The Chicago Cubs finished with the third best record in baseball in 2015 going 97-65 in the regular season. After making some major moves to improve this offseason, the Cubs could be even better in 2016, and they enter the year as the clear favorite to win the World Series.
MLB odds 2016: Cubs and Giants top pack of World Series favorites to start season
With spring training wrapping up the Chicago Cubs top the betting board on the odds to win the World Series thanks to a busy offseason.
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Chicago is going off at +500 on the odds to win the World Series at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Cubs already had one of the best young offenses in the National League, and they bolstered it further with the additions of Ben Zobrist and Jason Hayward. Adding another veteran ace in John Lackey to the staff behind Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester will help as well. The price tag is a bit steep, but the Cubs do look like the team to beat.
Another team that made a handful of moves this offseason to climb up the futures betting board was the San Francisco Giants. Originally going off at +1600 to win the World Series, the Giants are now up to +800 after adding Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija to their staff. The Giants have won three of the last six World Series titles, and they should be back in the mix this season with what figures to be the best pitching staff in the NL West.
The Toronto Blue Jays (+1000 to win the World Series) and the Boston Red Sox (+1400) are expected to battle for the top spot in the AL East this season in a race that could go all the way down to the wire. The Blue Jays had the best offense in baseball with over 100 runs more than the next closest team last season, and they return all of their heavy hitters led by Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, and Joey Bautista. But last year’s staff ace, David Price, signed in Boston this offseason.
Two potential value picks this season are the Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals, each going off at +1800. Cleveland has one of the best pitching staffs in baseball led by Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, and St. Louis is a perennial contender with five straight playoff berths.
Other contenders this season include the New York Mets (+1200), Los Angeles Dodgers (+1200), Kansas City Royals (+1400), Houston Astros (+1600), and Washington Nationals (+1800).
