Odds to win the World Series: Blue Jays shorten odds, Braves remain heavy favourite

Four postseason berths have been clinched as of September 25, but that means there are still eight spots up for grabs in the hunt for the World Series.

The latest: The Atlanta Braves have been the favourite for a long time, while the Houston Astros remain the top choice out of the American League. The Toronto Blue Jays have some value compared to other teams in a similar playoff position.

Here are the latest World Series odds as we enter the last week of the MLB season.

World Series odds

MLB oddsas of 4:15 p.m. ET on 09/25/2023.

Best World Series odds

The Braves reached a new peak as +235 favourites last time we checked in, and they're holding firm at that price now.

With presumed NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr., MLB home run leader Matt Olson and MLB strikeouts leader Spencer Strider, Atlanta has an impressive gluttony of top-tier talent.

But the lineup is not short on depth, either, evidenced by the fact that the Braves lead the majors in OPS (.844). Their team slugging percentage (.501) is better than all but 19 qualified hitters — and five of those hitters are Braves.

There's an absurd collection of talent on this team, which tends to make up for a pitching staff that isn't exactly elite behind Strider. The Braves rank 16th in starter ERA (4.27) and 11th in bullpen ERA (3.81)

Atlanta (100-56) was the first team to clinch a playoff berth, and it appears well on its way to securing the top seed in the National League.

A collision course between the Braves and Dodgers could be Atlanta's greatest risk to getting back to the Fall Classic. Atlanta went 4-3 against L.A. this year but had a -4 run differential in those games.

Other World Series choices

The AL Central is a largely forgettable division, but the Twins are not a team to overlook.

Minnesota is one of the hottest teams in baseball right now. No other club ranks inside the top five in both wRC+ (121) and ERA (3.51) in the month of September.

On the downside, the Twins will almost certainly have to play in the opening round of the playoffs. But they'll get to host those games as the AL Central winner. And since they aren't part of a late-season playoff chase, they can line up their pitching staff however they want for that series.

And boy, what a pitching staff it is.

Minnesota has the second-best starter ERA in baseball (3.82), just a tick behind Toronto. The trio of Pablo Lopez, Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan could make any playoff series interesting.

Blue Jays World Series odds

Riding a 7-2 stretch into the season's final week, Toronto is positioned well to reach the postseason. If the season ended today, the Blue Jays would be the No. 2 wild card.

The Rangers, Mariners and Astros play most of their remaining games against one another, which should work to the benefit of the Jays.

If Toronto can hold onto the No. 2 wild-card spot, the club would likely face Tampa Bay in the first round of the playoffs. The Jays are 5-5 against the Rays this year with a +16 run differential, but a lot of that damage came against position player pitchers in a 20-1 rout.

Since Toronto has improved its playoff outlook since our last check-in, the team's title odds have tightened from +2,200 to +1,500.