The Chicago Cubs have opened up a commanding lead over their rivals in the NL Central division standings. The Cubs look poised for a deep playoff run as the current favorites to win the World Series.
World Series 2016 odds: Cubs, Giants, Rangers lead updated betting lines to win championship
The Chicago Cubs are still the favorites to win the World Series, but other teams have improved heading into August.
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Chicago is going off as a +350 favorite to win the World Series in 2016 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. With the best team ERA in baseball at 3.22 and the third-best offense in baseball with 5.09 runs per game, the Cubs didn't have to do much at the trade deadline.
What they did do was perfect for their current makeup: add an elite closer in Aroldis Chapman. Chapman makes an already strong bullpen even stronger and solidifies Chicago’s spot as the team to beat.
The Texas Rangers have seen their World Series odds rise up to +650 after a few strong moves at the trade deadline. Texas made one of the most dangerous offenses in all of baseball even stronger with the additions of catcher Jonathan Lucroy and outfielder Carlos Beltran, while also strengthening its bullpen with former Brewers closer Jeremy Jeffress.
The Rangers still have question marks in their starting rotation, but if Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish can stay healthy, depth behind these two aces may not matter with this offense.
Also going off at +650 to win the World Series are the San Francisco Giants, who are trying to hold off the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top spot in the NL West. The Giants added a solid bat in Eduardo Nunez, who had been enjoying a career year with the Minnesota Twins, and made one of the best pitching staffs in the MLB even better with the acquisition of Matt Moore from Tampa Bay.
Moore has a 2.41 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP over the last month of play. He'll slot into the team's fourth rotation spot behind Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija.
Updated odds on other contenders include the Washington Nationals (+750), Cleveland Indians (+750), Toronto Blue Jays (+900), Boston Red Sox (+1200), Baltimore Orioles (+1600), Los Angeles Dodgers (+1600) and Houston Astros (+1800).
The Nationals and Indians each added a strong arm to their bullpen with Washington acquiring Mark Melancon and Cleveland getting lefty Andrew Miller.
