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The 2025 Major League Baseball season already started with two games in Tokyo, but it begins in earnest with a normal Opening Day on Thursday and then we’re on for baseball every single day. 

There is, obviously, a favorite to win the World Series and it’s a big favorite. It is also the defending champs. The Los Angeles Dodgers hoisted the glorious piece of metal after finishing off the New York Yankees in five games in the Bronx in 2024. Those Dodgers had a big offseason, again, and are sitting atop the sport with a chance to become the first repeat champions since 2000. 

Below, I’m going to divide up the teams into tiers on my own while attaching the gambling odds to win the World Series. 

Don’t waste your money

30. Chicago White Sox +50000

29. Colorado Rockies +50000

28. Miami Marlins +50000  

It’s easy to say that heading into the season there’s a clean slate and that every team technically has a chance to win it all. These three teams, however, do not. I can’t possibly see any possible scenario where one of these clubs wins it all. Yes, I’m declaring their seasons over before they start. 

So you’re tellin’ me there’s a chance?

27. Athletics +25000

26. Los Angeles Angels +20000 

25. Washington Nationals +30000

I really, strongly, very much believe none of these three teams are going to win the World Series this year, but I think I could be convinced that every single thing possible breaks right and it somehow happens. There’s a little separation, as I believe a little more that it could happen for the Nationals and I contemplated bumping the A’s to the no chance line, but there are some small reasons for optimism there. 

Basically, I wouldn’t bet on any of them, but we’re closer than “about a million to one” odds. 

The longshots

24. Pittsburgh Pirates +12000

23. St. Louis Cardinals +12000

22. Cincinnati Reds +9000

21. San Francisco Giants +8000

20. Tampa Bay Rays +5000

19. Toronto Blue Jays +6000

This is the group of teams where I wouldn’t advise betting on them to win the World Series, but if you really believe in them, you could grab the over on their win totals or even bet to make the playoffs or win their division. They all have such a low margin for error that just one thing can throw everything out of whack. As an example, the Pirates looked like maybe they could ride their pitching to contention and then Jared Jones suffered an injury and their lack of rotation depth now becomes a little glaring. We could do something like that with each of these teams. If the Rays look out of place here, that’s fine. I’m low on them this year. I also wonder how much years of hearing about how the Rays always overperform has moved the betting market. 

If forced to take one from this group, I might be able to talk myself into the Reds at that number. There’s some good, young talent there. Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene had their breakouts last season, but others could follow and Terry Francona now in the dugout does make a difference. Plus, the NL Central is relatively weak and just getting into the playoffs leaves the door open for a run. 

If it breaks right … 

18. Minnesota Twins +2500

17. Milwaukee Brewers +5000

16. Detroit Tigers +3500

15. Cleveland Guardians +4000

14. Kansas City Royals +3000

13. San Diego Padres +2800

12. Chicago Cubs +3000

11. Seattle Mariners +2800

I’m one of the lowest people around on the Twins this year. I just don’t care for what looks to me like a lack of quality depth, especially with injury concerns for so many of their important players. They certainly have as much chance as anyone else in this group, though, because there’s high upside on that roster. 

This is a quality tier for those who like to grab a few clubs from the middle of the pack in hopes of seeing something like the 2023 or 2014 World Series with a pair of wild-card teams squaring off. And there definitely is a case to be made for any of these teams to win the World Series in 2025. 

As an example, the Brewers have the longest odds here. Here’s their case: Let’s say Jackson Chourio plays like an MVP candidate while Christian Yelich manages to stay healthy all year, playing like he did before injury last year. William Contreras continues to mash. Rhys Hoskins gets back to his old self while Brice Turang, Joey Ortiz and Sal Frelick continue to grow at the MLB level. Meanwhile, Freddy Peralta throws like an All-Star, again, and the Brewers work their magic on Nestor Cortes while Brandon Woodruff returns to form by the end of the year. 

That team can definitely win the World Series. We could play that game for every team in this tier. 

Strong contenders

10. New York Yankees +850

9. Baltimore Orioles +1600

8. Boston Red Sox +2000

7. Houston Astros +1500

6. New York Mets +1200

5. Arizona Diamondbacks +2500

4. Texas Rangers +2500

3. Atlanta Braves +750

2. Philadelphia Phillies +1200

Remember, these are my rankings but they are teamed with the gambling odds. As you can probably tell, the Phillies and Rangers are my best value picks to win it all this year and that’s actually who I have meeting in the World Series in my predictions. I also really love the value on the D-backs and hate it on the Yankees. It isn’t that I think the Yankees can’t win it all. I put them in this tier. I just think there are enough issues that the +850 isn’t nearly as tasty looking as the odds being carried by the Red Sox. The Yankees just have such a huge fan base and are coming off an AL pennant, so I think that’s a factor on the number. 

The Mets are an interesting one here. I do not like their pitching staff at all to start the season and they could easily get off to a slow start. They could also then put everything together down the stretch and get hot and win the World Series from a wild card. I think you know where I’m going with this one, right? If you like the Mets to win the World Series, my gut feeling is to wait until they get off to the slow start and then the odds get even longer. Then you can pounce and bet them. 

The vaunted favorite

1. Los Angeles Dodgers +290

They are the best team in baseball and the most likely to win the World Series, especially since last season they got the proverbial monkey off their back and won it all in a normal season. They have so much high-end talent in addition to gobs of depth. They’ll have the ability to take big swings at the trade deadline if they feel they need to. 

The only reason the Dodgers won’t end up winning the World Series this year would be that so much unknown happens in any given season in this crazy game, our baseball. The chances of the Dodgers simply not having enough talent or not being good enough just don’t exist. 

This means, to potential bettors, it’s up to how you feel here. Are you betting on the Dodgers and their ~23% chance to win it all or do you want to grab some other team, as much lesser individual chances, from the field? 

I’m on the Phillies and then Rangers. I think after that I would just grab the Dodgers at +290.