Odds to Win 2010 World Series Updated Weekly-February 13th Update

Now is the time to bet that favorite team for the World Series. The odds may never be better but the casinos aren't exactly giving true odds on the teams at the bottom of the heap. The San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals should be over 500-1 and the Pittsburgh Pirates at 300-1 should be 1000-1.

Once upon a time a sports bettor could hit a long shot at 500-1.
What's the reason the odds are so short now? When the Minnesota Twins won the World Series in 1991, they went off at over 250-1 and in some sportsbooks a few lucky players landed them over 500-1. That will never happen again though. The Las Vegas sporstbooks won't release any lines over 500-1 anymore-the Pittsburgh line at 300-1 is a stretch for them. Pittsburgh is so weak they are begging players to toss some money on them.

The best bets for the 2010 World Series will fall in the 25-1 to 30-1 category. The true value isn't correct, these teams should be 40-1 to 50-1 but worth a few bucks to have a rooting interest all year. Stay away from giving the sportsbooks money on small odds bets. Maybe the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox or Philadelphia Phillies have the best shot to make the World Series but the goal is to make a bet that can be hedged later if the team makes the playoffs.

For instance, a team like the Texas Rangers is a great bet at $50 to win $1500. The reason they are a good bet is when they make the playoffs, small bets can be made against them as a hedge against the main bet. Some bettors make a full hedge bet, while others take the conservative approach.

15-1 odds or lower may make the post season but not a good bet.
We won't waste time breaking down the teams with short odds. No one should be betting them anyway. The odds are just too short to get any value. The break downs start at the teams 15-1 or higher.

New York Yankees 3-1.
Yes, the New York Yankees are most likely on their way to another post season again but not the World Series. It isn't worth the amount of money that will have to be bet to make it worth while. Don't place a bet on the Yankees unless you're a fan of the team. Not worth it, don't bet.

Philadelphia Phillies 6-1.
Philadelphia made a great run at two World Series in a row, but they let Cliff Lee go and with Roy Halladay they will need to find a good pitching prospect in Spring Training to compliment him. Most of the team is still intact and a playoff run is possible but they won't make the World Series in 2010. No bet.

Boston Red Sox 7-1.
Boston is still not done spending this off season and they may make a big move during or before Spring Training starts. It is possible that Boston will make the World Series but not worth the short odds. The addition of John Lackey makes Boston that much better in the playoffs but they have to make the playoffs. No bet.

St Louis Cardinals 12-1.
St Louis may be a team to look at with odds of 12-1. They have the pitching and the hitting to pull off the job. The 12-1 price is not a good line because there are a lot of St Louis Cardinals fans. They are more appropriate at 20-1 but still not a bad bet. Make a small play for fun on St Louis.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 15-1.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim went out and picked up a second reliever in the off season to "set up" current reliever Brian Fuentes. Fuentes was always an adventure to watch in his role as closer in the 2009 season. The aquisition of Fernando Rodney and his 37 saves either will add pressure to Fuentes or make him better knowing someone else can shoulder the load. The Angels also just signed Joel Pinero to address the loss of John Lackey.

Offensively, the Angels will look different as Chone Figgins and Vladimir Guerrero are now gone and Hideki Matsui will come in to be the clean-up hitter. Figgins will be replaced by speedster Erick Aybar in the leadoff spot along with Maicer Izturus. The Angels again had to deal with tragedy in the off-season as Rory Markus, Angels announcer, was found dead in his hotel room. Markus was famous for ending every game with the call, "Just another Halo victory!" Not this year for the Angels. No bet.

Los Angeles Dodgers 15-1.
The Dodgers are in limbo with their owner in divorce court and it's an ugly, bitter divorce. Until the Dodgers get sold they will be in turmoil. The Dodgers have some great pitching with a young Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsly. Offensively Matt Kemp has come into his own as a power hitter along with Andre Either, both had over 100 RBI's in 2009. With the upheaval in the front office and the lack of money to be spent, can't suggest a bet on the Dodgers, no bet.

Tampa Bay Rays 15-1.
The odds just aren't worth risking any money on Tampa Bay. They are a fun team to watch but no one in Tampa Bay watches them. Offensively the Rays are led by power hitter Carlos Pena, with Pena clobbering 39 homers and 100 RBI's followed by Evan Longoria with 33 home runs and 113 RBI's. Another important offensive player to the Rays is Carl Crawford with 60 stolen bases. Pitching is not the Rays strong suit and it may hurt them down the stretch. No Bet.

Chicago Cubs 20-1.
The poor Cubs fans out there should bet 50 bucks on every other team to feel better about the 2010 MLB season. Derek Lee was the offensive leader in 2009 and he will be needed in 2010. The Cubs don't have much offensive output, unless you consider pitcher Carlos Zambrano and offensive threat with his four homers and 11 RBi's.

Pitching was not stellar for the Cubs either in 2009 and with Spring Training coming up it will be interesting if they address the issue before they break Spring Training in late March. Zambrano's numbers with the bat over shadowed his pitching stats. No Bet.

Chicago White Sox 20-1.
Not many experts are picking the White Sox to make the playoffs but if Jake Peavey stays healthy, they have a great one-two combination with pitchers Peavey and Mark Buehrle. Reliever Bobby Jenks gave up nine home runs and had 29 saves in 35 opportunities, not exactly closer elite numbers.

Hitting wise, look no further than Ozzie Guillen's comment "We are not a home run team anymore," Guillen said, speaking during a SoxFest interview in late January. The White Sox lose Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome, almost 60 homers between them. The White Sox acquired Juan Pierre and the team will adopt more of a hit and run attitude with the lack of fire power. If the White Sox make the playoffs they can do some damage, but they have to get there first. No bet.

