2019 World Series Odds: Astros, Dodgers Favored over Yankees, Braves

To celebrate the start of the 2019 Major League Baseball playoffs Tuesday, oddsmakers have listed the Houston Astros as favorites to win their second World Series title in three years.

Per Caesars Sportsbook, the Astros are currently +200 favorites (bet $100 to win $200) over the Los Angeles Dodgers (+225), New York Yankees (+450), Atlanta Braves (+900) and Minnesota Twins (+1400).

It speaks to how well-regarded the Astros are right now that they are favored over the Dodgers, who seem to have an easier path to the World Series on paper.

Three of the four 100-win teams in MLB this season played in the American League. The Oakland Athletics, who will host the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Wild Card game, had the same record as the NL East champion Atlanta Braves (97-65). The Rays (96-66) were five games better than the NL Central champion St. Louis Cardinals (91-71). 

But the Astros have proven themselves to be the best team in MLB all season. They led the league with a 107-55 record, one game better than the Dodgers. They are the first team in MLB history to lead the league in strikeouts by their pitching staff (1,671) and fewest strikeouts by their lineup (1,166). 

Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander became the first teammates to have at least 300 strikeouts in a season since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in 2002. 

For all the talk of the Twins and Yankees hitting over 300 home runs during the regular season, the Astros were third in MLB with 288.

There is nothing this Astros team doesn't do well. They've been consistently dominant since 2017 with at least 100 wins in each of the past three seasons. This might be the most talented team they've had during this run, so it makes sense they enter October favored to take home the Commissioner's Trophy.