The Major League Baseball season is almost upon us once again, after a brilliant campaign last year saw the Houston Astros claim their second World Series title.
They claimed victory over the Philadelphia Phillies to top off a stunning season, but this season now they will have a host of contenders competing with them trying to wrestle the crown from them.
We'll take a look at the favorites to claim the 2023 World Series title and share our best free MLB picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you watch the season unfold from your couch.
| MLB World Series 2023 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | +600 | +650 | +600 |
| Atlanta Braves | +700 | +850 | +700 |
| New York Yankees | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +800 | +850 | +750 |
| San Diego Padres | +800 | +900 | +850 |
Learn more about how to bet on the MLB World Series here.
MLB World Series 2023 information:
- Regular season - March 30th 2023 - October 1st 2023
- Postseason starts October 3rd 2023
- World Series 2023 Game 7 is slated for November 4th 2023
MLB World Series 2023 favorites
Below is a list of the favorites to win the 2023 MLB World Series.
Houston Astros (+650)
The Astros have reached the World Series in three out of the past four seasons, and there is little reason to think they won’t do it again after tasting success in 2022.
However not since the Yankees in 1998-2000 has a team won consecutive titles, so history is totally against Houston getting it done.
Houston lost the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, Justin Verlander, to the New York Mets in free agency but they still have depth in their pitching position to be able to survive that loss.
They have added former MVP Jose Abreu to the mix alongside their elite offense led by Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, and postseason hero Jeremy Pena. Unfortunately for them, star second baseman José Altuve will miss the first month of the season after suffering a thumb injury at the World Baseball Classic.
They're the favorites for a reason and are likely to be involved towards the end of the season, but there is better value out there.
New York Yankees (+750)
The Yankees added Carlos Rodon to their rotation, which now gives them arguably the strongest starting five in the game.
He is likely to miss the opening of the season though with an arm injury, which could potentially see their odds go out further if they start the season badly.
They will need superstar Aaron Judge to stay healthy if they are to compete for a championship, but if they need to find an added impact from elsewhere during the season the incredible farm system they have can't be discounted.
The only weakness on the Bronx Bombers is a glaring hole in left field, but at +750 there is great value in backing the 27-time champions to win their first World Series since 2009.
Atlanta Braves (+850)
The Atlanta Braves will look to rebound after losing in the NL Division Series last season to the eventual National League champion Philadelphia Phillies.
Even though the Braves stole the regular season division title from the New York Mets late in the season, they still fell short of the World Series but expectations are high again this year, and with another loaded team.
The Braves last won the World Series in 2021, when they knocked off the Houston Astros in seven games to win its first world title since 1995. They have also won the NL East for the last five consecutive years.
While they may have lost some familiar faces this past offseason, the Atlanta Braves are once again a contender to win the World Series.
With extra playoff spots and an evenly-balanced schedule across the league, the Braves are in as good a position as ever to win the World Series and will fancy their chances should they cross paths with the reigning champions once again.
Los Angeles Dodgers (+800)
The division is more up for grabs than it has been in a while thanks to all of the additions that the Padres have made in the last 18-24 months, so that will be a fun race to watch.
The Dodgers won’t win the NL West by 22 games this season. I don’t think they’ll win five more games than any other team in baseball or 10 more games than any other NL team, but they're still very strong.
The Dodgers have won at least 106 games in each of the last three full seasons and while they only won 92 in 2018, but they had a Pythagorean Win-Loss record of 101-61, so they just fell on the wrong side of variance.
This team is not as good as it has been in previous years, but they've been so good previously that they can't be ruled out of going all the way because of that.
San Diego Padres (+900)
San Diego's management staff have been very busy in the offseason, signing Xander Bogaerts and extending Yu Darvish and Manny Machado to long-term deals.
The Padres will now also get an entire season of Juan Soto, and a near-full season of Fernando Tatis Jr., making for one of the most star-studded lineups in recent memory.
This talented roster will look to build off their 2022 playoff experience, hoping to win a World Series for the first time in their 54-year history.
They will be without All-Star Joe Musgrove for a period of time however after he fractured his toe last month but if they can get a real run of games together with a full strength roster then they are good enough to beat absolutely anyone on any given day.
