With the Major League Baseball All-Star Break coming to an end, it’s a good time to take stock of the World Series contenders and teams vying for playoff positioning. Which preseason favorites have fallen off? Which long-shots are all of a sudden contenders? Which teams are sportsbooks rooting against the win it all?
There is certainly one team that they’re rooting against – and it just so happens to be the best team in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies. At 62-34, the Phillies have an 8.5-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and appear to be cruising into the postseason.
Philadelphia opened with around 11-1 odds to win the World Series at sportsbooks before the season and now is the consensus second favorite at +500 behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“The Phillies are our biggest liability, well into the six figures for the World Series,” one oddsmaker told Odds Shark. “Yankees and Mets we’re a loser to, but everyone else, including the Dodgers we’re in very good shape for. Anybody else there who is a contender we’re in good shape with.”
Philadelphia is the biggest liability among all MLB teams and has the most bets and handle on it to win the World Series at several sportsbooks.
“We did take a bet on $150,000 on the Yankees to win the AL pennant,” the same oddsmaker said. “We do have some liability on the Guardians and the Orioles [to win the AL]. Baltimore has been a popular play, they were getting bet before the season to win the division and the pennant. They have the second-most bets to win the AL pennant.”
The Orioles, Yankees and Dodgers are the other three teams with the consensus most World Series wagers at the All-Star Break at sportsbooks.
The Phillies made the National League Championship series last season, but lost in Game 7 to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
