How Dodgers Signing Shohei Ohtani Dramatically Shifted World Series Odds

The Los Angeles Dodgers already had enough star power and talent to be viewed as a clear contender to win a World Series title in 2024.

But now that Shohei Ohtani has joined the Dodgers on a reported 10-year, $700 million contract, which left plenty of pro athletes in awe, the World Series is Los Angeles’ to lose for the upcoming season.

The Dodgers became the odds-on favorite to win the World Series after Ohtani announced the news on social media that he was headed to the Dodgers.

Just 24 hours prior, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Toronto Blue Jays and the Atlanta Braves as the co-favorites to claim the World Series title. There was plenty of speculation that Ohtani was on his way to Toronto to sign with the Blue Jays on Friday, but none of it ended up being true.

Toronto saw their odds of winning the World Series double with Ohtani staying in California. That’s just the type of difference having the two-time American League MVP on your side makes.

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Here are the top 10 teams with the best odds to win the World Series on the DraftKings Sportsbook betting sheet:

Los Angeles Dodgers +550
Atlanta Braves +700
New York Yankees +900
Houston Astros +1000
Texas Rangers +1000
Philadelphia Phillies +1100
Toronto Blue Jays +1400
Baltimore Orioles +1600
Seattle Mariners +2000
Tampa Bay Rays +2200

The Dodgers haven’t had much success in the postseason since winning it all in 2020. Los Angeles has lost each of the past two seasons in the National League Division Series, including getting swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks this year, and fell in the NLCS in 2021.

Ohtani certainly figures to help the Dodgers make another postseason reason, but despite his two-way skill set, Ohtani is unproven in the Major League Baseball postseason. Ohtani has yet to play in the playoffs as he never reached that point in his six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.

But now, Ohtani is expected to lead the Dodgers to the World Series, only this time he will have plenty of help around him.