There were several moves made at the trade deadline, but the headliner was back-to-back AL Cy Young winner getting dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This was a deal that made the best team in baseball even better. It’s a legit superteam in Los Angeles, putting them in their own tier at MLB prediction markets.
This raises the question: should you buy into the Dodgers, or is there more value elsewhere?
Even at nearly 41 cents, the Dodgers are the best buy for the 2026 World Series. On paper, they have possibly the best rotation in MLB history. When everyone is healthy, it includes Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow. Those are four aces. The Dodgers are likely going to move through the postseason like a freight train.
Aside from a stacked pitching staff, the Dodgers have solid depth with Roki Sasaki and Justin Wrobleski, so they’re covered in case anyone gets hurt. But one overlooked factor that separates this year’s version from last is their bullpen. Last season, Sasaki was being used as the de facto closer in the playoffs. This year, they have one of the best in baseball in Edwin Diaz, with Tanner Scott working the eighth.
Imagine having to face Skubal for seven innings followed by Scott and then Diaz in a playoff game. It’s going to be extremely difficult for opposing teams to get enough runs vs. the Dodgers. They likely will have to outduel them on the mound.
But even then, the Dodgers lineup features Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Andy Pages. Mookie Betts and Kyle Tucker have been disappointments, but they each have strong track records. Simply put, this is an All-Star team that is unlikely to lose. Since acquiring Skubal, they’ve moved from 35% to nearly 41%, but even this is a fair price.
The Yankees bolstered their lineup by acquiring Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos at the deadline, but their improvements were modest in comparison to the Dodgers. New York has gone from 12% to 10.1% following the trade deadline.
They desperately need Aaron Judge back if they’re going to make any noise in the playoffs. The good news is the pitching staff is strong, led by Cam Schlittler, who is likely going to win the AL Cy Young.
The good news is that the Yankees won’t have to get through the Dodgers to get to the World Series, but it’s hard to feel confident about beating them, given their question marks on offense aside from Judge.
The Brewers made some shrewd moves in Dustin May and Antonio Senzatela, but these are low-profile additions that pale in comparison to what the Dodgers did. That’s why the Brewers have crashed from 12% to 8% to win the World Series.
The good news for Milwaukee is that they have an incredible pitching staff, led by NL Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski. If any team is going to beat the Dodgers, it’s likely from dominant pitching, so we can’t count out the Brewers.
The issue here is that I’m not confident that their bats will do enough, especially against a star-studded rotation like the Dodgers.
Other contenders include the Red Sox (8%), who are big movers after acquiring Adley Rutschman, solidifying a weakness at catcher. Boston is the hottest team in baseball, and that’s also reflected in this new price, as they’ve gone from 4% to 8% following the trade deadline.
Other contenders include the Braves (6.5%), who didn’t do much at the deadline, adding a backend starter in Tyler Mahle, along with the Rays (5.6%), who brought in a former ace in Freddy Peralta.
The best buy from this group is the Red Sox, since they’re on fire and addressed their biggest need.
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