The American League has won two of the past three World Series, with the Kansas City Royals defeating the New York Mets in five games last year.
However, the National League is favored to rebound in 2016, led by a team that has not won the World Series since 1908 in the Chicago Cubs at 4-1 odds at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.
The Cubs just advanced to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2003. They made a couple of key offseason acquisitions that they hope will put them in position to end their title drought.
Chicago inked starting pitcher John Lackey and outfielder Jason Heyward away from the rival St. Louis Cardinals (20-1). The Cubs have not won the National League Central since 2008, with the Cardinals claiming the division title each of the last three years.
The Mets and San Francisco Giants are tied as the 8-1 second choice on the odds to win the World Series, and both teams have the pitching to at least get there again.
New York re-signed outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to a three-year deal and boasts arguably the best three-man starting rotation in the NL with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Matt Harvey. The team’s key loss is postseason hero Daniel Murphy, as the 30-year-old second baseman signed a three-year contract with the Washington Nationals (16-1).
The Giants have won the World Series three times in the previous six seasons, taking home the MLB crown in the last three even-numbered years. They reloaded their rotation in the offseason, adding Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto for a combined $220 million to complement 2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner.
The AL also has a few top contenders to win the 2016 World Series, including the Boston Red Sox (12-1), Toronto Blue Jays (12-1) and Royals (16-1).
The Red Sox are seeking their second championship in four years after beating the Cardinals in 2013, and they signed one of the top free-agent prizes in starting pitcher David Price. Boston underachieved last season and is banking on Price to be the staff ace.
The Blue Jays fell short of getting to the World Series last season in losing to Kansas City in the American League Championship Series, with Price struggling in the postseason before bolting for the Red Sox. They should still be strong, though, along with the Royals, who will be attempting to make their third consecutive World Series appearance in 2016.
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