The MLB Divisional Series are now behind us, wrapped up on Saturday with an explosive 7-3 win by the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of their series against the Detriot Tigers, leaving Major League Baseball with four teams left in pursuit of the 2024 World Series. With the ALCS and NLCS now set, who should you back the rest of the way – or, at least for this round?
2024 ALCS – Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Yankees Odds
There wasn’t really a dominant force in the American League this year, but it is fitting that the teams with the two best records will be the ones duking it out for the pennant.
The Yankees are no surprise to see in the mix here if, frankly, you’ve watched them operate at any point in the history of baseball – even when they’re at their lowest, they’re always a year or two away from spending their way back into the mix. Sure enough, they’re back in the final four for the second time in three years, looking for their first World Series appearance since 2009.
The Guardians, on the other hand, are back in the ALCS for the first time since 2016, where they won and advanced to the World Series before being defeated by the curse-snapping Chicago Cubs.
The two teams faced each other six times, with the Yankees winning four, all while giving up two or fewer runs.
Currently, the major sportsbooks favour the Yankees, with bet365 placing them at -190 to advance. They see the most likely outcome as a Yankees win in six games, carrying +350 odds. A Guardians sweep is the steepest longshot at +1500.
Despite struggling mightily at the plate so far this October, Yankees super-slugger Aaron Judge has the shortest odds to win ALCS MVP at +300. Switch-hitting veteran Jose Ramirez has the shortest odds for Cleveland at +500.
Bet on Yankees vs. Guardians (2024 ALCS)
2024 NLCS – New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Odds
The closest thing we have to an underdog by the standings are the New York Mets, who look to return to the World Series for the first time since losing to Kansas City in 2015. They finished with the third-best record in the NL East, though much of that is from the start of the season, where they were as many as eleven games below 0.500 in early June.
Through the power of internal and external improvement (and their friend Grimace), the team went 64-38 from June 2nd on and have carried their hot bats and gloves into the most meaningful games of the year.
The Dodgers have been the World Series favourite since pretty much the start of the offseason, and only saw that perception ramp up once they signed generational talent Shohei Ohtani and fellow Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They finished with baseball’s best record and after a tough start against the Padres in the NLDS, the team seems to be back in rhythm and ready to take on all challengers.
The season series went decidedly in the Dodgers’ favour this year, with the Mets winning the first two games before losing the next four by a combined 28-5 margin.
The Dodgers, much like the Yankees, are -190 favourites to win their series, with a similar most likely outcome of a six-game victory (+350). A Mets sweep would deliver the biggest correct-score return at +2000.
Ohtani, unsurprisingly, is favoured to win the NLCS MVP at +230, though Francisco Lindor isn’t far behind the Mets at +500.
Bet on Dodgers vs. Mets (NLCS)
World Series Combos
If you’d like to bet on a specific World Series matchup up that you can see happening, you can either pick a place that has options to choose from, or create your own parlay using series winners on your book of choice. Here are the combos we found on bet365, for example:
Unsurprisingly, the super-series that media and neutral fans have been dying to see between the Dodgers and Yankees is favoured as the most likely outcome, landing at +132. A mixture of one underdog and one favourite, like, say, a recreation of the Subway Series between the two New York teams, comes in at +296. Lastly, the double-underdog parlay of the Guardians and Mets currently is priced at +576.
I’d personally lean towards the most likely outcome here – depth at all costs generally tends to help at this time of year, and it feels like the stars are aligning – but stranger things have happened.
Who’s Favoured To Win It All?
Looking all the way ahead to the big prize, every team remaining has noticeably shorter odds than they did in April – even the Dodgers, who had the shortest odds in Spring Training. A lot of that is the result of other potential opponents being removed from the equation, but looking at some of the differences, it’s difficult to deny growth.
Personally, I’m rooting for the winner coming out of the National League side—the star power on the Dodgers is too deep not to appreciate, and the vibes around this high-flying Mets team are hard not to respect as someone without a stake in the NL East. Certainly, the books seem to align with that viewpoint, as the Dodgers have the shortest odds left on the board, and the Mets have the lone odds boost from bet365.
The Guardians and Mets have both come from the furthest back to get here, going from middle-to-late pack options in the spring to legitimate threats today.
| Team | Odds (April) | Odds (Today) |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +400 | +155 |
| New York Yankees | +1000 | +165 |
| New York Mets | +5000 | +500* |
| Cleveland Guardians | +6600 | +450 |
Either way, this should all unfold into some of the best baseball – if not some of the best sports you’ll see all year. We’re excited to see which teams pull away in their quest for glory!
