Dodgers favored to win World Series, but are not the most popular bet

The Major League Baseball season kicks off Thursday, and the sport has a clear World Series favorite: Los Angeles Dodgers.

Oddsmakers have the Dodgers as heavy favorites to win the World Series. Caesars Sportsbook has the Dodgers at +500 — almost twice as likely as the second-best odds, the Blue Jays’ +900.

While the Dodgers are easily the favorites to take home the Commissioner’s Trophy, they aren’t the most popular bet, according to Caesars. Bettors have placed more wagers on the Mets to win the World Series at +1,400 than any other team. Over on BetMGM, which has a new sportsbook attached to Nationals Park, the Dodgers and Mets are tied for the most popular World Series bet at 11% each. BetMGM also has the Dodgers at +500, while the Mets are +2,000. 

It’s no surprise why the Ivy League graduates setting these lines think the Dodgers are the best team in baseball. They won 106 games last season and added 2021 National League MVP Freddie Freeman. Caesars has Los Angeles winning 98.5 games — a high projection that is rarely set as a line by oddsmakers. No other team in the NL is projected to win more than 92 games. 

In addition to Freeman, the Dodgers have three other former MVPs, and Caesers’ odds have Mookie Betts, Trea Turner and Freeman in the top six most likely winners. Washington’s Juan Soto is the NL MVP favorite at +300.

After the Dodgers and Blue Jays, Caesars has the Astros (+1,000), White Sox (+1,100), Braves (+1,100) and Yankees (+1,200) with the next-best odds. The Nationals have the sixth-worst odds at +15,000. The only teams worse are the Rockies (+20,000), Athletics (+20,000), Diamondbacks (+25,000), Pirates (+30,000) and Orioles (+30,000).