The 2025 MLB regular season begins for 26 teams on Thursday, with the Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays opening their campaigns on Friday.
After competing in the Tokyo Series last week, the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers already have two games under their belts and to nobody’s surprise, the reigning World Series champions are 2-0.
Now, sportsbooks are pinning the Dodgers not only as the top contender to repeat as victors in the Fall Classic but giving them historic odds to do so.
According to a report by ESPN’s David Purdum, Los Angeles is +275 to win the championship at ESPN BET as of Thursday morning. That makes manager Dave Roberts’ club the biggest Opening Day favorite since the 2002 New York Yankees (who opened at +200), per ESPN Research.
Purdum noted that ESPN BET gave the Dodgers a preseason win total of 103.5, which is 10 higher than any other team this spring and the most since the 1999 Yankees (104.5). The Atlanta Braves opened at 93.5 wins this year for the second most in MLB.
Los Angeles will look to continue its perfect start when it hosts the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night.
Even With Early Injuries, Dodgers’ Roster is Stacked
From stud outfielder-turned-shortstop Mookie Betts’ mysterious illness to World Series MVP Freddie Freeman’s rib injury, the Dodgers’ lineup has already been battle-tested this season. Both Betts and Freeman missed the Tokyo Series but are expected to play on Thursday.
The pitching staff hasn’t escaped the injury bug either, as Los Angeles currently has three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw and flamethrowing reliever Michael Kopech on the injured list, while two-way three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani will be limited to designated hitting duties until he’s able to return to the mound.
Even with the adversity, the Dodgers have far and away the best roster in baseball.
They added one-time All-Star outfielder Michael Conforto to a lineup that already includes the trio of MVP winners in Betts, Freeman and Ohtani, as well as three two-time All-Stars in catcher Will Smith, third baseman Max Muncy and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.
Their starting rotation returns 2024 All-Star Tyler Glasnow and Japanese sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto and brought in fellow Japanese superstar Roki Sasaki, as well as two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. Los Angeles’ bullpen was already strong and should be even better in 2025 after signing two-time All-Star Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott (a first-time All-Star in 2024) in January.
2002 Yankees Fell Short of World Series Title
While the Dodgers are rightfully heavy favorites to repeat as World Series champions, there are a few reasons why their historic odds could be bad news.
First, with the entire baseball world assuming the group will win the NL West and NL pennant again and likely capture another crown, the target on the team’s back has never been larger.
Second, history isn’t on Los Angeles’ side.
There’s been no World Series repeat winner since the Yankees three-peated from 1998-2000. New York then lost a seven-game classic to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series before entering with massive expectations in 2002.
Despite having five All-Stars in their starting lineup that season (Alfonso Soriano, Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi, Jorge Posada, Robin Ventura), three aces atop their starting rotation in David Wells, Mike Mussina and Roger Clemens and the best closer of all-time Mariano Rivera, the Yankees fell short of their ultimate goal. Under Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre, the Bronx Bombers went 103-58 to win the AL East but were stunned by the eventual-champion Anaheim Angels in the ALDS, 3-1.
The Dodgers will also face plenty of stiff competition in their pursuit of another championship, with four particularly potent NL squads looking to stop them.
The strongest NL West foe that Los Angeles will face is likely the Diamondbacks, who are just two years removed from a pennant and still have 2023 All-Star and NL Rookie of the Year outfielder Corbin Carroll and two-time All-Star Ketel Marte to lead the offense. Arizona also added All-Star first baseman Josh Naylor to make up for the loss of Christian Walker and brought in former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes to join ace Zac Gallen atop the rotation.
The Dodgers also face three threats in the NL East in the Braves, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.
From the healthy returns of Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider in Atlanta to the star-studded lineup including Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso in Queens and the Bryce Harper-led Phillies, the NL East is loaded.
The Dodgers may be the heavy favorites but are by no means a guarantee to repeat as World Series champions.
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