MLB playoff picture: Odds to win World Series, NL Central 2021 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Teams are hitting the ground running to make a push for the postseason as MLB’s 2021 regular season enters its home stretch.
The Chicago Cubs are not one of them. After a roster shakeup at the trade deadline, things only went downhill for the North Siders. Ahead of the deadline, the Cubs had a promising outlook for the rest of the season: they were nine games over .500 and tied for first in the NL Central. The Cubs now have a current record of 57-75, and have fallen fourth place in their division -- 22.5 games behind the leading Milwaukee Brewers.
Though the Cubs can count themselves out of this year’s playoff race, it will be interesting to see how the National League standings shake out over the last month of regular season play.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
Let’s take a look at which teams are projected to be successful throughout the remainder of the 2021 MLB season:
Who has the best odds to win the 2021 World Series?
The reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers remain the favorite to defend their title in 2021. They are currently 82-49, but sit 2.5 games back of the San Francisco Giants in the NL West. The Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Giants also are favored to make a run for a championship ring this year.
Here are the current odds for the 2021 World Series champions, presented by PointsBet:
Los Angeles Dodgers +300
Houston Astros +450
Chicago White Sox +650
Milwaukee Brewers +800
New York Yankees +900
San Francisco Giants +900
Tampa Bay Rays +900
Atlanta Braves +1300
Boston Red Sox +2000
Cincinnati Reds +4000
Oakland Athletics +5000
San Diego Padres +5000
Toronto Blue Jays +6600
Philadelphia Phillies +8000
New York Mets +10000
St. Louis Cardinals +10000
Seattle Mariners +15000
Los Angeles Angels +20000
Cleveland Indians +30000
Arizona Diamondbacks +100000
Baltimore Orioles +100000
Chicago Cubs +100000
Colorado Rockies +100000
Detroit Tigers +100000
Kansas City Royals +100000
Miami Marlins +100000
Minnesota Twins +100000
Pittsburgh Pirates +100000
Texas Rangers +100000
Washington Nationals +100000
Which team is favored to win the National League in 2021?
Los Angeles is also still favored to win the National League pennant with +140 odds, despite sitting in second place of the NL West. The division-leading Giants have the third-best odds (+400) to win the National League, sitting only behind the Dodgers and the NL Central-leading Brewers (+375).
Here’s a look at the rest of the favorites to take the National League title in 2021, provided by PointsBet:
Los Angeles Dodgers +140
Milwaukee Brewers +375
San Francisco Giants +400
Atlanta Braves +550
Cincinnati Reds +1500
San Diego Padres +3000
Philadelphia Phillies +4000
New York Mets +5500
St. Louis Cardinals +10000
Arizona Diamondbacks +50000
Chicago Cubs +50000
Colorado Rockies +50000
Miami Marlins +50000
Pittsburgh Pirates +50000
Washington Nationals +50000
Who is the current favorite to be the NL Central winner?
Here are the latest odds for the winner of the NL Central in 2021, presented by PointsBet:
Milwaukee Brewers -4000
Cincinnati Reds +1400
St. Louis Cardinals +15000
Chicago Cubs +100000
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.