2018 World Series Odds: Red Sox Are Betting Favorites to Beat Dodgers

The Dodgers are the underdogs again.

According to online sports gambling website Bovada, the Boston Red Sox are the betting favorites to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 World Series.

Bovada has the Red Sox at -165, meaning you would have to wager $165 to win $100.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers are listed at +135, meaning if you wagered $100, you would win $135. 

The odds should come as no surprise to baseball aficionados as the Red Sox were easily the best team in baseball throughout the season, winning an astonishing 108 games.

Not only did they defeat their rivals, the New York Yankees (who also won over 100 games), in the ALDS, they dispatched of the reigning World Series Champion Houston Astros in just five games in the ALCS, sweeping the three games on the road in the process.

Before the postseason began, oddsmakers had the Astros as heavy favorite to win the World Series and a lot of people believed that Houston was the best overall team in the postseaon.

For the Dodgers, the role of dark horse is an unfamiliar one as they were the favorites to return to the World Series before the season began, and in each of their first two postseason series.

If the oddsmakers are correct, it would mean the Dodgers would become the first team to lose back-to-back World Series since the Texas Rangers did it in 2010 and 2011. 

Ironically, the Dodgers were also heavy underdogs the last time they won the title in 1988, when they defeated the 104-win Oakland Athletics in five games, thirty years ago this month.

Here are the rest of the odds courtesy of Bovada:

Odds to win the 2018 World Series:

Los Angeles Dodgers +135 

Boston Red Sox -165  

Odds to win the 2018 World Series MVP: 

Chris Sale 11/2

Mookie Betts 6/1

Clayton Kershaw 7/1 

J.D. Martinez 7/1

Manny Machado 8/1

Craig Kimbrel 12/1

Justin Turner 12/1

Kenley Jansen 14/1

Cody Bellinger 15/1

Yasiel Puig 15/1

Andrew Benintendi 17/1

Ian Kinsler 18/1

Xander Bogaerts 20/1

David Freese 22/1 

Steve Pearce 22/1

Chris Taylor 22/1

Matt Kemp 25/1

Max Muncy 25/1

Jackie Bradley Jr. 30/1

Mitch Moreland 40/1 

Eduardo Nunez 40/1 

Brian Dozier 50/1

Yasmani Grandal 50/1

Sandy Leon 50/1

Series Exact Outcome: 

Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 15/1

Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 13/2 

Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 11/2 

Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 5/1 

Boston Red Sox 4-0 10/1 

Boston Red Sox 4-1 11/2

Boston Red Sox 4-2 13/4

Boston Red Sox 4-3 15/4 

Numbers of Games Played in Series 

4 13/2 

5 13/5

6 9/5 

7 2/1