2026 World Series Odds: There's Value in Detroit

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Spring training baseball is underway, and the regular season isn't far behind.

MLB odds unsurprisingly have the Los Angeles Dodgers pegged as betting favorites to win a third straight Fall Classic at +225 or +230 after adding outfielder Kyle Tucker to an already formidable lineup. But that doesn't mean it's all wrapped up. 

Below, I examine the 2026 World Series odds and single out the Detroit Tigers as a potential dark horse to win the Fall Classic.

2026 World Series winner odds

2026 World Series odds over time

Here, we'll track how the World Series odds shift throughout the offseason, free agency, spring training, and 2026 regular season.

MLB World Series futures bets

The Los Angeles Dodgers are rightly favored to win the World Series, and you can certainly justify wagering on them at +230 or thereabouts, where they're listed. 

However, a lot can happen in a few months. Granted, even their late-season swoon didn't hurt them too much, but the Dodgers were +500 as of the Wild Card Series.

If I'm betting this market now, I'm either going big on the Dodgers or going light on a bit of a longer shot. Below, I examine the latter.

BetOddsBet dateUnits Detroit Tigers+2500February 260.25

This might be the Detroit Tigers' best shot at winning the Fall Classic before the window closes a tad before re-opening. Two-time American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is poised to enter free agency after the season, which would greatly diminish their chances going forward, even with fellow southpaw Framber Valdez anchoring the rotation.

But with Skubal and Valdez at the front of the rotation, Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize providing solid innings in the middle, and veteran Justin Verlander returning home for one last shot at glory with the team that drafted him 22 years ago, the pitching side of things is promising enough to inspire confidence.

The lineup is where risk and uncertainty come into play, which is why we can get them for +2500. Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Spencer Torkelson are more or less penciled in as the heart of the batting order, which is a bit wobbly. Colt Keith could take another step forward, and Gleyber Torres has a reasonably high floor, but the ceiling feels limited.

However, the Tigers have an abundance of prospects knocking on the door of the major leagues. Shortstop Kevin McGonigle and outfielder Max Clark are the two with the most promise, and they should make their debuts fairly early on. McGonigle is a candidate to crack the Opening Day roster, while Clark is likely to arrive closer to midseason.

Trey Sweeney has already had a taste, Max Anderson is probably the second baseman of Detroit's future, and Hao-Yu Lee and Jace Jung could be useful pieces from the jump.

The point is, the Tigers won't mess around with Skubal's final year. And with the AL Central still in flux, Detroit has a projected 72.6% chance of reaching the postseason — the second-best odds in the American League, behind only the Seattle Mariners at 79.1% — per FanGraphs. 

Getting to the postseason is, obviously, the first big hurdle. And if the Tigers are in the mix at the All-Star break, management will likely add at the trade deadline, so the soft spots on the roster today won't be the same in a few months.

The Mariners are +1300 to win the World Series. I'll take the value play on the Tigers at +2500, instead.

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World Series betting splits

Will revisit betting splits as more data is available for the 2026 World Series.

Past World Series winners

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2025 World Series by toppling the Toronto Blue Jays in an epic seven-game series.

Here are the last 10 World Series winners, along with their opening odds.

SeasonWinnerOpening oddsRunner up2025 Los Angeles Dodgers+240 Toronto Blue Jays2024 Los Angeles Dodgers+350 New York Yankees2023 Texas Rangers+5000 Arizona Diamondbacks2022 Houston Astros+800 Philadelphia Phillies2021 Atlanta Braves+1000 Houston Astros2020 Los Angeles Dodgers+600 Tampa Bay Rays2019 Washington Nationals+1800 Houston Astros2018 Boston Red Sox+1200 Los Angeles Dodgers2017 Houston Astros+1600 Los Angeles Dodgers2016 Chicago Cubs+1050 Cleveland Guardians

The biggest World Series underdogs 

Below are the 10 World Series-winning teams since 1985 with the longest opening odds.

SeasonWinnerOpening odds1991 Minnesota Twins+80002003 Florida Marlins+75002023 Texas Rangers+50001987 Minnesota Twins+50002013 Boston Red Sox+40002002 Anaheim Angels+40002010 San Francisco Giants+25002005 Chicago White Sox+22002008 Philadelphia Phillies+20002014 San Francisco Giants+2000

Teams with most World Series titles

TeamWorld Series titlesMost recent championship New York Yankees272009 St. Louis Cardinals112011 Oakland A's91989 Boston Red Sox92018 Los Angeles Dodgers92025 San Francisco Giants82014 Cincinnati Reds51990 Pittsburgh Pirates51979 Detroit Tigers41984 Atlanta Braves42021 Chicago Cubs32016 Baltimore Orioles31983 Minnesota Twins31991 Chicago White Sox32005

The New York Yankees are the most decorated team in MLB history, and it isn't close. In addition to winning a whopping 27 titles, they've played in 41 World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers are second all-time with 23 World Series appearances, while the St. Louis Cardinals have won the second-most championships at 11.

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