The Los Angeles Dodgers begin the 2021 season as stronger favorites to repeat as champions than they were after ending a 32-year World Series drought in October.
The Dodgers were installed as favorites to repeat by most all oddsmakers shortly after beating the Tampa Bay Rays in six games. That included PointsBet, where Los Angeles opened as +375 favorites in October. That was before an aggressive offseason in which the Dodgers signed pitcher Trevor Bauer and re-signed key players, including Justin Turner.
As the curtain dropped on the 2021 season Thursday, Los Angeles’ championship odds had shortened to +350 at PointsBet. That was ahead of the New York Yankees (+550) and the San Diego Padres (+800), who loaded up on their own pitching staff in an effort to keep up with the division-rival Dodgers.
The Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox and New York Mets are each listed at +1000.
Looking for longshot odds? The largest belongs to the Pittsburgh Pirates at +20000.
The Dodgers are the most-backed team at DraftKings with 21 percent of the World Series winner bets at the book placed on Los Angeles at +350. However, it’s the up-and-coming White Sox at +850 that have been supported by the most money at DraftKings at 18 percent, followed by the Dodgers and Yankees (+550) each at 15 percent.
The Cubs have been the biggest movers since mid-December, going backwards from +2500 to +4000 after losing Kyle Schwarber along with pitchers Yu Darvish and Jon Lester from the roster. By contrast, the White Sox have seen their odds shorten from +1500 in the same span. While the Dodgers (+175) are being backed by 40 percent of the bets at DraftKings to win the National League pennant, the action has been far more divided in the American League. The Yankees (+230) have received 44 percent of the total bets and 53 percent of the handle, while the White Sox have been backed by 35 and 30 percent, respectively.
No other American League team has received more than three percent in either market. That’s compared to the National League, where the Padres (+390) have been backed by 16 percent of the bets and 19 percent of the handle, followed by the Mets (+525) at 11 and 23 percent.
–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)
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