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Four months on since Opening Day was indefinitely postponed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the MLB season is at long last ready to begin.
Baseball makes its long-awaited comeback on July 23 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees, the bookmakers' two main favorites to succeed the Washington Nationals as World Series champions, both in action on opening night.
The Dodgers and the Yankees begin the season as 19/5 and 15/4 joint-favorites to win the World Series with Fan Duel and Bet MGM respectively, while DraftKings has the Dodgers at 15/4 and the Yankees at 4/1.
The four-month postponement because of the COVID-19 outbreak has shortened the regular season from 162 games to 60, effectively turning what has traditionally been seen as a marathon into a frantic sprint before the postseason begins and leaving almost no margin for error for teams that don't hit the ground running.
While the short-term nature of this season could prove fertile ground for unpredictability, it is not surprising to see the bookmakers firmly tying their colors to two of baseball's juggernauts.
Over the last three seasons, both the Dodgers and the Yankees have won over 100 games in two occasions—the former in 2017 and 2019, the latter in the last two years—and went deep into the postseason.
Los Angeles lost back-to-back World Series against the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox in 2017 and 2018, while the Yankees came unstuck against the Astros in the American League Championship Series in 2017 and 2019 with a loss to Boston in the Division Series sandwiched in between.
With the Astros' achievements over the last three seasons tarnished by a major sign-stealing scandal unveiled in November, both the Dodgers and the Yankees have reason to wonder whether they should have celebrated a World Series title over the last three years.
Aside from boasting outstanding records in recent seasons, the Dodgers and Yankees have both been similarly ambitious in the offseason. In December, New York signed Astros' pitcher Gerrit Cole to a record nine-year deal worth $324 million—the richest for a pitcher in terms of both total money and annual average salary and the fourth-largest in MLB history.
Not to be outdone, in February the Dodgers agreed a blockbuster trade for Boston right fielder Mookie Betts, the 2018 American League MVP and a key member of the Red Sox team that won the World Series in the same year.
Behind the Dodgers and the Yankees, the Astros are a 13/2 third-favorite with DraftKings, while FanDuel and Bet MGM have them at 15/2 and 8/1 respectively.
The Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins follow at 14/1 and 15/1 respectively, while the Nationals are 18/1 outsiders to become the first team in 20 years to win back-to-back World Series.
The Yankees are 7/4 favorites to win the American League, with the Astros and the Twins at 4/1 and 8/1 respectively, while the Tampa Bay Rays are a 10/1 shot and the Cleveland Indians and the Oakland Athletics are both 13/1 outsiders.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, lead the field in the National League as 7/4 favorites, followed by the Braves and the Nationals at 7/1 and 17/2 respectively, while the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals follow at 11/1 and 12/1.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more