees                                                                                                 +450
• Atlanta Braves                                                                                              +750
• Minnesota Twins                                                                                          +1300
• Washington Nationals                                                                                  +1500
• St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland A’s                                                                +1800
• Tampa Bay Rays                                                                                           +2000
• Milwaukee Brewers                                                                                      +2200

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Houston has three legitimate aces in their rotation in Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke. They have a proven postseason manager in A.J. Hinch. However, they are just one of three teams that won 100 or more games in the postseason this year, and there are no weak sisters in the five qualifiers in the junior circuit. Even so, with that rotation, they should roll at least to the Series if not win it outright. The Dodgers are the best team in the National League, not just on paper but in terms of performance in the regular season. They have lost the last two World Series, though, as top ace Clayton Kershaw has faltered on the game’s biggest stage. They have a ton of pitching talent and extra starters to move to the bullpen. Will that be enough to get them the Commissioner’s Trophy this time? The Yankees have been struggling with injuries all season long — and they still won more than 100 games. They have Luis Severino back in their rotation, basically giving them a fresh arm for the second season, and James Paxton has gotten hot down the stretch. Their bullpen is already a strength, so as long as the New York bats keep plugging away, this will be a tough team to eliminate.

Who Should You Keep an Eye Out For?

Atlanta also has three ace-quality arms in their starting rotation in Mike Soroka, Mike Foltynewicz and Dallas Keuchel. The issue for the Braves’ hurlers comes in their bullpen. Can the Atlanta bats build up a big enough lead to make the bullpen issue moot? St. Louis basically rides one ace-quality arm into the postseason, and their bullpen has ranged from dominant to dumpster fire. Their offense has been inconsistent as well, outside the top ten in average, on base percentage, slugging percentage and runs scored. They have been one of the hottest teams down the stretch, but those teams tend to flame out when they have to win three straight series against better rosters. Minnesota can rake — I expect them to hit their share of home runs in the Division Series, but can they outslug the Yankees in the first round? If they cannot, then they will go one-and-done, and their pitching staff is iffy enough to yield several 8-6 losses in this series.

What About the Wild Cards?

Washington has the best rotation of any of the wild card teams, with Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Max Scherzer ready to go. Of course, they have to get through the wild card game first, and this is a team that has never won a Division Series, so the mental issues may be too significant. The Nationals can hit — but their bullpen is porous. Oakland and Tampa Bay are the two AL wild card teams. They would have to likely beat two 100-win teams to get to the World Series, where they would likely face either the Dodgers (106 wins) or Braves (98 wins). That means a lot of wins against teams that have a lot more talent. Milwaukee went on an 18-2 tear — and then dropped two games to finish the series in Colorado. That long run came against teams that, for the most part, were already out of contention. The Brewers still don’t have their best slugger in Christian Yelich, and it is hard to see their pitchers managing games once the opponents increase in quality.