2020 World Series Odds: Astros Favored over Dodgers, Yankees, Nationals

The buzz probably hasn't worn off yet for the Washington Nationals and their fans after the team won its first World Series ever on Wednesday night, but the oddsmakers have already begun tallying the favorites for next season. 

Not shockingly, this year's runners-up, the Houston Astros, come in with the top odds at 4-1, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers (5-1), New York Yankees (5-1), Atlanta Braves (10-1), Boston Red Sox (10-1), Chicago Cubs (14-1), Nationals (14-1) and Philadelphia Phillies (16-1), per Caesars. 

Coming in at the bottom of the future odds for next season at 1000-1 include the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins and Kansas City Royals.

It isn't terribly surprising that the Astros would top the odds. They topped Major League Baseball with a 107-55 record this past season, led by an impressive core of Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, George Springer, Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel, Yordan Alvarez and Michael Brantley. 

That collection of talent led one of baseball's best offenses. The Astros were third in the Majors in runs (920), third in homers (288), first in batting average (.274) and first in OPS (.848), and all of the above players will be back next season, barring trades. 

Starting pitchers Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke are under contract for next season as well.

The real threat to Houston returning to the postseason for the fifth time in six years—and attempting to win their second title since 2017—may hinge on whether they can retain starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, the crown jewel in this offseason's free agency.

With Houston, Cole has gone 35-10 with a 2.68 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 602 strikeouts in 412.2 innings (65 starts) over the past two regular seasons. If he leaves, he'll be borderline impossible to replace for the Astros.

As for the defending champions, their odds may seem a little low. Oddsmakers may be factoring in Washington's incredibly hot streak to end the season, however. Keep in mind two factors—the Nationals were just 47-42 before the All-Star Break before catching fire, going 46-27 the rest of the way.

And much of their postseason success hinged on the otherworldly pitching performances of Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. The Nats were perfect in games started by that duo in the postseason. That's right—perfect:

None of this is to take away from the accomplishments of the Nats, or to suggest their title was flukey. But their lower odds suggest that bookmakers may be looking at this title as the case of a team that get red hot at the perfect moment behind a pair of aces that were excellent in the postseason, rather than a more sustainable formula for success going forward.

But nobody pegged the Nats to win the title this year, either. They'll surely embrace the underdog role again if it's cast on them.