World Series 2020 Odds: Breaking Down the Chances of All 8 Remaining Teams

And so it is down to eight. After the flurry of action that was the Wild Card Round, the 16-team 2020 MLB playoff field has been cut in half.

Which of the remaining squads have the best and the longest odds of winning the Fall Classic? Let's answer that question, using odds from FanDuel and our own analysis.

From the long shots to the favorites, every surviving contender is now 11 wins away from hoisting a Commissioner's Trophy.

Some clubs are better positioned than others from a talent and/or health standpoint, and we'll get into that. But if we've learned anything from this strange, singular season, it's that virtually anything is possible.      

Miami Marlins

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

The Miami Marlins entered their wild-card series with the Chicago Cubs with the worst regular-season run differential (minus-41) of any postseason team.

A young squad that was supposed to be a year or two away from contention, Miami slipped into the playoffs with a 31-29 record and a second-place finish in the National League East.

Yet against a more experienced Cubs team that claimed the NL Central, the Fish won two straight games at Wrigley Field to sweep the best-of-three series.

Veteran outfielder Starling Marte is questionable going forward with a fractured bone in his left hand suffered on a hit-by-pitch in Game 1 against Chicago. That leaves Jesus Aguilar and Matt Joyce as the only position players with previous postseason experience.

Miami's pitchers, meanwhile, were superb, as they held the Cubs to just one run on nine hits over 18 innings, with youngsters Sixto Sanchez and Sandy Alcantara both throwing like playoff-tested aces. 

The Marlins have never lost a playoff series in franchise history, as their only two previous October forays in 1997 and 2003 ended in World Series wins. They're a fun Cinderella story.

The odds are stacked against them keeping this roll going. They'll face a steep challenge in the next round against division-rival Atlanta. But during a season in which the unexpected has been the norm...who knows?

Odds: +1900 ($100 bet wins $1,900)       

Houston Astros

Jim Mone/Associated Press

The Houston Astros are the villains of the 2020 postseason in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal that shook the sport. And they appear to be embracing the role.

"I know a lot of people are mad. I know a lot of people don't want to see us here," shortstop Carlos Correa told reporters after the 'Stros swept the Minnesota Twins in two games in their wild-card matchup. "But what are they gonna say now?"

Houston lost ace Justin Verlander, closer Roberto Osuna and designated hitter Yordan Alvarez to injury. They finished the regular season under .500 at 29-31 and only made the playoffs because of the weak AL West and expanded format.

Now that they're in, however, the Astros can lean on a core that's loaded with postseason experience from the team's 2015 to '19 run, during which they made the dance four times and won two pennants and a World Series.

Correa went 3-for-6 with a home run against the Twins. Others such as second baseman Jose Altuve, third baseman Alex Bregman and center fielder George Springer have shone under the October lights before.

Zack Greinke gives them an ace in Verlander's absence, and youngsters Jose Urquidy, 25, and Framber Valdez, 26, flashed stuff and poise in the Wild Card Round.

The Astros are flawed. No one outside of diehard Houston boosters is rooting for them. But count them out at your peril.

Odds: +1400     

Oakland Athletics

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

The Oakland Athletics got a first-round test from the Chicago White Sox, who won Game 1 and held a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning of Game 3.

Oakland came back to win the game and the series, however, and snapped a nine-game losing streak in winner-take-all postseason contests.

The A's won the American League West behind a deep lineup and a pitching staff that finished fifth in baseball with a 3.77 ERA. Still, Oakland lacks a postseason-tested ace and lost star third baseman Matt Chapman to hip surgery.

On the bright side, Chris Bassitt turned in a strong start against Chicago (7 IP, 5 K, 1 ER), and rookie left-hander Jesus Luzardo has the stuff to dominate.

The bullpen is strong behind closer Liam Hendriks, and the A's have enough weapons on offense—including Sean Murphy, Marcus Semien, Tommy La Stella and Matt Olson—to make up for Chapman's absence.

Oakland will face the Astros in what promises to be a fireworks-filled division series. The A's haven't been to the Fall Classic since 1990 and haven't won it since 1989. They aren't the favorites in the Junior Circuit, but they're serious contenders after dispatching the talented young ChiSox.         

Odds: +1000

San Diego Padres

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

The San Diego Padres finished with the second-best record (37-23) in the NL and the second-best run differential (plus-84) in all of baseball. 

They did it behind an offense fronted by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado and a roster bolstered by a flurry of trade-deadline additions in August.

The Pads got a scare in their wild-card matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals, as the Cards won Game 1 and carried a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 2.

San Diego erupted after that for an 11-9 victory, as Tatis and Wil Myers became only the second duo in postseason history after Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig to launch two homers apiece in a single contest.