New York Mets 20-1.
On paper the New York Mets should have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. Then again this is the New York Mets. What can go wrong will go wrong. The acquisition of superstar pitcher Johan Santana hasn't paid off yet, maybe this is the year. Santana is a raw talent that the Mets need to capitalize on before he is used up.

The Mets offensively don't have much of a chance. Between the Carlos Beltran injury, controversy and other issues, the Mets willl have limited offense and not enough to get over the top. They need to make a couple of deals to put them over the top offensively. No bet.

Atlanta Braves 25-1.
At 25-1, Atlanta isn't worth a bet but we will see if they make any moves during sprin training that will put them over the top. Check back as the opinion may change on Atlanta.

Seattle Mariners 25-1.
Pitching wins in the playoffs and when a team has the best one-two punch in baseball like Seattle now has, they are a threat if they make it to the playoffs. Seattle will have to play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in their own division and that will make it tough. Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez are the key, if either gets injured they are done. Another key addition isChone Figgins from the Angels. Look for Seattle to fight for the wild card and if the Angels falter, maybe even the AL West title. Bet $20 on Seattle to win $500.

Colorado Rockies 30-1.
Colorado is a team that is tough to figure out. The team is in a power hitting ballpark and their power hitter is a shortstop. Troy Tulowitzki is a great player but Colorado needs a big hammer in that park. Suprisingly Colorado's pitching is not that bad. Three pitchers had 15 or more wins and two pitchers had lower than 4.00 ERA's. Sorry no bet.

Minnesota Twins 30-1.
Offensively some may say Jim Thome was a key acquistion but the Twins are loaded with the bat including star catcher Joe Mauer. The true test will be if Minnesota has enough pitching. Moving Joe Nathan to the pen was huge, 47 saves and a 2.10 ERA later it proved to be the right move. Starting pitching has been a question mark, ever since the departure of pitching ace Johan Santana. Bet $30 to win $900.

Detroit Tigers 30-1.
Detroit lost their best offensive production with the departure of Curtis Granderson to the New York Yankees and now the Tigers are in hot pursuit of New York Yankee outfielder, Johnny Damon. With their pitching Detroit has Jason Verlander has been locked up for five years and they can contend this year. At 30-1 they are worth a bet. A small bet maybe $20-$40.

Texas Rangers 30-1.
With Texas finalizing their deal to sell the team to the Greenberg Express partnership that includes legendary Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, things could be on the upswing. Texas is a good pick for the best value bet in baseball for 2010. Bet $50 to win $1500.

San Francisco Giants 30-1.
San Francsico possesses the most sought after pitcher in major league baseball, Tim Lincecum to go along with a decent starting pitching staff. At the plate San Francisco has a few strong hitters including first baseman, Pablo Sandoval. Still not worth a bet at 30-1, no bet.

Arizona Diamondbacks 30-1.
Led by master blaster Mark Reynolds with 44 homers and 102 RBI's, the Arizona offense was stronger than expected in 2009. The question will be can they put it all together for 2010.Dan Haran led the the Arizona pitching staff with 14 wins and a 3.14 ERA but he will need more help in 2010. Arizona has some talent coming up through the system and they may add one or two rookies to the staff in 2010. Small bet, $10.

Florida Marlins 30-1.
Florida always looks to surprise everyone in the National League and if they compete in 2010 it will be a surprise. This year will be no bet as of now.

Oakland Athletics 50-1.
Oakland has been pushed aside the last few years, with the Angels dominating the AL West and now Seattle and Texas are building up for 2010. Oakland and their famous GM Billy Bean wil have a tough road to hoe entering 2010. No bet.

Milwaukee Brewers 50-1.
Milwaukee always looks like a team with no chance pre-season, then makes a run through the Summer and then falls on their face come September. Let's see what happens to start the season. No bet right now but check back in April.

Baltimore Orioles 50-1. As long as Baltimore has Peter Angelos and they are in the same division as Boston and New York they won't have a chance. No bet.

Cincinnati Reds 50-1.
Cincinnati has little chance in their division. Cincinnati still won't have a chance at the wild card either. No bet.

Toronto Blue Jays 60-1.
Toronto had their fire sale and now it is time for the dreaded rebuilding period. No bet.

Cleveland Indians 60-1.
Bring in the Wild Thing and sacrifice a chicken, just like the comedy about the Indians, Major League, Cleveland is becoming embarrasing again. Once a proud team that regularly made playoff runs, Cleveland has fallen on hard times. No bet.

San Diego Padres 100-1.
Major League teams that don't spend money are becoming more common place and San Diego is leading the way. Located in one of the most beautiful areas in the world with the best climate in the world San Diego should be able to coax free agents to their city with little money or effort. Not working yet and they are a no bet.

Kansas City Royals 100-1.
Kansas City is St Louis poor step child in Missouri. While St Louis spends money on every free agent they can get to move to Missouri, Kansas City can't get players to save their life. No bet.

Houston Astros 100-1.
Wasn't Houston in the World Series recently? Did I imagine that? Well they managed to screw that up and now they are in the process of digging out. Won't happen for a while, no bet.

Washington Nationals 100-1.
Washington DC is still trying to figure out why they brought baseball back to the Nation's capital. No bet.

Pittsburgh Pirates 300-1.
Well Las Vegas knows they should put this one up at 3000-1 but they don't want to get burned just in case. Just looking for a souvenir? Put $5 on the Pirates to have a laugh in late September when they are 30 games out and getting their skis waxed. No bet.

sources:
www.mlb.com