The rich got richer over the weekend when the two-time defending champions traded for a back-to-back Cy Young winner. Left-hander Tarik Skubal has joined the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Skubal, who had been with the Detroit Tigers since they selected him in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, was in the final year of his deal with his homegrown team. He should earn one of the most lucrative pitcher deals in MLB history, and the Dodgers appeared the most likely to give him that contract in free agency.
So, the Tigers opted to net something in return before losing him for nothing. The Dodgers sent them outfielder Zyhir Hope, right-hander River Ryan, and right-hander Brady Smith. Skubal is the first reigning Cy Young winner to be traded in-season since Justin Verlander in 2023.
With the addition of Skubal, the Dodgers have increased their chances of a three-peat, something that hasn’t been done since 2000. In the latest World Series odds market, Los Angeles has gone from +170 to +150. That’s a difference of nearly 3% in implied probability.
At BetMGM, the Dodgers continue to be the most-bet team to win the World Series. As of this writing, 12.4% of all tickets and 23.4% of the handle have come in on Los Angeles to win it all.
“The Dodgers were already the favorites and the most bet team to win the World Series before the addition of reigning back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal,” senior trading manager Christian Cipollini said. “Since the trade on Saturday, 54% of money wagered has been on Los Angeles to win a third consecutive World Series. The Dodgers are not currently a liability for the sportsbook, but that could change.”
For context, the Dodgers were never trading shorter than +210 to win the World Series at any point during the 2025 regular season. They weren’t better than that mark until the NLCS, when they dropped to +120 to claim another championship.
In 2024, Los Angeles was +300 or higher to win the World Series throughout the regular season. The Dodgers became +170 favorites in the NLCS.
Basically, the Dodgers’ price now reflects what they’ve been in the second-to-last series of their previous two playoff runs.
The Sports Odds History database has tracked monthly World Series values since the 2008 season. The Dodgers are the first team to be better than +200 to win the World Series in August. The only team to be +200 was the Philadelphia Phillies in 2011, when they lost in the NLDS.
Anything can happen in October, but all signs point to another deep run by the Dodgers.
Dodgers World Series Odds 2026
Per Sports Odds History, here is how the Dodgers’ World Series odds have evolved since this market opened last November:
| Date | Odds |
|---|---|
| Nov. 1 | +350 |
| Dec. 19 | +300 |
| Feb. 10 | +225 |
| March 25 | +220 |
| May 1 | +190 |
| June 1 | +190 |
| July 1 | +185 |
| Aug. 1 | +170 |
| Today | +150 |
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