The Toronto Blue Jays finished the season on a 1-4 skid, failing to overtake the Kansas City Royals for home field advantage throughout the postseason. Still, Toronto comes into the 2015 MLB postseason as the team to beat in the World Series race.
MLB playoff odds 2015: Blue Jays betting favorites over Royals, Cardinals
The Toronto Blue Jays enter the baseball postseason this week as the betting favorites at the sportsbooks on the odds to win the World Series.
Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports
Toronto is currently the favorite to win the World Series going off at +300, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Blue Jays made a flurry of trades after the All-Star break to acquire bullpen depth, David Price, Troy Tulowitzki and Ben Revere. These moves prompted a 43-18 stretch to end the year, allowing the Jays to overtake the New York Yankees for the AL East crown in the process.
With the best offense in the majors and a proven ace atop the rotation, Toronto looks like the team to beat. The Blue Jays will start their postseason run against the Texas Rangers (+1200 to win the World Series) on Thursday.
Kansas City (+500) finished the season on a five-game winning streak to lock up home field throughout the playoffs. One key factor to the Royals’ championship chances will be Johnny Cueto. Can Cueto find the form that made him one of the most sought-after pitchers on the trade market this year, or will he continue to underwhelm in a Royals uniform?
The Royals will take on the winner of the AL Wild Card Game between the Houston Astros (+1400) and New York Yankees (+1400) in New York.
The St. Louis Cardinals (+500) were the only team to reach 100 wins this season, overcoming a slew of injuries to do so. St. Louis had the best Team ERA in the majors this season, holding opposing teams to under three earned runs a game with a 2.94 ERA.
It should come as no surprise that the top five in Team ERA are rounded out by the other four NL playoff teams: Pittsburgh (+1100) with a 3.21 ERA, Chicago (+1000) at 3.36, New York (+700) at 3.43 and Los Angeles (+600) at 3.44.
The Los Angeles Dodgers host the New York Mets in the first round while the winner of the NL Wild Card Game between the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates will go on to face the Cardinals.
World Series Futures Betting Lines
Toronto Blue Jays +300
Kansas City Royals +500
St. Louis Cardinals +500
Los Angeles Dodgers +600
New York Mets +700
Chicago Cubs +1000
Pittsburgh Pirates +1100
Texas Rangers +1200
New York Yankees +1400
Houston Astros +1400
