2026 MLB Odds: Dodgers Become Major Liability Amid Skubal Trade Talks

With the MLB trade deadline set for 6 p.m. ET on Monday, and as the calendar simultaneously flips to August, World Series odds are attracting more attention. That includes one Caesars Sports customer who thinks the Dodgers just might land Tigers ace Tarik Skubal between now and Monday night. “We just took a $10,000 bet [Friday] morning on the Dodgers +175 to win the World Series,” Caesars head of baseball trading Eric Biggio said Friday afternoon. Biggio and Caesars senior baseball trader Matt Torchia help break down 2026 World Series odds and action, as the regular season hits its final two months. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Skubal Sweepstakes At 51-58, Detroit is fourth in the AL Central and trails seven teams in the AL wild-card chase. That means the Tigers will likely be trade-deadline sellers, with Skubal the best piece to offer up by far. The left-handed ace can walk as a free agent after this season, so Detroit almost assuredly wants something in return. As of Friday afternoon, the Dodgers are the frontrunner to snag him. If that happens, then World Series favorite Los Angeles would surely move off its current +175 price, becoming an even stronger favorite, likely in the +140 range. But Caesars wouldn’t be that enthused about a third straight Dodgers championship. “We’re OK to the Dodgers on straight bets,” Biggio said. “But what’s been popular with bettors is including the Dodgers in futures parlays. That connected for a few of our players last year. “I think there’s gonna be some futures parlay liability with the Dodgers.” Banking On Boston A huge surprise over the past month has been the resurgence of the Red Sox. On July 1, Boston was 37-48 and an afterthought for the playoffs. Then came a 15-game win streak, which comprised the bulk of a 20-2 run that actually began in late June. That took the Sox from 100/1 long shot to +1800 10th choice in Caesars World Series odds. If the season ended today, Boston would be the second of three AL wild-card teams. “A good amount of bets came in on the Red Sox at some decent numbers for the bettors,” Biggio said. “Not many got in at the peak of 100/1, but there are some tickets at 50/1 and 40/1. “We’re still OK to the Red Sox, though. They’re a good story, and their playoff matchups would draw a lot of action. Red Sox-Yankees and Red Sox-White Sox would do a lot of business.” And a Red Sox-Dodgers World Series — a repeat of the 2018 championship, won by Boston — would do massive numbers at sportsbooks. Southside Ride Arguably the biggest surprise of the 2026 MLB season is the White Sox sitting atop the AL Central, at 57-51. In fact, through games of July 30, only the Rays (64-44) and Yankees (61-48) have better records in the AL, and Chicago is tied with Boston. So a team that opened at a massive +30000 (300/1) at Caesars is now all the way to +2500. And plenty of bettors got on the White Sox at longer-shot odds. “Our position on the White Sox is a pretty big red figure, and I imagine it’s similar at other sportsbooks,” Biggio said. “All those $10 and $20 bets add up.” Indeed, a $20 flier at 300/1 would profit $6,000 if the White Sox lift the trophy. If you got frisky and put down a hundred bucks — which surely some people did — that bet would profit $30,000. Torchia pointed to a couple other surprising teams that would blow up Caesars’ bottom line in World Series odds, including the Pirates and the Cardinals. Both are within three games in the NL wild-card hunt. Pittsburgh is a dead-even 55-55, 2.5 games out of the third and final wild-card slot. St. Louis is 54-55, three games out in the wild card. Pittsburgh opened at +15000 (150/1) to win the World Series and is now +7500. “The Pirates have been a fun story. Every year, they seem to do this, and they normally flame out,” Torchia said. “But this year, they’re stuck around .500 and maybe could eke out a Wild Card spot. “We’d take a big hit on the Pirates winning the World Series.” As for St. Louis: “It’s not as much of a hit on the Cardinals, but it wouldn’t be great for us,” Torchia said. “We had their win total at 74.5. We had no faith in them. They’ve outperformed their expectations. “And our customers were betting into the Cardinals, because of the name brand and the big price.” All that said, as noted above, the Pirates are still well down the oddsboard at +7500, and the Cardinals are double that at +15000 (150/1). Texas Twosome The top three teams in tickets and money in Caesars’ World Series odds are the Dodgers — by far — followed by the Yankees and Mariners. New York is the +550 second choice to win it all, trailing only Los Angeles. Seattle is the +1600 co-seventh choice, despite currently sitting sub-.500 at 53-57. Torchia said Caesars is rooting for two of the Mariners’ division rivals at this point. “We’d like to see the Astros or the Rangers win the World Series,” he said. Like Seattle, both Texas and Houston are hovering around .500, with the Rangers in first at 55-54 and Houston a half-game back at 55-55. “I could see Texas as a sleeper, a good under-the-radar team. Nobody talks about the Rangers,” Torchia said. The Rangers are +1600 — joining the M’s — while the Astros are +3500 in World Series futures. Biggio agreed that Texas and Houston are both good for the book. But he’s really looking for the least attractive matchup possible. “I’m rooting for a non-sexy World Series, the most boring possible: the Brewers vs. the Rays,” Biggio said. “They both play the best fundamental baseball. I think the Brewers are very underrated.” Biggio might just get that matchup. Tampa Bay (64-44) has the AL’s best record and is the +1200 co-fourth choice in odds to win the World Series, joined by the Braves. Milwaukee (67-41) has the second-best mark in all baseball, behind only the Dodgers (69-40). Caesars has the Brew Crew at +900, the third choice to win it all, trailing only the Dodgers and Yankees.