2026 World Series odds: MLB favorites, dark horses, best bets to win the Fall Classic

Not all teams (or odds) are created equal

The 2026 Major League Baseball season is upon us, which means many things. The most important among them is that we have baseball to watch pretty much every day through the end of October (Game 7 is scheduled for Halloween). There's excitement and angst and everything else that comes along with being a fan of this wonderful sport. 

The single biggest question heading into the season, of course, is who will win the World Series. Let's take a look at the odds and then break down a few possible picks of varying degrees of confidence afterward. 

Here are the odds for all 30 teams to win the 2026 World Series, via FanDuel.

• Dodgers +210
• Yankees +1000
• Mariners +1200
• Mets +1300
• Phillies +1500
• Red Sox +1500
• Blue Jays +1700
• Cubs +1800
• Braves +2000
• Astros +2200
• Orioles +2200
• Tigers +2200
• Rangers +2500
• Padres +3000
• Brewers +3000
• Royals +3500
• Reds +4500
• Pirates +5500
• Guardians +5500
• Giants +5500
• Diamondbacks +8000
• Rays +8000
• Athletics +10000
• Twins +12500
• Marlins +17500
• Angels +20000
• Cardinals 30000
• White Sox +30000
• Rockies +50000
• Nationals +50000

Now, onto some plays ...

The easy and obvious: Dodgers +210

The Dodgers are the best team in baseball and there is probably a decent gap before we get to whomever we all believe is the second best. The rotation has at least four pitchers capable of looking like aces in the playoffs and now the bullpen has Edwin Díaz locking things down (and I suspect Tanner Scott bounces back, giving them two relief aces). The offense has four position players capable of winning MVP. Andy Pages, who will probably hit eighth in the lineup, had 27 homers last season. 

I've heard plenty from people this offseason telling me that baseball is stupid because everyone knows the Dodgers are going to win the World Series again. If it's that simple, take the +210 free money. 

Best next tier play: Mariners +1200

As we can see above, the odds fall off a cliff after the Dodgers. The next tier includes the Yankees, Mariners, Mets, Phillies, Red Sox and we could probably stretch it to the Blue Jays and Cubs. The Yankees and the Mets are generally overpriced, as there's a "New York" tax in there (that is, the most visible teams with large fan bases garner the most bets, which skews the gambling lines), but neither is a terrible play. The Phillies and Red Sox are in a similar boat, in my opinion. The Cubs and Blue Jays at those odds are pretty enticing, but I'm feeling good Mariners vibes. 

The Mariners made it to Game 7 of the ALCS last season and there's an argument that they're better this year. Sure, I don't think there's any chance in the world they get a repeat of Cal Raleigh's 2025 season, but they have a deep offense, a strong rotation and a good backend of the bullpen, not to mention a relatively weak division. Gimme the Mariners here. 

From the fringe contenders: Royals +3500

Once we get down into the plus-3000s, we're into "everything has to break perfectly" territory. And it might have even have to be perfect. Look at the 2023 Rangers losing Jacob deGrom early in the season and still winning it all. The Royals went 82-80 last season, but had bad fortune with pitching injuries. Full seasons from Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic could be huge and I love Noah Cameron, too. With veterans Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, that's a damn good rotation. Offensively, it's a deep group with big talent. Bobby Witt Jr. is an MVP-caliber superstar. Vinnie Pasquantino is a middle-of-the-order stud and Maikel Garcia is an All-Star table-setter. The possible emergence of Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen is where these odds become tasty. Again, we're saying maybe everything breaks right. Let's say Caglianone and Jensen break through and look like All-Stars. Now we're talking about Garcia-Witt-Pasquantino-Salvador Perez-Caglianone-Jensen being one of the best 1-6 lineups in the bigs. It's not like Jonathan India, Isaac Collins and Kyle Isbel as the lower third is terrible, either. 

You wanna gets nuts? Let's get nuts: Athletics +10000

If the season started after June 4 last season, the 53-46 A's would've made the playoffs. Obviously, we don't get to do that, but it's possible that was a sign of this young team in a weird environment coming together, ready to carry that momentum into 2026. Nick Kurtz is ready for his run to superstardom and the supporting sluggers are great, including Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom and Brent Rooker. Lawrence Butler could bounce back after a bad 2025. Jacob Wilson is a nice change of pace as a batting average beast. 

The question, of course, is the pitching staff. Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs and Aaron Civale have all gotten it done before, but can they do so in 2026? How will Jacob Lopez and Luis Morales fare as rotation full-timers? How does the bullpen come together in front of Hogan Harris? 

As noted above, we are well, well, well into "everything has to break perfectly" territory. The A's have the pieces for a deep, surprise playoff run, even if it's very unlikely.