
Major League Baseball is underway, with every team on the field by Friday and a full schedule on tap for Saturday. Opening Day is celebrated across the U.S. and Canada for MLB 2026.

(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Baseball betting from the top MLB sportsbooks is one way to enjoy the season. In this article, I list the 2026 Opening Day odds for pennant winners and World Series champions. I'll share my picks and predictions below.
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The top 10 teams according to odds to win the next World Series, from BetMGM Sportsbook:
The Dodgers are the only team with odds shorter than 10-1 to win the Fall Classic. Los Angeles added star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the lineup and still has the best player in the world in Shohei Ohtani, who will pitch and hit home runs.
Last season's champs in the AL, the Toronto Blue Jays, did little to help shore up its starting rotation. Repeating as league champs in the junior circuit seems like a tall task. In the AL East, all five teams can legitimately be .500 or above.
Many experts are on the bandwagon for the Tigers, listed at +2000. That lineup is woeful, and Javy Baez and Zach McKinstry are not going to have first half stretches like they did in 2025. Only the Yankees scored a higher percentage of their runs off the HR than Detroit last season. A home run-centric offense is streaky, and not reliable in the postseason.
There isn't enough of a reason to bet on a long shot. The best World Series wager is to make a futures bet on the mighty Dodgers. The Big Blue Wrecking Crew is poised to make a run at a three-peat.
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The Red Sox have the most balanced team in the AL: a diverse offense and a top-five pitching staff. The starting rotation should be even stronger and more mature, led by Brayan Bello, who could have a breakout season.
I love the Red Sox outfield: Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela are the best trio in the game, and none have reached 26 yet. Jarren Duran is an MVP-in-waiting, and he also plays the outfield, but will probably DH much of the time. The Red Sox can pitch, field, run, and hit for power.
Want a long shot choice? Try the Rangers at +1300: Texas will have the best pitching in its division, runs the bases as well as any team, and more importantly, they have the best defense in the game. Manager Skip Schumaker, in his first season with the team, will have to juggle the pen a bit to find the right mix, but the Rangers will be a tough matchup if they make the postseason.
Odds for MLB Futures are available from all of the top sportsbooks. These are from BetMGM.
If there is one team that could end the reign of the Dodgers in the NL, it could be the San Diego Padres. Why? The SD bullpen is the best in baseball, from closer to long relief. There are many swing-and-miss arms to bring into the game, and that's paramount in the playoffs. The Padres also have three players in the lineup who can carry a team in October: Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill.
A note on Futures Odds: You can place a bet on the pennant winners and winning team of the World Series at any time during the regular season. One strategy can be to monitor favorites for changes upward if the team gets off to a slow start.
The Dodgers have seven starting pitchers who could be in any rotation in baseball. The pitching is an embarrassment of riches. And rich the Dodgers are: with five of the top eight contracts in baseball. But that salary has worked out: 13 straight playoff appearances, and two titles in the last two years.