The MLB playoffs begin with 10 teams competing for the Commissioner’s Trophy. The Los Angeles Dodgers are seeking a second straight world title, but they’ll need to play an extra game this year after missing out on the NL West crown to the San Francisco Giants. Below, we look at the 2021 World Series odds and make our MLB picks predictions.
The Giants finished the regular season with the best record in baseball at 107-55; however, they trail the defending champion Dodgers by the odds to win the 2021 World Series. The Tampa Bay Rays finished the regular season with the best record in the American League and seek their second straight trip to the World Series, but they’re not the favorites to represent the AL this year.
Also see: Pennant odds and picks
Odds to win 2021 World Series
MLB odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 4:50 p.m. ET.
- Los Angeles Dodgers +350
- San Francisco Giants +480
- Houston Astros +480
- Tampa Bay Rays +550
- Chicago White Sox +700
- Milwaukee Brewers +750
- New York Yankees +1200
- Atlanta Braves +1300
- Boston Red Sox +1500
- St. Louis Cardinals +2000
2021 World Series picks
Tampa Bay Rays +550
The Rays represented the American League in the World Series a season ago, where they fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a six-game series. They have followed it up with an excellent 2021 campaign, one that has them looking like strong contenders for their first title in franchise history.
Tampa Bay’s 100-62 record was third-best in the league behind only the Giants and Dodgers, as was its impressive plus-206 run differential. The Rays finished second in runs scored, after finishing 12th in the category in last year’s shortened season.
The biggest question mark for Tampa Bay entering the postseason is probably their starting rotation behind Shane McClanahan. Drew Rasmussen has recently emerged as a reliable option, and recent call-up Shane Baz allowed just 3 ER across 13 1/3 IP through three regular-season starts and looks poised to make an impact in the playoffs. The Rays also have one of the strongest and deepest bullpens in the league, which helps compensate for the fact their starters don’t always work deep into games.
The Rays will have home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs and will have an extra edge in their first series, as their opponent will have already burned through a top starter (Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole or Red Sox RHP Nathan Eovaldi) in the AL Wild Card game. They stack up against anyone in the league and present a good value at +550 to win it all.
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Milwaukee Brewers +750
The Brewers were the team I recommended back in March when they were +4000 to win it all, and they were my best bet to win the NL pennant (+500) when we checked in on the odds at the All-Star break. We’re sticking with them here, as they are very capable of making a run over the next month.
Milwaukee has three dominant starters at the top of the rotation in Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta. Fourth starter Eric Lauer has proven trustworthy as well. He put up a 3.19 ERA and 8.9 K/9 across 118 2/3 IP on the season, and a 2.23 ERA over his final 15 outings (14 starts).
Things don’t get much easier for the opposition when the starter comes out of the game. Milwaukee relievers had the highest K% in the majors this season. Pitching is often the deciding factor come playoff time, and the Brewers have the horses to match up with anyone.
Also working in their favor is the fact they should be pretty well-rested. The Brewers built a huge lead in the National League Central division that helped them lock things up early and ease up on the workload of both their pitchers and many of their position players.
If the Milwaukee pitchers are at the top of their game, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if they are the last team standing. They are a pretty solid value at +750.
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