The Padres finished the job with a 4-0 win in Game 3 on Friday and now will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a clash of Southern California division rivals.

It'll be a tall order for the Friars, especially with Dinelson Lamet and Mike Clevinger, their top two starting pitchers, battling biceps and elbow issues, respectively. Neither one pitched against St. Louis.

If one or both returns healthy and the Padres manage to upset L.A., San Diego will be a team to watch. But those are big "ifs."

Odds: +850   

Atlanta

John Amis/Associated Press

Atlanta won the NL East on the strength of an offense that led the game in OPS (.832) and finished second in runs scored (348).

Yet there were questions in the starting rotation after the team lost Mike Soroka to Achilles surgery in early August and ace Max Fried suffered an ankle injury Sept. 23.

Fried returned to pitch Game 1 of Atlanta's wild-card matchup with the Cincinnati Reds and fired off seven scoreless frames in a 1-0, 13-inning win. 

Atlanta finished the Reds off in Game 2 with a 5-0 victory.

Now, the team rolls into the division series against the Marlins with a pitching staff that's thrown 22 shutout innings in the postseason and a potent lineup anchored by Ronald Acuna Jr., Marcell Ozuna and NL MVP candidate Freddie Freeman.

Atlanta will be a heavy favorite against Miami and should give any club it faces after that a legitimate challenge.

Odds: +750         

Tampa Bay Rays

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

The Tampa Bay Rays aren't loaded with as many stars as the two teams ahead of them on this list. But they do just about everything well.

That includes, especially, pitching. Their hurlers finished third in the game with a 3.56 ERA and allowed just three earned runs with 23 strikeouts in 18 innings in their two-game Wild Card Round sweep of the upstart Toronto Blue Jays.

On offense, center fielder Manuel Margot went 3-for-7 with a home run and three RBI against Toronto. If he can keep it going, he'd offer a boost to a lineup that also counts on second baseman Brandon Lowe and shortstop Willy Adames, who went a combined 3-for-14 with no extra-base hits versus the Jays.

In the end, the Rays will go as far as their arms can carry them. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow front the rotation, and each threw well in the wild-card series. The bullpen, meanwhile, allowed just one run with six strikeouts in 6.1 frames.

They'll be tested in the division series against the big-bopping New York Yankees. But the Rays finished 40-20 with the best run differential in the Junior Circuit (plus-60) and won the AL East by seven games over the Yanks for a reason.

Odds: +410     

New York Yankees

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

Speaking of the Yankees, they appear to be peaking at the perfect moment.

After wobbling through an uneven, injury-marred campaign, New York made the playoffs as a second-place club.

The Bronx Bombers asserted themselves in the Wild Card Round against Cleveland, however, scoring 22 runs on 23 hits, including seven home runs, in a two-game sweep.

Six different Yankees got in on the long-ball act. Most promisingly, Giancarlo Stanton cleared the fence twice after playing just 23 regular-season games because of various maladies.

If he and Aaron Judge (who swatted a dinger of his own) can lead the attack backed by the likes of Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu, Luke Voit and Gio Urshela, the Yankees could slug their way deep into October.

They'll need to pitch too, and on that front, they'll hope to ride ace Gerrit Cole—who struck out 13 in seven innings in Game 1 against Cleveland—plus an experienced bullpen fronted by closer Aroldis Chapman.

The Rays will give New York all they can handle in the division series, and an even tougher foe might await if the Yanks make it to the Fall Classic.

But if they keep hitting like this with support from Cole and the pen, title No. 28 is within reach.

Odds: +350  

Los Angeles Dodgers

Ashley Landis/Associated Press

The Dodgers entered the 2020 season looking like the most complete team in baseball. Then they went ahead and posted the best record (43-17) and run differential (plus-136) in either league.

They entered their wild-card matchup against the 29-31 Milwaukee Brewers looking like the superior club in every way. Then they unceremoniously cast the Brewers aside in two games.

Sensing a pattern?

Things will get more difficult for Los Angeles in the division series round against the Padres. If they survive that test, they'll need to push through two more series, possibly against increasingly worthy foes.

But make no mistake: This squad is built to hoist a trophy. Their lineup is stacked behind right fielder Mookie Betts, who added to his MVP-caliber regular season by going 3-for-7 against Milwaukee. Their pitching staff features rising stars such as Julio Urias, Dustin May and Walker Buehler.

And veteran Clayton Kershaw looked like a man on a mission in his Game 2 start Thursday as he struck out 13 in eight shutout innings.

The Dodgers need 11 more wins to claim their first title since 1988. It won't come easy, but L.A. is equipped to finally get over the top.

Odds: +240

All statistics current as of Saturday and courtesy of Baseball Reference and MLB.com.