Where’s Ohtani going? Shohei to the Dodgers breaks records and World Series odds with Los Angeles favored

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A decision that was teased in the media enough to shift the Blue Jays odds even though there was no official news has finally been made, with masterful two-way player Shohei Ohtani headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers on a 10 year, $700 million record-breaking contract.

This sent the latest 2024 World Series odds in a frenzy, as the market shifted from the Blue Jays becoming new contenders, to their inevitable drop as the Dodgers overtook the Braves to become favorites.

With the dust still waiting to settle on a whirlwind few days for Shohei Ohtani, his fans, and betting fans alike, let’s talk about its affect on World Series, National League Pennant, and National League West odds below.

Signing a legend with a Hall-of-Fame trajectory like pitcher/DH Shohei Ohtani would boost any team into a contender (except for the Angels, of course), but the Dodgers were already considered a top-2 favorite to win the World Series, right below the Braves. You can find them at best a +650 favorite at BetRivers, although most sportsbooks come in near this number.

Now with this move, you can see above that all the top sportsbooks have Los Angeles as the clear favorite heading into 2024. It’s hard to see any other move in baseball this year that could propel another team above them in the offseason.

Of course, there are 162 games in the regular season, and with Ohtani having elbow surgery last season, he will only be limited to hitting. Of course, “limiting” Shohei to hitting means he only gets to be Hank Aaron this year, as he’s averaged 41 homers and 97 RBIs in the past three years, scoring a scintillating .964 OPS.

Oh yeah, and he also went 34-16 over those same three seasons on bad Angels teams, with a 2.84 ERA and struck out 11.4 hitters per 9 innings while being worth 1.5 times an average pitcher. And still hitting 41 homers per year. Congratulations, Dodgers fans!

The Blue Jays odds to win the World Series came crashing down as quickly as it ascended, widely (and wildly inaccurately) reported yesterday enough to make futures bettors believe in Toronto. This propelled them into the top 5 favorites above the Yankees, who almost got buried in the AL East even after trading for superstar Juan Soto.

The latest Yankees odds have them back to pre-Ohtani-to-the-Blue-Jays levels with them entrenched in the top 5 at around a +1100 to winthe championship. However, with the Dodgers’ latest move to boost their lineup and their pitching staff for the next 10 years, you can on paper slot them in as perennial contenders for the crown.

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