2022 World Series Futures & Betting Odds

Major League Baseball has just about eight weeks left, with the season concluding on October 5. The action is getting hotter than ever, as there are clearly some teams who have set themselves apart as the likely World Series champions.

Amazingly, the New York Yankees were the prohibitive favorite coming out of the All-Star break, but a five-game losing streak as part of a 3-7 run has oddsmakers down on whether this club is capable of rising to the top. In fact, the other favorite in the American League, the Houston Astros, have also been playing mediocre baseball of late.

That has given both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets the opportunity to rise to the top of the baseball world, as these clubs are now seen as the favorites to win the title. The Dodgers put together an impressive run, beginning August with eight straight victories while the New York Mets are 9-2 through their first 11 August contests. It is those kinds of performances that are helping these teams to set themselves apart as the likely World Series champs.

However, there is a lot of baseball left to play, and it is often those teams that had to battle over the remaining weeks to even get into the playoffs who become the most dangerous. These are teams that have been playing playoff baseball since the middle of August, as they are battling for division titles or are trying to earn one of the three wildcard spots in each of the leagues.

A team like that has already proven themselves to be battle tested. That could be a team like the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, or Baltimore Orioles. It could also be a team like the San Diego Padres, who made the biggest move at the trade deadline by acquiring Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals. They have struggled a bit since the deal was concluded, but this is as good of a lineup as any are going to find, and they have outstanding pitching.

No doubt these remaining weeks are going to be exciting. A lot of great action out there for sure. There are about 50 games left in the season, with 18 of the 30 teams still having a shot at a postseason bid. Many baseball men or women will tell you that all it takes is to get into the postseason to make some noise, so you may not see the favorite come away with the title. 

The Dodgers (+320), Mets (+350), and Yankees (+450) are still the favorites to win the championship. However, here are three teams you may want to consider who could shock the world and win the World Series.

San Diego Padres (+1300) – San Diego pulled off a huge blockbuster deal at the trade deadline, but they are still not given very good odds of winning the title. Consider the fact that this team added two premier bats, a duo that could combine to hit 18 home runs over the final two months of the season, plus San Diego gets Fernando Tatis back soon. This lineup is going to be as good as the Padres have ever had, giving them a legitimate shot of winning the championship, especially considering that they have a very good starting staff.

St. Louis Cardinals (+2500) – St. Louis has started off the month of August red-hot, catapulting them into the top spot in the NL Central. The Cardinals had been trailing the Brewers for much of the last month, but suddenly find themselves at the top of the division. That has Cardinals fans excited, and they have the kind of team who can make noise come playoff time. St. Louis ranks in the middle of the pack in both batting average and ERA, but they are a top seven team when it comes to runs scored.

Tampa Bay Rays (+3500) – All Tampa Bay does is win, win, win, no matter what. This club honestly has no business being in the position therein, but they proved in 2020 that they have the Moxie and chemistry to reach the World Series. No reason to think this year is any different. Tampa Bay ranks in the bottom third in terms of runs scored, but this is a top five pitching staff despite not having any premium stars. They just get out and keep opponents from scoring, giving their offense enough time to battle back to win games.

Fun Facts:

• The Baltimore Orioles have not been in the World Series since winning it in 1983. They have won three titles overall.
• The Minnesota Twins last won the World Series in 1991, but are 2-16 against the Yankees in the postseason all time, including losing the last 13 meetings.
• The New York Yankees have won 27 World Series titles, and have 225 victories in World Series competition.

With the postseason about two months away, it is time to start thinking a little differently about how you are going to choose your team to win the title. Many people go with one of three options when making their selection: they either choose one of the favorites, they go with an extreme long shot, seeking to make the most amount of money, or they go with their hometown team.

It is time you start thinking of this as an investment. You want to make a smart pick that helps you to win. Consider that this is your money. You are putting a wager down expecting that you are going to get a return on your investment. Otherwise, you are just doing this for fun, not caring whether you win or not.

If you are serious about trying to make money, then you need to pay attention to factors that make a team a true World Series contender. It starts with the obvious. A team has to make it into the playoffs to even be considered. This is why teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, Astros and even the Mets make sense because they have considerable leads through the first 10 days of August. Each of these four teams is likely to make the postseason. The same is true of Atlanta, as they are the top wildcard team in the National League and are likely to stay in one of those three spots.

If you are going to invest in a team beyond one of these five, then start by selecting one that has two different options for making the postseason. This is true of both the Brewers and Cardinals, for example. Both teams have a legitimate shot of winning their division titles, with the two teams separated by less than three games over the last month. Both are also in the wildcard hunt. So, the team that does not win the division has a very good chance of still making it into the playoffs.

Once you have decided on a team or teams that you are confident are going to make the postseason, the next thing is to consider what it takes to be a World Series champion. It is a strong bullpen and a dominant closer that is a good starting point. Every game is a nail-biter, so the team that cannot hold leads or shut opponents down late is not going to win.

Look for the clubs who can win both on the road and at home. A team needs to steal victories at times, so a club like the Yankees, Astros, Dodgers, and Mets are ones to pay attention to because they have dominated at home and away. However, a team that is four or five games over .500 on the road is still a good pick. They only need one or two victories away from their own home stadium to win a series. So, a club like San Diego, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Milwaukee could still be a good pick.

There is just two months left before the postseason begins. Time to get in on the action and make your prediction on who wins the World Series today.