It almost seems like just last week the mighty Dodgers rolled through the Yankees to win the World Series. Suddenly, the 2025 season is nearly upon us. So now might be a good time for a quick look at how Bovada is handicapping the battle for the 2025 World Series championship.
The Dodgers went off as the favorites to win the World Series last season at odds of around +300 and that’s just what they did. LA won an ML-high 98 games during the regular season, got past the Padres and Mets to win the National League pennant, and then disposed of the Yanks in five games to win the Series.
Then, over the off-season, Los Angeles threw a ton of money around to keep some of its own talent and import even more.
Heading toward their season opener against the Cubs March 18 in Tokyo the Dodgers top Bovada’s 2025 World Series betting board at +250.
After LA, it’s a considerable drop-off to everybody else.
The Braves played through a terrible rash of injuries last season and still made the playoffs. But over the off-season, Atlanta lost two stalwarts of the starting rotation, Max Fried and Chad Morton, and they’ll begin this season without OF Ronald Acuna and SP Spencer Strider, although those returns are supposedly close.
Through it all, the Braves are the second choice on the World Series board at +850.
The Yankees won their first pennant in 15 years last season before bowing to the Dodgers. Over the off-season, New York lost slugger Juan Soto but added SP Max Fried, closer Devin Williams, and veteran sticks Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger. Then came the recent news of the loss of SP Gerrit Cole for the season to elbow surgery.
Still, the Yanks stand as Bovada’s top World Series choice out of the American League at +900.
The Mets unexpectedly reached Game 6 of the NLCS last season, then bought slugger Soto over the off-season. However, New York will start this season shorthanded in the rotation and behind the plate.
The Mets are Bovada’s fourth overall World Series choice at +1100.
The Phillies won 95 games and the NL East last season before getting taken out of the playoffs by the Mets. Heading into this season with basically the same seasoned squad, Philadelphia is catching +1200 on the World Series odds board.
The Orioles made the playoffs for the second straight season last year but got swept out in their opening series for the second straight year. Since then, Baltimore lost staff ace Corbin Burnes and top slugger Anthony Santander, replacing them with former Brave Chad Morton and former Red Sock Tyler O’Neill. But is that enough? Bovada is offering the O’s at +1400 to win the Series this season.
Boston missed the playoffs for the third straight season last year. In response, the Red Sox bolstered the rotation with former White Socker Garrett Croche and former Dodger Walker Buehler and added former Astro Alex Bregman to bat second and play third. Boston is catching +1800 to win the Series at Bovada.
The next tier on Bovada’s 2025 World Series board includes four-time defending AL West champion Houston at +2100; the Padres, who gave the Dodgers a great scare in the NLDS last year, at +2200; the 2023 World Series champion Rangers, looking to rebound, at +2400; the offensively-challenged Mariners at +2800; and the Diamondbacks, who added Corbin Burnes, the Cubs, who added Michael Tucker, the Tigers, who reached Game 5 of an ALDS last season, and the Twins all at +3000.
My World Series Prediction: Baltimore Orioles
