World Series futures: Which teams provide value besides the favorites?

Little has changed since the start of the season -- the New York Yankees (+180) remain the favorite in the American League and Los Angeles Dodgers (+210) remain the favorite in the National League.

And rightfully so.

The Yankees have the best record in all of baseball and the Dodgers have the best record in the National League. Now don't get me wrong, betting on either the Yankees (+400) or the Dodgers (+425) to win the World Series isn't a bad idea, but there are other teams that offer much more value and have just a good of shot of winning the whole thing as New York or Los Angeles. In fact, I've got three teams in mind. And you should put money on them soon, because their value might drop before you know it. 

1. Atlanta Braves (+1000)

The Atlanta Braves needed a long winning streak to get back in the World Series conversation, and what do you know, they did. All the Braves did was win 14 straight games to start the month of June and closed out the month with the best record at 21-6. Now they trail the Mets by just 3.5 games for first in the NL East, and currently hold down the No. 2 spot in the Wild Card standings. I know it's hard to repeat, but the reigning champs offer tremendous value at 10-1. That's just too good to turn down. 

One thing we know is the Braves can hit. And they did without Acuna for a long stretch. Don't believe me, let the stats speak for themselves. Even with Acuna missing more than a month of the season, Atlanta still leads all of baseball in slugging percentage (.442) and total bases (1172), and lead the National League in home runs (118) and OPS (.762). They aren't just atop the majors in some of the conventional stats, they're getting it done on the Sabermetric side of things too. The Braves lead all of baseball in barrels per batted ball event and barrels per plate appearance, and are first in the National League in hard hit percentage.

I expect the Braves to make some moves before the August 2 trade deadline, but they really don't need a whole lot. They definitely need another starting pitcher, because besides Max Fried, they don't have an elite arm in their staff. Charlie Morton, Ian Anderson and Kyle Wright are solid arms, but to repeat as champions they need at least one more guy in that rotation. 

And the same goes for the bullpen: another arm or two would pay huge dividends. Good news for the Braves though is they are far from being 100% healthy. Second baseman Ozzie Albies and outfielder Eddie Rosario have missed significant time this year, but both are expected to be back at some point this season. Same thing on the pitching side, hard-throwing left-hander Tyler Matzek is expected to be back rather sooner than later, and closer Kenley Jensen was recently added to the 15-day injured list. 

Overall, the Braves are looking OK for the second half. If they can get close to 100% healthy, add at least a bonafide No. 2 starter to their rotation and trade for one more solid reliever, they'll be tough to stop. 

2) Houston Astros (+550)

It's hard to say the reigning American League Champions are a dark-horse for the World Series, but they are, in a way. I know, it surprises me, too. Houston has accomplished a lot over the last six seasons -- one World Series title (2017), three AL pennants (2017, 2019, 2021), and the Astros have won at least 95 games in four of the last five seasons. But still, the sportsbooks are still favoring the Yankees and the Dodgers. At 5.5-1 odds to win the World Series, it's worth betting putting money on Houston to win the World Series. Houston is pretty much a lock to win the AL West -- up 11.5 games on Texas entering Friday -- and outside of of another shutdown reliever, they might be the most complete team in baseball. And what's even more impressive, is they rank just 10th in team payroll. Not bad in a league that has no salary cap.

The Astros are playing good ball too, which means if they keep playing well, the line is going to drop. They've won six of their last seven games and their starting rotation has been lights out as of late. Cristian Javier has recorded double-digit strikeouts in his last two starts and threw seven no-hit innings against the Yankees in a combined no-hitter back on June 25, future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander is 10-3 with an ERA just north of two in 15 starts, Luis Garcia is 3-0 in his last three starts, and Framber Valdez and Jose Uriquidy are solid starters. That's scary good.

Now Yordan Alvarez has yet to clear concussion protocol after colliding with shortstop Jeremy Pena on a fly ball earlier this week, but he's listed as day-to-day, and when he does come back, the Astros might have the best lineup in baseball. Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, etc. Good luck with that lineup.  

I know you might hate the Astros -- and rightfully so -- after the whole 2017 sign-stealing scandal, but don't let your animosity towards them get in the way from you making some money. Putting money on Houston to win the World Series now rather than later is a good play.

3. San Diego Padres (+1500)

Now the Dodgers might get all the press and hype across Major League Baseball, but there's still another really good team out west. In fact, they play in the same state as the Dodgers too. And I'll give you a hint, it's not the San Francisco Giants. It's the San Diego Padres.

The Padres may have been second fiddle to the Dodgers and Giants in the past, but that's not the case anymore. San Diego has been without Fernando Tatis Jr. the entire year and Manny Machado just came off the injured list on Thursday after missing nine games, and yet, the Padres are just 2.5 games behind the Dodgers for first in the NL West and are the top Wild Card seed. Not bad for a team that hasn't been all that healthy this season and is far from it. 

If, and it's a big if, the Padres can get the Tatis we saw finish third in the NL MVP race last year, this team could be scary. Tatis and Machado might get all the attention, but they've got some really good position players outside of them too. Eric Hosmer, Jurickson Profar, Luke Voit, Jake Cronenworth, Will Myers, -- currently on the injured list -- etc., and you've got some guys who can hit and play some defense. 

And more importantly, they've got an outstanding starting staff. Joe Musgrove -- 8-2 with a 2.25 ERA in 15 starts -- will be headed to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career in July, followed by Yu Darvish and Sean Manaea at the top are as lethal a trio as any in baseball. Include the struggling Blake Snell, who I'm confident will get back on track, and Mike Clevinger, who is getting eased back in to the rotation after Tommy John surgery a year and a half ago, and you might have the best starting rotation in baseball. 

San Diego definitely needs to improve its bullpen, but the Padres have  time to do that before the trade deadline. This is clearly the best bang for your buck bet out there right now in terms of legit World Series Contenders at 15-1. If San Diego gets on a roll, and they're more than capable of doing so once fully healthy, the odds are going to drop. And not by just a little, but by a lot. So put money on San Diego to win the World Series ASAP.