2021 Major League Baseball Odds & Favorites

There’s nothing quite like the sound of a perfect home run, when a batter makes that magical connection to send the ball flying towards the stands.

It’s one of the exciting reasons why Major League Baseball has become so popular around the whole world, far beyond the borders of the United States.

Looking ahead to a 2021 MLB Regular Season that will feature 162 games, followed by the Playoffs and the World Series, let’s take a look at three of the leading championship contenders in 2021. Two are iconic and familiar names to baseball fans everywhere, while one is preparing to mount a serious challenge to upset the status quo.

Los Angeles Dodgers

THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS. pic.twitter.com/rlvVkSwXhp

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 28, 2020

Few teams were perhaps more deserving of success last year than Los Angeles Dodgers, going all the way through a difficult campaign to win the World Series. As the reigning champions, they now face the almighty challenge of trying to repeat that success in consecutive seasons, which is something no team has done in the last two decades.

Nevertheless, there is growing confidence the team can achieve that feat, which is reflected in MLB odds on bet365 for the 2021 World Series pricing the Dodgers to succeed again. Always capable of making a deep run in the Playoffs, they have won the NL West for eight seasons running, along with the National League Championship Series in three of the last four seasons.

New York Yankees

Hello there, LeMachine. 🤖 pic.twitter.com/zqAqcvVu6q

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 13, 2021

As arguably the most famous name in baseball, the New York Yankees are the second-most valuable sports team in the world, valued at around $5 billion in 2020 according to Forbes. Being the wealthiest MLB team comes with plenty of expectations, which includes being consistently amongst the World Series favorites.

No team can boast more World Series appearances than the Yankees, with 40 since 1921 and 27 wins. However, the most recent of those triumphs came back in 2009, which is a long time by the typically high standards of this franchise. Widely considered baseball royalty by millions of fans around the world, the Yankees are tipped at +550 for the 2021 World Series.

San Diego Padres

Easy as π. #PadresWin pic.twitter.com/zzWk0hQjIO

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 14, 2021

Before they reached the Playoffs last season, the San Diego Padres had endured a postseason drought stretching back 14 years. They also haven’t reached the World Series since back in 1998, losing out four games to zero against the New York Yankees. So why are the Padres even considered amongst the contenders this year?

Well, the Padres franchise has been gradually improving. Piece by piece the Padres has been steadily building one of the strongest MLB rosters, which is why they are now believed to be genuinely in with a shot at success. Priced at +425 to win the National League and +900 for the 2021 World Series, bookies are putting faith in the Padres finally having what it takes.

Everyone loves an underdog, so it's sure to be an exciting season seeing the Padres - who are clearly set to be very serious contenders - come up against established winners with already impressive reputations. What is not so certain, however, is how this will play out and who will emerge victorious, which is arguably the most exciting part of all. 

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