World Series 2021 Odds, Predictions & Picks

• A lot will change once free agency starts in November
• Which teams present the best value on the board?
• A semi-normal season should be on the horizon in 2021

With a little bit of luck, the 2021 MLB season should be relatively normal. Keyword, relatively. There likely won’t be fans packing the stands. There will still be Covid-19 testing protocols. There probably will even be a few cancelations and teams will have to be flexible.

And that’s not to mention the fact that the collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of 2021 and players or owners may hold out a bit this season as contract negotiations once again pick up.

However, putting all of that aside, the expectation, is that all 30 teams will play 162 games. There will be crossovers, travel outside of the time zone and the schedule will go from April-September as usual, with October serving as the best month of the year.

All of that will lead to the World Series and while so much is still up in the air, gambling sites are already setting odds for the favorites to win the Commissioners Trophy in 2021.

2021 World Series Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook, updated on January 11.

Odds from DraftKings. Get up to a $1,000 sign-up bonus at DraftKings today or check out more offers and promo codes for the best online sportsbooks.

Free Agency Will Change a Lot

This is probably one of the hardest exercises to do, but we’re going to try anyway. The MLB free agent season begins on Nov. 1 and from then to spring training – with the winter meetings being high season – dozens of game-changing players will join new teams.

So, while we know you’re eager to place a bet for next year because you have confidence in your team or a certain team, we recommend thinking long and hard before you make a selection. A lot can and will change between now and Opening Day.

For starters, the free-agent market has big names at every position – Trevor Bauer, Marcus Stroman, Charlie Morton, DJ LeMahieu, George Springer, Anthony Rizzo, JT Realmuto, Justin Turner, Marcus Semien, Michael Brantley, Marcell Ozuna, etc. – and that’s going to alter the way Vegas sees teams odds.

Players will unexpectedly retire. Teams will make trades. Some squads will try to go all-in while others will temper their spending. The point is it’s hard to give advice about some of the best plays – but we’re not going to let that stop us. As things stand right now, here are some teams we like to place early money on

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox are going to be a problem. Not just for the American League Central, but baseball in general. The south siders went from being a cute story to one of the five most feared offenses in all of baseball in the blink

Tim Anderson was on pace to win the batting title until he went cold the final two weeks of the season. Jose Abreu will finish top three in MVP voting when the award is announced on Nov. 2. Luis Robert will finish top three in Rookie of the Year voting, Eloy Jimenez cemented himself as one of the best power hitters in the division and that’s not to mention Edwin Encarnacion, who always finishes with 25+ home runs.

And the pitching staff looks good too. Lucas Giolito is a certified ace after throwing a no-hitter, Dallas Keuchel brings a veteran presence and Dylan Cease and Dane Dunning both learned how to win at the major league level. That’s not tot mention the return of Michael Kopech, who opted out of 2020 but is expected to be one of the best young pitchers in the game. The White Sox are for real and at +1300 present solid value.

Dodgers and Yankees

Look, these teams are the favorites for a reason. We’re not going to spend too much time on them, but there’s a reason they’re head-and-shoulders above the rest of the field. The Yankees may lose LeMahieu but should keep the rest of the core intact. Same with the Dodgers and Turner, but these teams are so deep, it shouldn’t matter.

The Yankees have to address their starting pitching – it was Gerrit Cole and everybody else in 2020. Should they add another arm, dare we say, Trevor Bauer, then their odds increase exponentially. The reason to grab the Yankees now, is they’re likely to be spenders in the offseason as they almost always are. Should they sign a big name, their odds go down even more.

The Dodgers, you might want to wait until other teams make their moves. Teams are rarely ever lower than +450ish to open a season, so there’s only so much juice you can lose on the Dodgers even if they do make a move.

Oakland Athletics

How many times is Lucy going to pull the football away? Each of the past three years the Athletics have looked like the surprise team to make a run in the postseason, only to get bounced in the opening round every time.

The Athletics are the next closest thing to the Tampa Bay Rays – winning on the margins, the value on the team over individual, and a few still somehow underrated stars leading the way. The only team standing in their way of the division title is Houston and with two of the Astros’ key pieces (George Springer and Michael Brantley) set to hit the free-agent market and Justin Verlander out for the 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, this feels like the Athletics division to lose, which would mean home-field advantage in the playoffs.

At +1800, that’s worth a roll of the dice.