MLB Futures: 4 Best Bets to Win the 2020 World Series
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We’re in the month of May now, and we still don’t have any details on how or when the 2020 baseball season will be played. The good news is that, with the current state of things, we should be able to get the season started in the (somewhat) near future.
For now, let’s take a look at the 2020 World Series futures with four picks to win it all. We’ve got two teams from the favorites category, and two long shots that we feel are worth a flier.
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The Favorites
New York Yankees
Odds to Win the World Series: +380
The Yankees have a loaded batting order with a mixture of home-run hitters, doubles hitters, and hitters for average. They have guys who get on base, guys who can drive the ball into the gaps, and guys who can swat the ball out of the ballpark. They have depth, they have balance, and now their starting rotation has Gerrit Cole, who came over from the Houston Astros. He didn’t win the Cy Young Award last year, but Cole was often the most unhittable starting pitcher in the American League. Having that kind of an ace in a short series could be the thing that makes the difference for the Yankees and lifts them to the World Series. Remember, they were already pretty darn close.
The other factor here is that the Yankees were banged up to start the year, but now they’ve had a chance to heal. That’s a big boost to this roster. A shortened season might be exactly what the doctor ordered for them.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Odds to Win the World Series: +380
The Dodgers had a loaded team that won over 100 games this past season, and now they have added to it with lefty starter David Price and former MVP Mookie Betts. The Dodgers are a rich team that’s only gotten richer, and they’re still in a division with a bunch of weaklings. If you’re betting on a team in the National League East or the Central, you know that they’ll have to duke it out just to make the playoffs. The Dodgers should cruise to get in.
The Washington Nationals are going to put up a very strong fight in the National League, and someone else will rise, but the Dodgers have the most talent from top to bottom. For them, the question is whether they have enough to get by in the playoffs? Considering they still have the easiest path, they’re my bet from the favorites.
The Longer-Shots
Oakland Athletics
Odds to Win the World Series: +2500
It’s been a while since the Oakland Athletics were relevant in the playoffs. Sure, they’ve had some nice seasons here and there, but they’ve been nothing more than a cute regular-season team that spends little time in the postseason. They haven’t made the World Series since 1990, a span of 30 years.
Of course, they’re trying to get it done the frugal way, as evidenced by their bottom-five payroll in seven of the last eight seasons. Management will probably further tighten the screws on Billy Beane and company, given the financial losses the team is taking. Nonetheless, this is a team that won 97 games last season, and it returns many pieces of the puzzle.
What I like about this team is the pitching rotation, which has a lot of good, young talent. Sean Manaea and Mike Fiers are the lead innings eaters, and this unit should get a big boost from guys like Jesus Luzardo, A.J. Puk, Frankie Montas. If these youngsters step up, this A’s team could have one of the better rotations in the American League.
Philadelphia Phillies
Odds to Win the World Series: +2500
The Phillies are even more of a true sleeper than the A’s. The defending champion Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves will be the two favorites in the National League East. The Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Los Angeles Dodgers will have a better chance to win the NL than the Phillies. Yet Philadelphia now has new manager Joe Girardi, and he might be able to unlock this team’s struggling talent in ways former manager Gabe Kapler was unable to do.
The Phillies were hoping to be a World Series contender after their spending spree last offseason, but that never happened. Now that they’ve added some more starting pitching (in Zach Wheeler) and a better manager, they might be in good shape to reach their lofty goals.
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Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.