Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: World Series Odds Released

The World Series odds for 2016 have been released (via ESPN and Bovada.LV) and the Dodgers, who fans think should be considered perennial favorites, have dropped.

That said, the decline was not as steep as one would think, considering how the offseason thus far has gone.


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The top-10 favorites go as follows:

  • Chicago Cubs: 6/1
  • San Francisco Giants: 6/1
  • Boston Red Sox: 9/1
  • Kansas City Royals: 14/1
  • New York Mets: 14/1
  • Los Angeles Dodgers: 16/1
  • St. Louis Cardinals: 16/1
  • Toronto Blue Jays: 16/1
  • Houston Astros: 18/1
  • Pittsburgh Pirates: 18/1

Some brief analysis should temper the incoming tirade from fans, on the part of ESPN’s David Schoenfield.

— The Giants have much better odds than the Dodgers. I get that the Giants have made two big signings inJohnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzijaand the Dodgers lost Zack Greinke, but I think the teams are close on paper, with the Dodgers perhaps the slight favorite in the division … and you know the Dodgers have moves still to come. The Giants, meanwhile, are currently going with an outfield of 33-year-old Hunter Pence coming of an injury-plagued season; 34-year-old Angel Pagan, who can’t really play center field anymore; and 32-year-old Gregor Blanco.

It’s hard to disagree, without feeling like a homer. I might disagree that the Dodgers should still be considered favorites for the division, however slightly he might say so, but the odds might reflect too heavily on moves made this offseason.

Interestingly enough, Greinke’s new team is given only a 20/1 chance at winning the World Series despite snagging a division rival’s second-best pitcher (arguably the second- or third-best pitcher in said division).

The San Diego Padres — last year’s darling — are tied with four other teams as being given the worst odds to win it all.

Here’s the thing: While the offseason has felt like a bungling mess, the Dodgers aren’t that bad. Clayton Kershaw remains the best pitcher on the planet; Corey Seager and Joc Pederson can and should take steps forward with another year’s experience and there are still moves to be made.

This also seems like a nice time to point out that the Dodgers have been listed at or near the top of this list the last couple seasons and both years ended in frustration.

Would it be nice if this was like some kind of fantasy league or video game where moves are completed in minutes, hours or, at worst, days? Well, yeah. That’s not how the league works, though, and some perspective should be used a little more often.

NEXT: Per Friedman, Top Dodgers Prospects Unlikely To Start Year on Major League Game

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