At what point is a team's success considered "real"?
The St. Louis Cardinals are on fire but sportsbooks haven't budged their MLB odds for the Redbirds in the World Series race.
Are the Cardinals being slept on or is this recent run a bit of smoke and mirrors? Let's dive in with the latest World Series odds.
2025 World Series winner odds
World Series odds analysis
The St. Louis Cardinals have won eight straight games and have pulled to within one game of the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central standings And yet, the 22-19 Cardinals are +15000 to win the Fall Classic while the Cubs are +1600 and just outside the Top 5.
Now, I don't think many people would take issue with the Cubs being ahead of the Cardinals, especially if you're not buying into the St. Louis surge, but both the Milwaukee Brewers (+6600) and Cincinnati Reds (+10000) are drawing shorter World Series odds.
The Cards have been balanced, getting strong pitching out of their starters and clutch offensive performances from the likes of veteran Nolan Arenado.
NADOOOOO pic.twitter.com/tBOEzCku1F
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 11, 2025
That winning streak may be a little dubious as six of those wins came against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals, but the run started with back-to-back wins over the NL East-leading New York Mets. The real test will be this week's series against the Philadelphia Phillies. If the Cardinals can win a couple more games, we can expect at least a bit of a shorter line next week.
2025 World Series odds over time
Here's a look at how World Series odds stacked up across MLB throughout the offseason. We'll be updating this chart throughout the 2025 season.
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World Series betting splits
Highest ticket percentage:
• Dodgers 16.2%
• Phillies 9.4%
• Yankees 7.7%
Highest handle percentage:
• Dodgers 33.2%
• Mets 8.8%
• Yankees 7.7%
Data courtesy of BetMGM.
"Bettors love the Dodgers' chances of repeating," says Hal Egeland, Trading Strategy Manager, BetMGM. "The Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox are also popular picks to win it all."
Past World Series winners
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2024 World Series by toppling the New York Yankees in five games.
Here are the last 10 World Series winners, along with their opening odds.
| Season | Winner | Opening odds | Runner up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |  Los Angeles Dodgers |
+320 |  New York Yankees |
| 2023 |  Texas Rangers |
+5,000 |  Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 2022 |  Houston Astros |
+800 |  Philadelphia Phillies |
| 2021 |  Atlanta Braves |
+1,000 | Houston Astros |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
+600 |  Tampa Bay Rays |
| 2019 |  Washington Nationals |
+1,800 | Houston Astros |
| 2018 |  Boston Red Sox |
+1,200 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 2017 | Houston Astros |
+1,600 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 2016 |  Chicago Cubs |
+1,050 |  Cleveland Guardians |
| 2015 |  Kansas City Royals |
+1,500 |  New York Mets |
Teams with most World Series titles
| Team | World Series titles | Most recent championship |
|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees |
27 | 2009 |
 St. Louis Cardinals |
11 | 2011 |
 Oakland A's |
9 | 1989 |
| Boston Red Sox |
9 | 2018 |
 San Francisco Giants |
8 | 2014 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers |
8 | 2024 |
 Cincinnati Reds |
5 | 1990 |
 Pittsburgh Pirates |
5 | 1979 |
 Detroit Tigers |
4 | 1984 |
| Atlanta Braves |
4 | 2021 |
| Chicago Cubs |
3 | 2016 |
 Baltimore Orioles |
3 | 1983 |
 Minnesota Twins |
3 | 1991 |
 Chicago White Sox |
3 | 2005 |
The New York Yankees are the most decorated team in MLB history, and it isn't close. In addition to winning a whopping 27 titles, they've played in 41 World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers are second all-time with 22 World Series appearances while the St. Louis Cardinals have won the second-most championships at 11.
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World Series Odds FAQs
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the current betting favorites over the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.
The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in five games to win the 2024 World Series.
The World Series has been a best-of-seven series with a 2-3-2 format since 1922.
Since 2017, home-field advantage has been awarded to the team with the better winning percentage in the regular season.
The cash-strapped Florida Marlins entered the 2003 season with +7,500 odds to win it all after finishing four games below .500 the year before. Oddsmakers seemed to be right as the club got off to a sluggish 16-22 start, but a managerial change and some inspired play led to a second half surge and the Fish downed the heavily-favored Yankees in six games in the Fall Classic.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have the best odds to win the 2025 World Series after winning in 2024.
