World Series 2017 Odds: Chicago Cubs Still NL Favorite, Nationals And Dodgers Not Far Behind

Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs — The Chicago Cubs and Anthony Rizzo, pictured at Citi Field on June 14, 2017 in the Queens borough of New York City, have the best World Series odds of any National League team. Getty Images

Through more than 40 percent of the 2017 MLB season, the Chicago Cubs haven't exactly looked like the defending champions. But even with their slow start, they are still among the favorites to win the World Series.

Even though their record is under .500, the Cubs have the second-best betting odds to win the title. They trail only the Houston Astros, who have been the best team in baseball for most of the year. The Washington Nationals are given the third-best chance to become this year’s champions, followed by the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees.

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The 2016 champions have struggled, despite playing in one of MLB’s worst divisions. The Milwaukee Brewers sit in first place at 36-32, and they are the only team in the NL Central with a winning record.

Reigning MVP Kris Bryant has an OPS over .900, and Anthony Rizzo is putting up pretty good numbers, as well. Neither player has hit for average, and the Cubs haven’t gotten much from players like Ben Zobrist, Kyle Schwarber and Addison Russell. That’s resulted in Chicago ranking just eighth in the National League in runs scored.

MLB’s best teams are all among the best hitting teams in baseball. Houston is second in runs scored, followed by the Nationals and Colorado Rockies, who have the NL’s two best records. The Yankees lead MLB in runs scored, and they sit atop the AL East.

With stars like Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer, Washington was expected to win the NL East and compete for their first-ever World Series championship. Colorado was not supposed to be one of the best teams in the NL, expected by many to miss the playoffs, and it appears that they’ve yet to convince the oddsmakers that they are for real. The Rockies are not among the seven teams with +1000 odds or better to win the Fall Classic.

Milwaukee has gotten the least amount of respect of any first-place team, considering they have better World Series odds than just nine other teams. The Minnesota Twins, who have a two-game lead over Cleveland atop the AL Central, have World Series odds more than four times that of the defending AL champions.

The San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies are considered to be the biggest longshots to win the title. San Diego hasn’t been to the playoffs in a decade, and Philadelphia last had a winning season in 2011.

Here are the 2017 World Series odds for every team, via Bovada.lv:

Houston Astros +425

Chicago Cubs +575

Washington Nationals +650

Boston Red Sox +750

Los Angeles Dodgers +800

Cleveland Indians +900

New York Yankees +1000

Colorado Rockies +1400

Arizona Diamondbacks +1800

Toronto Blue Jays +2200

St. Louis Cardinals +3300