A lengthy rebuild finally produced results this past season for the Toronto Blue Jays, who exceeded expectations with their return to the post-season for the first time in four years. But despite their recent breakthrough, the Blue Jays find themselves positioned well back of the favourites on the early 2021 World Series odds as a +4000 wager at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
After finishing near the bottom of the AL East standings in the previous three years, Toronto emerged as one of the surprise stories of 2020, marching to a 32-28 win-loss record despite being forced to play 34 of their 60 regular season contests on the road away from their temporary home at Sahlen Field.
The Blue Jays made a quick post-season exit, falling to the Tampa Bay Rays in two games during AL Wild Card Series action. However, with the club's youthful core expected to benefit from this past season's solid performance, the Blue Jays may be well positioned to gain ground on both the Rays and the New York Yankees in the highly competitive AL East.
Fresh off their first World Series win in 32 years, the Los Angeles Dodgers enter the off-season perched as +500 favourites on the 2021 World Series odds at online betting sites. Topping the MLB with 43 wins this past season, the Dodgers have bolstered their chances of repeating by inking outfielder Mookie Betts to a lucrative contract. Los Angeles will also benefit from the return of starting pitcher David Price, who elected to sit out the 2020 pandemic-shortened campaign due to health concerns.
Despite finishing just one game ahead of the Blue Jays in the standings, and failing to get by Tampa Bay in the ALDS, the Yankees sit a close second to Los Angeles as a +600 wager on the odds to win the World Series next season. Both the Chicago White Sox and the San Diego Padres turned the corner in 2020 with strong second-place divisional finishes, and currently sit deadlocked at +1100, just ahead of the Atlanta Braves at +1200.
Tampa Bay sported the best regular season record in the AL, and followed up with an impressive march to its first World Series appearance since 2008. And unlike the Yankees, who already have a projected payroll of over $150 million and face a number of hard free agency decisions, the frugal Rays are financially well positioned to compete in this winter's free agent market.
Further down the World Series odds, the Cincinnati Reds join the Oakland Athletics at +1600. AL Central rivals Minnesota and Cleveland follow, knotted at +2000, while the Chicago Cubs sit alongside the Houston Astros and the New York Mets at +2500.
