Dodgers putting distance on other contenders in MLB futures
The gap between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the rest of Major League Baseball is growing.
The Dodgers are +180 favorites to repeat as World Series champions at the Westgate. No other team is priced lower than 10-1.
It’s an unusually steep drop-off, but the Dodgers have earned their status as heavy favorites, Westgate sportsbook manager Randy Blum said.
“What sets the Dodgers apart is their depth,” he said. “They have stars, but they have all these other guys right behind them who are really good.”
Blum points out that former National League MVP Cody Bellinger has barely played this season because of an injury, but the Dodgers were still leading the majors with a 14-6 record and +32 run differential heading into Saturday’s games.
“It would take a lot to significantly raise their odds,” Blum said.
Blum said right now the Westgate would break even on futures if the Dodgers won the World Series after taking some sizable early bets in the 4-1 range.
Circa sportsbook manager Chris Bennett said it was also positioned fine on the Dodgers, but had liability on a few teams with longer odds, including the Milwaukee Brewers, who opened at as high as 100-1.
Circa is a little higher on the Dodgers at +240 to win the title, but that is shaped in part because Circa offers “yes/no” props on its futures. A bettor who wants every other team in baseball against the Dodgers can bet on Los Angeles not to win the World Series at -315.
“We have taken a little bit on the Dodgers not to win the World Series and not to win the (NL) pennant, and that’s keeping the price on them really honest,” Bennett said.
BetMGM has the best price on the Dodgers in Las Vegas at +325.
The gap between the Dodgers and the rest of the baseball has widened since the start of the season because of the slow start by the New York Yankees. New York was much closer to the Dodgers at 6-1 to open the season, but the Yankees have struggled to an 8-11 record heading into Saturday, tied for last in the AL East.
The Westgate had the Yankees as high as 12-1 earlier this week before lowering them to 10-1 after New York won three of four.
Bennett said he wasn’t going to count out the Yankees this early. Circa still has New York as the second choice behind the Dodgers at +725.
“I can definitely see the argument for them not being the 95½-win team they were for their season win total,” he said. “But they’ve got the talent to be a very good hitting team. … Gerrit Cole is an ace, and the market is still respecting them every day.”
Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.