With a week until pitchers and catchers report for spring training, sportsbooks around the country are beginning to release their 2021 World Series odds.
Bovada, one of the largest gambling sites in the United States, dropped theirs on Wednesday — and the early returns are promising for both New York ballclubs.
The Yankees are the second-best favorites to win the 2021 World Series with +600 odds while the Mets are fourth at +900.
A pair of NL West teams — the defending-champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the up-and-coming San Diego Padres — round out the top-four.
Here are the current odds, via Odds Shark:
Los Angeles Dodgers: +300
New York Yankees: +600
San Diego Padres: +750
New York Mets: +900
Chicago White Sox: +1000
Atlanta Braves: +1100
Toronto Blue Jays: +1800
Minnesota Twins: +2000
Oakland Athletics: +2200
St. Louis Cardinals: +2500
Tampa Bay Rays: +2500
Houston Astros: +2500
Cincinnati Reds: +3500
Los Angeles Angels: +4000
Cleveland Indians: +4000
Chicago Cubs: +4000
Philadelphia Phillies: +4500
Boston Red Sox: +5000
Washington Nationals: +5000
Milwaukee Brewers: +6600
Miami Marlins: +7000
San Francisco Giants: +8000
Seattle Mariners: +10000
Arizona Diamondbacks: +12500
Baltimore Orioles: +12500
Kansas City Royals: +12500
Detroit Tigers: +12500
Colorado Rockies: +15000
Pittsburgh Pirates: +20000
The Yankees remain as one of the favorites to win the World Series much in part to their fearsome lineup that yet again has to perform under sky-high expectations.
Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are healthy, DJ LeMahieu is back, and Gleyber Torres is expected to take the next step.
The hope in the Bronx is that it will be enough to carry them to a title as major question marks surround the pitching staff. Behind Gerrit Cole, the Yankees brought in the oft-injured Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon for depth, adding to a less-than-convincing group that also features Luis Severino (coming off of Tommy John surgery), Deivi Garcia, Jordan Montgomery, Michael King, and Domingo German.
For the Mets, they have the best odds amongst teams in a stacked National League East that also boast the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and Washington Nationals.
The arrival of Steve Cohen as majority owner sparked a new era of the franchise as they were sizable spenders on the market.
They picked up Trevor May and Aaron Loup to bolster the bullpen, James McCann as their long-term starting catcher, and acquired superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco.
Adding that to an already-talented core of Jacob deGrom, Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Michael Conforto, the Mets are poised to be one of the powerhouses in the National League.
