A couple of generations that got used to seeing the Dodgers and Yankees collide in the World Series back in the 1950s are getting long in the tooth and disappearing from the background. Being among them, I know this to be true.
It has now been a couple of generations since the two teams met, and the current generation of television executives would love to see that streak end this year.
There is a good chance that TV execs – not to mention fans of the Yankees and Dodgers – will get their wish this October. Both teams are at the top of the MLB futures odds to win their respective league pennants, New York is around +175 in the American League while LA is an even chalkier +150 over in the National League, and both rosters are packed with superstars.
However, are the Dodgers and Yankees really the best bets at this time, or is there better value to be found among the other 10 teams in contention to win the Fall Classic?
Cleveland Aims to End 76-Year-Old Drought
It’s still difficult for me to get used to their new nickname, and there are some people who believe changing from the Indians to the Guardians started a new curse for a Cleveland franchise that last lifted the World Series trophy in 1948.
The Guardians have been playing outside of the spotlight all season, relegated to second fiddle to the Yankees specifically and the AL East in general, and that has kept Cleveland attractive at MLB betting sites with a +400 return to win the American League and +1200 to win the Series.
Cleveland stumbled in August with a 12-17 mark, but Steven Vogt’s club has gotten back on track to earn a 1st-round bye in the AL playoffs. It all begins for the Guardians at the end of the game when the top bullpen in baseball takes over.
Emmanuel Clase is going to lead the American League in saves for a third consecutive year, and is putting up some of the greatest relief numbers in MLB history. Along with Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin, Clase gives Vogt a chance to shorten games to 5-6 innings.
Nobody is going to confuse the rotation with the Braves in the 1990s or the lineup with the Big Red Machine back in the 1970s, but both units are good enough to team with the Cleveland bullpen and make the current futures all the more inviting.
Brewers Battle Cry: Win it for Uecker!
Talk about playing in the shadows. Some of the best MLB odds value all season has been up in Cheesehead Country where the Milwaukee Brewers have quietly emerged as the No. 1 team when it comes to making baseball bettors happy.
Milwaukee has dominated the NL Central since jumping out to a 10-3 start during the first two weeks of the season, and built the biggest current lead in any division. Despite that, the Brewers are going off at +750 to win their first NL pennant, and fetching +1800 to win the World Series.
Much like Vogt in Cleveland, Pat Murphy’s best asset in Milwaukee is his relief corps. And while we’re talking about Milwaukee and Cleveland, let us note that an All-Midwest matchup for the World Series is the exact opposite of a Dodgers-Yankees matchup for television.
The return of Devin Williams in late-July only strengthened what was already a solid bullpen. Trevor Megill picked up 20 saves before Williams arrived, and they’re both fronted by Jared Koenig and Joel Payamps.
With nice depth in the rotation, the Brewers own the 2nd-best ERA in the NL, and the offense is balanced in the HR and SB columns.
When they clinched the division title last week, the team waited on broadcaster Bob Uecker to get down to the locker room before starting the party. And how can you not like anything that Mr. Baseball is part of?
Is it Really the Phillies’ Year?
Philadelphia is seen as having the best chance to keep the Dodgers out of the World Series, sitting just behind LA on the NL odds list around +230, and right alongside the Yankees for the World Series at +450. Certainly not the return the Guardians or Brewers are offering, but the Phillies still demand a little bit of our attention right now since they are playing with a chip on their collective shoulder.
Philadelphia wants to make up for a World Series shortfall in 2022 against the Astros, as well as missing out on a 2nd-straight NL title last year after blowing leads against the Diamondbacks in the NLCS.
It just might be the best combination of offense, defense, starting pitching and relief pitching of any team still in contention for the postseason, and playing to make up for recent shortcomings makes the Phillies a good bet to win it all.
