2024 MLB World Series Best Bets: Yankees vs. Dodgers Showdown

Top picks for the Yankees-Dodgers Fall Classic includes the underdog Yankees in 7 games and Juan Soto as the MVP.

It all comes down to this. After we saw two fantastic League Championship Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees were crowned as the two heavyweights to battle it out in the 2024 World Series. I don’t think anyone is surprised by this matchup, as both teams spend more money each season than the entire bottom half of the league combined. The Dodgers spent over a billion dollars this offseason, while Juan Soto of the Yankees makes more money than the entire Tampa Bay Rays team put together. Plus, the sportsbooks love this matchup, as it brings in a large handle considering the markets.

Taking a look at the early odds for this exciting matchup, the Dodgers are around -135 favorites to beat the Yankees and claim the title. How many games and who will be the MVP is also a great bet.


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Yankees to Win World Series (+116)

Not to boast or anything, but I am holding onto an 11/1 ticket on the Yankees to win the World Series that I bet way back before the season started. I wrote multiple articles back then about why I loved the Yankees and included them in multiple pieces of content, so hopefully you are also sitting pretty with me. Obviously, I will be extremely biased here because of this ticket, but I have no reason not to be confident in it. I still think they are the better overall team in this matchup and would bet them to win the series at plus money.

While I would compare both offenses similarly, and both have an extreme amount of talent, I am much more concerned with the Dodgers pitching staff. I don’t trust Jack Flaherty if he has to make a second appearance in this series. He has shown that his velocity is great when he has regular time off, but if that is shortened, he struggles. I think Yoshinobu Yamamoto is good, but trusting a rookie pitcher in a big spot can be very difficult, especially against a Yankees lineup that crushed right-handers all year. Walker Buehler had one good outing, but overall, has been quite bad this season since coming back from Tommy John.

In addition, I don’t have a whole lot of trust for either bullpen. Both have proven issues, but the Dodgers are going to be relying on theirs more than New York will in this series. When it comes to defense, both teams graded out around average in terms of DRS and OAA. The Yankees were the worst base running team in the league, ranking dead last in BsR. This isn’t super shocking since they are reliant on their power, which they have a whole lot of.

Yankees To Win In 7 games (+500)

I think this series has a great chance to go to the wire. Both clubs are packed with talent and will be fighting for every pitch and at-bat in this series, and truly, they are the two best teams in baseball. Not only would the fans love to see a Game 7, because what is better than a championship-deciding game in sports, but I’m sure MLB itself would love it as well. More games equals more revenue, and a short World Series just wouldn’t bring home the bacon like a longer one would.

You’d best believe the books want this series extended as well. The more days it goes on, the more money they can take in. They already got their dream scenario between these two favorites, not having to pay out any longshot underdogs like the Detroit Tigers or New York Mets, so the books will want the good times to keep rolling.

This is clearly a longer shot at 5/1 odds, but I for one want to see a Game 7, even if my heart might explode in nervousness with this 11/1 ticket in my pocket.


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Here are my picks for the series MVP.

World Series MVP Pick: Juan Soto (+550)

The first one I like is perhaps the most obvious one, and that’s for Juan Soto to win World Series MVP. I’ve talked plenty about why I love the New York Yankees in this series, and one of the most crucial players will be Soto and his unbelievable playmaking. His teammate, Aaron Judge, has better odds to win it than he does at +500. I’m not sure that’s entirely accurate when you consider how each has played so far in the postseason.

Judge has really struggled for the most part since the regular season has come to an end, and historically he’s struggled in the playoffs. This postseason, he’s batting .161 so far with 13 strikeouts and two homers. Compare that to his regular season, where he batted .322 on the year. In 2022, the last time New York was in the postseason, his average was .139. In fact, in seven seasons where he has played in the postseason, just three of them did he bat over .200. These issues are well known for him, and I can’t back him at these odds to win the MVP award.

However, Soto has been a different story. He’s batting .333 so far this postseason, with three homers and eight RBI. His ability to take walks is also very underrated, as he has seven of them this postseason, and even gets intentionally walked at times because he is so good. He’s only been in the postseason three times, in 2022 with the San Diego Padres and in 2019 with the Washington Nationals on the way to a World Series. He is familiar with this big stage and has been here before, and we know of his legendary play that season to help bring a championship to Washington.

If the Yankees do win the World Series as I think they will, Soto to me is the most likely to win MVP.

 


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Longshot World Series MVP Pick: Anthony Rizzo (+12500)

If you want to get a bit nuts with this prop, I think you could do a lot worse than taking Anthony Rizzo to win the World Series MVP. The 35-year-old veteran has always been the definition of a leader and was one of the key components to ending the 108-year drought to bring the Chicago Cubs a championship. He may not be the player he once was in Chicago, but he has a ton of postseason experience and is another Yankee who has played in and won a World Series in the past. That is invaluable when you get on the biggest stage in the game.

This postseason, he has only had 14 at-bats, but he has made them count. He has six hits in those at-bats with a double and two RBI, batting .429. He’s a left-handed bat who has been incredibly reliable in the past and has had numerous clutch moments throughout his career. Perhaps he will have another one in the World Series that can earn him the award. Obviously, this is a long shot at 125/1 odds, but just a sprinkle for some beer or pizza money is certainly worth a play.

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