2018 World Series Odds: Dodgers Leading Betting Futures over Astros and Yankees

With a young, offensively gifted lineup and top-five rotation, the Los Angeles Dodgers at +500 (bet $100 to win $500) are atop the 2018 World Series odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.

Although a high bar, Los Angeles looks to build upon its 104-win campaign in which it outscored the opposition by 190 runs, carried the second-best ERA (3.38), swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS, knocked the defending champs out in the NLCS and came one win shy of completing the feat themselves.

The defending World Series champions, the Houston Astros, share the second-best odds with the fully loaded New York Yankees at +550.

Instead of resting on their laurels and explosive top-of-the-lineup power, the Astros addressed pitching needs during the winter hot stove. After boasting the fifth-best ERA in the first half of 2017 (3.93), the Astros dipped to 17th when it rose to 4.36 after the break. If not for Justin Verlander's heroics following a trade from Detroit, this flaw would have been amplified.

In addition to retaining Verlander, Houston traded prospects to Pittsburgh in exchange for Gerrit Cole, who's projected to slide into the No. 3 spot in the rotation.

Once a haven for overpaid free agents and aging stars, the Bronx Bombers are trending toward a reboot. By acquiring 28-year-old Giancarlo Stanton in the prime of his career, the Yankees' projected Opening Day lineup's average age is now 27.1 with the potential to score 1,000-plus runs this season.

In the final year of Bryce Harper's contract, the Washington Nationals possess the fourth-best odds at +800. The Nats finished the 2017 regular season with the sixth-best ERA (3.88) and ranked fifth in runs per game (5.1) before the Chicago Cubs knocked them out in the fifth game of the NLDS. Aside from Matt Adams and Joaquin Benoit, Washington didn't shuffle their roster this winter.

At +850, the Cleveland Indians round out the top five World Series favorites. While Cleveland could make another move before the start of the season, its big offseason acquisition to date was adding Yonder Alonso to fill the void left by Carlos Santana. As has been the case for several seasons, the Tribe will rely heavily on their top-ranked pitching staff, which finished with an MLB-best 3.30 ERA last season and is led by two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber.

The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, both at +1000, are the only other two teams with odds to win the 2018 World Series of 10-1 or better.

And your 2018 World Series long shot is Derek Jeter's recently dismantled Miami Marlins at +50000. It's quite the precipitous futures drop for a team that finished only four games under .500 last season.

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