World Series Odds Update: Rangers Become Serious Contenders After Deadline

The Texas Rangers had the best record in the American League prior to the MLB trade deadline on Monday, but they made some key moves to put themselves in prime position to be the American League favorite on the odds to win the World Series.

The Rangers picked up Carlos Beltran from the New York Yankees and Jonathan Lucroy from the Milwaukee Brewers before the deadline passed and moved to +650 (bet $100 to win $650) to win the World Series at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Texas has sat atop the AL West division standings for most of the season and will try to hold off the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians, among others, for the best record in the American League the rest of the way.

While the team’s hitting definitely got a boost with the additions of Beltran and Lucroy, the starting pitching remains a concern due to a shaky rotation that has seen members go on and off the disabled list this year. If Yu Darvish and Colby Lewis are healthy enough come playoff time, they could join Cole Hamels to form one of the AL’s best three-man rotations in the postseason.

The Rangers moved up slightly from +700 odds following their trades, while the San Francisco Giants have dropped from +550 to +650 to tie them as the second choice to win the World Series behind the Chicago Cubs at +350.

The Giants had the National League’s best record heading into the All-Star break but then dropped 11 of 15 games to fall behind the Cubs and the Washington Nationals. Chicago has the best mark in baseball overall and also leads MLB in run differential.

The Nationals and Indians are two other legitimate World Series contenders based on their future odds at +750 each. The Orioles have tough competition in the AL East and are listed at +1600 to win the World Series behind both the Toronto Blue Jays (+900) and Boston Red Sox (+1200), with the three teams in a dogfight for the division.