Baseball fans have a problem this season. In past years, it has been relatively easy to pick the team that appeared to be destined for World Series glory. But this year that is not the case at all. No, this year, three teams look like they could win it all—the Houston Astros, the New York Yankees, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Most sportsbooks will have them at the top of the list and not too far apart. There are a handful of other teams that could contend if things start to go their way in the playoffs. But throughout the season, the conversation has focused on the Astros, Yankees, and Dodgers—and with good reason.
There isn’t a clear and obvious flaw in either of the three. All three are hitting well (top seven in batting average and home runs) and have good pitching staffs (top ten staff ERA). But they also have a weakness compared to the others:
- Houston (426 runs scored) isn’t producing nearly as many runs as the Yankees (476 runs scored) or Dodgers (459 runs scored)
- The Yankees starting rotation (4.33 ERA) is not performing nearly as well as Houston’s (3.84 ERA) or the Dodgers (3.01 ERA).
- The Dodgers have the best starting rotation but the worst bullpen of the three (4.16 ERA; Yankees—4.11, Houston—3.80)
The Dodgers are by far the class of the NL while the Yankees and Astros stand to face a little competition from the surprising Minnesota Twins this season. But with how all three have played throughout the season, it is not hard to imagine one of them winning the World Series—or losing it to one of the others.
So—how do you choose? According to Caesars, the Yankees and Dodgers have identical odds at +350 with the Astros close behind at +500. Do you go with the Astros since you can win more if you are right? Will it be the Dodgers year finally or will the Yankees get back on top again?
What if you didn’t have to choose?
Caesars is offering a prop bet that allows you to bet on all three to win the Series with one wager:
- Will Yankees, Dodgers, or Astros win World Series?
o Yes -170
o No +150
That means there is a 62.96 percent chance that one of them does win it and a 40 percent chance that they do not.
Yeah, that sounds fair.
They are the best teams in baseball, but there is some pretty decent competition out there. Tampa Bay and Minnesota are not going to make it easy on either the Astros or the Yankees. If the Dodgers have a couple of bad games against the Cubs, Braves, or Brewers in the playoffs, they could be sent home empty-handed again.
Even if the Dodgers do make a third consecutive trip to the World Series, whoever they face from the AL is going to be extremely tough to beat.
There is also, of course, the ever-present danger of injuries that could derail a promising season really quick. But assuming no one gets hit with a significant injury, taking ‘Yes’ looks like a good bet.
