The Royals are probably just now ordering their hangover omelets after vanquishing the Mets in the 2015 World Series, but oddsmakers are already looking ahead to next year. Regarding those gambling eyes fixed on the horizon, here, courtesy of Bovada.lv, are your first-look odds on winning the 2016 World Series ...
Odds to win the 2016 World Series
Chicago Cubs: 11/1
Kansas City Royals: 12/1
Los Angeles Dodgers: 12/1
New York Mets: 12/1
St. Louis Cardinals: 12/1
Toronto Blue Jays: 12/1
Washington Nationals: 12/1
Houston Astros: 14/1
Pittsburgh Pirates: 14/1
Texas Rangers: 14/1
New York Yankees: 18/1
Boston Red Sox: 20/1
Cleveland Indians: 20/1
Detroit Tigers: 20/1
Los Angeles Angels: 20/1
San Francisco Giants: 20/1
Seattle Mariners: 25/1
Tampa Bay Rays: 33/1
Baltimore Orioles: 40/1
Minnesota Twins: 40/1
Arizona Diamondbacks: 50/1
Chicago White Sox: 50/1
Cincinnati Reds: 50/1
Miami Marlins: 50/1
Milwaukee Brewers: 50/1
Oakland Athletics: 50/1
San Diego Padres: 50/1
Atlanta Braves: 100/1
Colorado Rockies: 100/1
Philadelphia Phillies: 200/1
The Cubs! That's not particularly surprising, given that the Cubs won 97 games in 2015 despite playing in the brutal NL Central, made it to the NLCS, and have an impressive base of young hitting talent in tandem with the resources needed to be competitive in the free agent market.
The defending champion Royals come in just behind the Cubs, even though they face the potential losses of Alex Gordon, Ben Zobrist, Johnny Cueto, Ryan Madson, and Chris Young to free agency. The Mets with their young rotation are evaluated similarly.
The Phillies? Consider them poised to shock the world.
