It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Houston and the New York Yankees will enter the 2020 Major League Baseball season as the frontrunners to win the World Series.
Both will return plenty of their position players and pitchers to a roster that was already loaded. The Yankees were dealt several blows by the injury bug in 2019 and still made it to the American League Championship game.
The Astros, meanwhile, fell in Game 7 of the World Series, and will return one of the most potent offenses in Major League Baseball. The pitching may take a step back, but there’s enough talent for the Astros to remain competitive.
Who else can compete for the title? Thanks to this inside peak at 2020 World Series odds, we can determine what other teams stand a chance to compete next season.
Cleveland Indians, +1500
The Indians were in the thick of things toward the end of the season, but they just couldn’t overcome a bad offense.
The offense doomed Cleveland throughout the season, forcing the pitching to mask too many warts. Cleveland was a middle-of-the-pack offense in runs scored and placed in the middle-of-the-pack in batting average.
The talent is there to be better, so I anticipate the offense will improve, meaning the Indians should be more competitive.
Chicago Cubs, +2500
In a world that increasingly is dependent on the long ball, the Cubs should be competitive.
Chicago finished the last season with the sixth-most homers in Major League Baseball. The offense will once again be above-average, which should make the Cubs competitive. The Cubs’s real struggle, though, will be finding a quality bullpen.
Keep an eye on the Cubs tackling that issue in the offseason and making this a more complete roster. Chicago is one of the better offenses, so that should provide the Cubs with solid value going into 2020.
Chicago White Sox, +8000
If you’re looking for a real long-shot, keep an eye on the White Sox. Maybe this isn’t the year for the World Series, but the White Sox should be much more competitive. Lucas Giolito is one of the dominant young pitchers in Major League Baseball. Tim Anderson won the batting title in 2019. And Yoan Moncada finally showed an ability to be a top-tier Major League talent.
There’s a problem, though, with Chicago and that’s with the pitching. The White Sox don’t have the depth in starting pitching or the bullpen to make a strong case for the World Series.
However, Chicago has the ability to add some key pieces in the offseason, so at this price, it’s a solid investment, especially if you believe in the White Sox front office.
