The 2024 MLB season culminated with the biggest powerhouses in baseball facing off in the World Series. It took the Los Angeles Dodgers five games to eliminate the New York Yankees and claim their 8th championship title. It was the exact outcome they envisioned for themselves when they signed generational superstar Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million contract.
The Dodgers are expected to carry this momentum into the 2025 season and beyond, possibly starting a dynasty with this supremely-talented roster. We’re previewing the champions and four teams that follow at the top of the 2025 World Series odds.
Los Angeles Dodgers +375
The Dodgers are at the top of the odds board for the 2025 World Series, as the defending champions. Their free agent signing of Shohei Ohtani in 2023 paid dividends as the superstar made history when he racked up 50 homeruns and 50 stolen bases in his debut season. With a 98-64 record, the Dodgers made the postseason for the 12th straight year and won the pennant for a second time in five years.
The Dodgers came into the World series as heavy favourites against the Yankees. Freddie Freeman stole the show in Games 1 through 3 and brought the Yankees to the brink of elimination in Game 4. While LA lost Game 4, Freeman extended his record-setting homerun streak to four straight games in the World Series and capped off a Game 5 victory with two RBIs, which earned him World Series MVP with four homeruns and 10 RBIs in the series. Dodgers pitching impressed as well, as they held Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge to .158 batting average and mostly kept the Yankees’ key bats quiet.
LA will need to address some key free agent gaps in their roster that’ll likely test the market this offseason. Walker Buehler, Kike Hernandez and Blake Treinen are all important pieces to the Dodgers’ clubhouse, so they’ll need to prioritize either resigning these assets or exploring other free agent options in the offseason. Either way, the Dodgers will push for a repeat next season with their main offensive core of Ohtani, Freeman and Betts still intact.
New York Yankees +750
Close, but no cigar. The New York Yankees went into the World Series as underdogs and after losing the first three games, they put themselves in a nearly impossible position to come back. They avoided a sweep by winning Game 4, and looked like they were going to send the series back to Los Angeles after jumping up to a 5-0 lead heading into the fifth inning of Game 5. Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm got the offence started with back-to-back homeruns in the first. But a series of Yankees’ defensive miscues let the Dodgers climb back into the game and eventually pull ahead in the eighth inning on sacrifice flies by Mookie Betts and Gavin Lux.
This was a bounce back season from 2023 when the Yankees finished fourth in the AL East with an 82-80 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. In the 2023 offseason, they made a blockbuster trade with the salary-strapped Padres for Juan Soto and Trent Grisham.
Their Ace Gerrit Cole didn’t make his 2024 debut until June 19; by that time, the Yankees had a 51-24 record. That hot start didn’t last, though. The Yankees started to struggle as they neared the mid-way point; Clay Homes was leading the league in blown saves, and the offence was ineffective beyond Aaron Judge and Soto, who was signed to a one-year contract with the Yankees for a record-setting $31 million.
Management brought in Jazz Chisholm, who immediately revitalized the offence and the Yankees rode that momentum all the way to the World Series. The biggest question mark for New York heading into the offseason is the status of Soto. They gave up a lot to acquire the talented outfielder and won’t want to see him walk after only one year in pin stripes.
Atlanta Braves +800
The Atlanta Braves took a small step back in 2024, finishing 89-73 after their stellar 104-58 2023 season. Unfortunately for them, this meant they failed to win the NL East title for the first time in six years, finishing six games behind the Phillies.
One thing that the Braves excelled at in 2024 was pitching, and most of that came from their veteran starting pitcher, Chris Sale. After being on top of the world between 2012 and 2018, Sale struggled with injuries in Boston. In his first season with the Braves, however, he appeared to be having a renaissance; he earned the NL Pitching Triple Crown with his league-leading wins (18), ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (225).
With Sale turning 36 next season, the Braves will need to have some younger pitchers on the roster. One intriguing prospect is Spencer Schwellenbach, who came up from the minor league in 2024 to pitch for 123.2 innings. While Schwellenbach impressed right out of the gate, he peaked in the final seven games, where he had a 2.18 ERA. Braves fans will be eager to see him in the rotation in 2025.
In the outfield, Michael Harris drew attention with some impressive defence and he took positive strides in the postseason, going 5 for 8 at the plate in the 2024 postseason, compared to 0 for 13 in the 2023 postseason. He has the potential to become an All Star if he can stay healthy; however, injuries took a toll on Harris this regular season.
As for Ronald Acuna, the team is hoping he’ll be ready to return for the start of the 2025 season. Acuna is still recovering from getting surgery to repair an ACL injury. If he comes back even close to how dominant he was in 2023, the Braves will be solid contenders in our 2025 World Series odds.
Philadelphia Phillies +850
The Phillies had big aspirations heading into the 2024 season. After reaching Game 6 of the World Series in 2022 and the NL Championship Series the season after, they recognized that their window of opportunity was open but finite. Their roster had the depth needed to weather the inevitable storm of injuries that come every season under the leadership of veterans Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler and Trea Turner.
For the first half of the 2024 season, it looked like they were going to accomplish their goal; they were the best team in the league with a 62-34 record heading into the All Star Break. Their starting rotation, offence and bullpen were No. 1 in the league.
In the second half, however, they started to lose some of that thunder. From July 19 to September 29, they went 33-33 and made the postseason with a 95-67 record. Their postseason ended abruptly when the New York Mets beat them 3-1 in the NL Division Series. The Phillies’ offence managed just five runs in the three losses in that series, and their bullpen, which was one of their top strengths in the regular season, failed to produce.
A similar Phillies roster will return for 2025, but there is some rumbling about acquiring a superstar player. They have some good trade bait that could help them acquire perhaps Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout, or the Houston Astros Kyle Tucker, among other possible targets. Their veteran stars are a year older now, putting pressure on the franchise to expend prospects and bring on big names.
San Diego Padres +1000
The Padres had an impressive run in 2024, finishing second in the NL West. They beat the Braves in the Wild Card Round, but lost to the Dodgers in five games in the NL Divisional Series. Some exciting moments have set the stage for what to expect in 2025. The Padres’ relief pitchers, Jeremiah Estrada and Adrian Morejon had good regular season performances, giving fans hope for another good run in 2025. Estrada’s 13 straight strikeouts in the month of May put the reliever in the record books.
Their rookie Jackson Merrill had an outstanding season as well. He was named NL Rookie of the month in August, and hit 24 homeruns, stole 16 bases, registered six triples on the season. In six instances, he hit the go-ahead—or game-tying—homerun in the eighth inning or later. He was equally productive in the outfield, with a .993 fielding percentage and eight outfield assists.
We can’t close out our write-up on the Padres without mentioning Dylan Cease’s incredible no-hitter on July 25—an achievement that had only been done once before in Padres’ history. The Padres were on the road, up against the Washington Nationals. It was the third time he pitched a complete game in 145 starts, and the no-no took 114 pitches, with nine strikeouts and three walks en route to a Padres’ 3-0 victory. Who gets your vote in Bodog’s 2025 World Series odds?
There are plenty of contenders, but only one can land the biggest prize in baseball.