The Astros were on the wrong side of baseball history Wednesday night, but that hasn’t soured sportsbooks on the odds of Houston continuing its run of success that began with a World Series title in 2017.
As the Washington Nationals were celebrating the franchise’s first World Series title inside of Houston’s Minute Maid Park, the Astros had already been installed as the favorite by most books to recover triumphantly in 2020.
PointsBet was offering the Astros at +400, slightly ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers at +450 and New York Yankees at +600 to win the World Series in 2020. FanDuel also had the Astros as the favorites at +500, with the Dodgers and Yankees at +600.
Meanwhile, DraftKings was offering all three teams as +550 co-favorites.
PointsBet was the only book offering another team at lower than 10/1 odds, with the Boston Red Sox at +900.
The Nationals? With third baseman Anthony Rendon entering free agency and World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg facing a decision on his opt-out clause in the 72 hours after the World Series, Washington was being offered at +1000 by PointsBet, +1400 by FanDuel and +1200 by DraftKings.
While the Nationals’ odds are being held down by the unknown futures of Rendon, Strasburg and others, the Astros have been installed as favorites despite the expected departure of ace Gerrit Cole. The 29-year-old right-hander is entering free agency, and the 2020 World Series odds likely will shift once he chooses his next destination.
But with a roster that includes a core of stars in their primes, a strong pitching staff and emerging youngsters including Yordan Alvarez, the Astros are built for years of continued prominence despite Wednesday’s heartache.
2020 World Series winner odds (PointsBet)
Houston Astros: +400
Los Angeles Dodgers: +450
New York Yankees: +600
Boston Red Sox: +900
Washington Nationals: +1000
Atlanta Braves: +1200
Cleveland Indians: +1600
Minnesota Twins: +2000
Chicago Cubs: +2000
Tampa Bay Rays: +2000
St. Louis Cardinals: +2000
New York Mets: +2500
Philadelphia Phillies: +2500
Milwaukee Brewers: +2500
Oakland Athletics: +2500
San Diego Padres: +4000
Cincinnati Reds: +5000
Chicago White Sox: +5000
Colorado Rockies: +6600
Arizona Diamondbacks: +6600
Los Angeles Angels: +6600
Texas Rangers: +8000
Pittsburgh Pirates: +10000
San Francisco Giants: +10000
Seattle Mariners: +10000
Toronto Blue Jays: +10000
Kansas City Royals: +20000
Detroit Tigers: +20000
Baltimore Orioles: +20000
Miami Marlins: +20000
