Top Choices to Win 2022 World Series

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The 2022 MLB season isn’t even a sure thing due to the lockout currently in place, and little or no discussion between the warring factions. But that doesn’t mean we can’t assume a positive outcome and talk about the top choices, according to the MLB odds, to take home the World Series hardware in October. Below is the oddsmakers’ Fab Four.

1. LA Dodgers (+600)
   Big Blue had previously gotten two bites at the World Series apple before they made it count in the truncated 2020 season. Last year, they were supposed to do it all over again but they never quite got on track until the second half of the season. Los Angeles ended by winning nine of 10 and tallying an impressive 106 wins in the 2021 campaign. However, they fell one game short to a brilliant and unexpected San Francisco Giants edition that claimed the West.
   Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, said, “[We] have a really strong group that’s returning with some young players coming up that we feel good about,” Friedman said. “So, as we look forward, whether it’s our internal guys or external guys, it’s how to round out our roster to put us in the best position to succeed. I’m confident we’ll get there.”
   And while that may be true, the Dodgers lost two big pieces to their World Series puzzle when Corey Seager signed a mega-deal with the Rangers and future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Max Scherzer did the same with the New Your Mets. Although LA is still an excellent team, they should not be considered the leaders of the pack at short odds of +600.

2. Houston Astros (+850)
   The Astros have been one of the top teams in the American League, and all of baseball for that matter, over the past seven years. And this year will be no different as Houston will try to do everything they did last season but finish the deal by winning the World Series. Last season, they managed to get to MLB’s grandest stage only to bow in six games to the Atlanta Braves.
   Many of the expert baseball handicappers who give out free sports picks are lining up behind the Astros this season. They say that their blend of starting pitching coupled with a hard-hitting lineup will do damage and bring them to the promised land. Naturally, the big question is whether or not their All-Star shortstop, Carlos Correa, will remain with the club or seek greener pastures elsewhere. We won’t know the answer to that question until the lockout has ended and teams can once again begin negotiating with free agents.

3. New York Yankees (+1100)
   Expectations were high last year for the Bombers, as they are every year, but they fell short, winning just 92 games and losing their AL wild-card showdown to their ancient rivals from Boston.
   This year the stakes are just as high and Yankees fans are expecting big things from a starting rotation that is headed by one of the highest-paid pitchers in the world, Gerrit Cole. But the issue with the Yankees is that their rotation lacks depth and if they don’t address that need then they will be trying to win slugfests night after night, save those games when Cole gets the nod.
   And speaking of Cole, he was good, very good, last season but he wasn’t the masterful technician the Yankees believed they were signing a few years ago. He ended with a 16-8 mark and a 3.23 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP. There is certainly no shame in those numbers and if it were virtually any other pitcher, management would be elated. But that was the highest ERA Cole has had in four seasons and if the Pinstripers are to make noise this season, he will have to be even better than that, as will the lineup.

4. Atlanta Braves (+1200)
   It’s funny to think that the MLB odds on the Braves are higher this year after they won their first World Series since 1995 than they were last. If you bought a ticket on Atlanta to win the World Series before the 2021 season commenced then you would have gotten 10-1 on your money.
   But this year, fresh off of a 4-2 World Series win over the Astros, they are 12-1 and some believe that number will climb. One of the biggest unknowns is whether power hitter, Freddie Freeman, will stay in Atlanta or find his way somewhere else next season. Losing the 5x All-Star and 2020 NL MVP would be a huge blow to the Braves lineup and his absence alone could change the team’s fortunes in 2022.
   Picking up Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario, Joc Pederson, and Adam Duvall were well-accomplished midseason acquisitions and Duvall’s big bat was undeniable. But bringing back Eddie Rosario would be a huge boon to their World Series chances, especially after he hit .383 in the postseason last year.