2026 MLB Season Picks & Best Bets 

Just as the NHL is receiving a bit of a boost from the Winter Olympics, Major League Baseball hopes to ride the high from an epic World Baseball Classic earlier in March. The sport has big momentum heading into Opening Day of the 2026 season, which is set for Thursday, after the New York Yankees and San Francisco play a standalone game on Wednesday.

With MLB action on the immediate horizon, it’s time to break down the 2026 World Series odds and discuss some of the best futures bets to make. 

2026 World Series odds 

As is the case pretty much every year these days, the Los Angeles Dodgers are opening as World Series favorites. They are +230 to triumph for the third year in a row, and they are almost favored over the entire field (+120) to win the National League. Among L.A.’s top challengers are the New York Yankees (+1000) and Seattle Mariners (+1200). In the NL, the New York Mets (+1300) and Philadelphia Phillies (+1600) will be hoping to end the Dodgers’ reign.

In the individual markets, Aaron Judge (+215) and Shohei Ohtani (-150) are the respective MVP favorites in the AL and NL. Tarik Skubal (+350) and Paul Skenes (+210) are the AL and NL favorites, respectively, for the Cy Young Award. 

MLB 2026 Predictions 

• Pick #1 - Chicago Cubs to win the World Series (+1900) 
• Pick #2 - Detroit Tigers to win the World Series (+2200) 
• Pick #3 - Max Fried to win the American League Cy Young Award (+1500) 



PICK #1: Chicago Cubs to Win the World Series (+1900) 

The Cubs have engineered three consecutive winning seasons and qualified for the playoffs in 2025, beating the Padres in the wild-card round before losing to their NL Central rival, the Brewers. Chicago’s 793 runs scored last year were the third most in the National League and fifth in all of Major League Baseball. More of the same should continue this season after Kyle Tucker (now with the Dodgers) was replaced in the lineup for all intents and purposes by free-agent acquisition Alex Bregman.

The Cubs’ batting order is formidable with Bregman, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson, and Ian Happ. They were also No. 3 league-wide in stolen bases and should be a force on the basepaths once again this year. If the pitching rotation can get healthy and then remain healthy, watch out for the Cubbies. 

PICK #2: Detroit Tigers to Win the World Series (+2200) 

Skubal’s status is in a bit of limbo, but the offseason has come and gone with the two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner still on the roster. As long as the Tigers play well in the first half of 2026, they should be convinced to hang onto their ace at the trade deadline. If Detroit can go into the playoffs with a one-two punch of Skubal and Framber Valdez at the top of the rotation, it can beat anyone in a best-of-five or even best-of-seven series.

The Tigers recently landed Valdez (three years, $115 million) as one of the top free-agent pitchers on the market. Veterans Justin Verlander and Kenley Jansen were also brought on board. The lineup should be just as deep and versatile as it was in 2025, plus highly touted rookie Kevin McGonigle is expected to make an immediate impact. At relatively long odds, Detroit has sneaky good value to win it all. 

PICK #3: Max Fried to Win the American League Cy Young Award (+1500) 

As expected, Fried was outstanding in his first year as a Yankee. He compiled a 19-5 record with a 2.86 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a career-high 189 strikeouts in 195.1 innings of work. The short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium is not really a factor for the left-hander, so it’s no surprise that he was dominant at home (8-2, 2.37 ERA, four home runs allowed in 91.0 innings). At 32 years old, Fried should be in his prime for at least a couple more seasons.