The San Francisco Giants have won the World Series in three of the past five years, and they are sitting at 20-1 to repeat that feat this season as one of 13 top contenders with odds that high or better at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.
San Francisco’s direct competition in the NL West will again come from the defending division champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who are at 17-2 on the odds to win the World Series, the second choice behind only the NL East’s Washington Nationals at 6-1.
The Dodgers disappointed in the playoffs last season by falling to the St. Louis Cardinals (12-1) for the second year in a row and lost several key players in the offseason, including outfielder Matt Kemp to the rival San Diego Padres (20-1).
The Kansas City Royals are sitting at 33-1 on the World Series odds and will be hard-pressed to get back to the postseason this year in a competitive AL Central. Last year, the Royals met the Giants in the World Series, with Kansas City also starting the 2014 season at 33-1 to claim the title. San Francisco was at 14-1 to win the World Series prior to last season.
The four-time defending AL Central division champion Detroit Tigers are at 16-1 to win the World Series and have been one of the top favorites in years past. However, they lost ace Max Scherzer to the Nationals via free agency and former Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander will start the season on the disabled list due to a triceps injury.
The Chicago White Sox are also at 16-1 and feature rising Cuban star Jose Abreu, who is one of the favorites to hit the most home runs (15-2) and win the AL MVP award (4-1) at the sportsbooks heading into the season.
The Boston Red Sox look like the team to beat in the American League, though, as they are at 10-1 to win the World Series after adding former Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez and former Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval to their lineup in the offseason.
However, the Red Sox still have some question marks in their rotation with last year’s Opening Day starter Jon Lester now a member of the upstart Chicago Cubs, who are set at 16-1 on the odds to win the World Series following his addition along with several promising young players and a new manager in Joe Maddon.
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