World Series odds: Yankees surge into MLB's 2nd half as title favorites

With the first half of the MLB season officially behind us, the World Series picture is starting to come into view. The Yankees and Dodgers are the clear front-runners out of the All-Star break, but if we've learned anything from recent years, it's to never count out a long shot at this point in the season.

You only have to look back to last year's champion Braves, who had a losing record in August before storming back to their first World Series run in nearly three decades. The 2019 Nationals were similarly inept most of the season before turning it on late to win it all. Sandwiched between those two? The 2020 Dodgers, who were the epitome of front-runners en route to their seventh title.

With the second half of the campaign starting Thursday, here are the World Series odds at Barstool Sportsbook and five teams we're watching over the back half of the year:

New York Yankees (+340)

Every list of World Series contenders should start with the Yankees, who own baseball's best record (64-28) behind a whopping 157 home runs. That's the fourth-most homers by a team entering the All-Star break in MLB history.

The Yankees' power should serve them well in the postseason, which has traditionally rewarded teams that can produce runs via the long ball. The Bronx Bombers have a ridiculous six players - Aaron Judge (33), Giancarlo Stanton (24), Anthony Rizzo (22), Gleyber Torres (14), Matt Carpenter (13), and Joey Gallo (11) - with double-digit homers.

There are still questions about the quality of this rotation come October, though Gerrit Cole (3.02 ERA) is a bona fide ace and All-Star Nestor Cortes (2.63) has been a revelation. If these Yankees keep slugging at the rate they've been, those pitching concerns will melt away.

Milwaukee Brewers (+1800)

The Brewers were among my favorite bets entering the season, but an 18-25 record since late May has chased bettors away from this club coming out of the All-Star break. That's a mistake given how dangerous this team can be.

Corbin Burnes has been as filthy as ever, leading the NL in strikeouts per nine (11.4) with an even better ERA (2.14) than in his Cy Young-winning campaign. Two bad starts have sullied Brandon Woodruff's stat line, but he and Freddy Peralta (60-day injured list) round out what should be baseball's best rotation down the stretch.

The difference this season has been at the plate. A year after posting some of the worst hitting numbers in MLB, Milwaukee ranks 13th in wOBA (.316) and fourth in home runs (124), which will surely play in October. Once this staff is fully healthy? Watch out.

San Diego Padres (+2200)

The Padres are arguably as talented as any team in the majors, aside from their neighbors up the interstate. They own MLB's seventh-best record. Still, oddsmakers remain skeptical of their chances to win it all.

We haven't even seen the best of this unit, which features MVP contender Manny Machado and perennial MVP-level bat Fernando Tatis Jr., who's expected to reclaim his spot in the order sometime in the next few weeks. That'll be a massive boon for an offense that's been so-so without Tatis.

San Diego's rotation is loaded with All-Star-caliber arms, and it's outperformed its 10th-ranked ERA (3.77) based on advanced metrics. There's risk here betting a team that likely needs to secure a wild-card spot, but don't be surprised if this star-studded club makes a deep run.

Chicago White Sox (+3300)

For the second consecutive season, injuries have derailed the White Sox, who entered the year among the World Series favorites. Much like the Padres, though, this roster is too talented to ignore at a long-shot price.

Chicago has still managed a .500 record despite the worst start you could imagine. At one point, the Southsiders lost eight straight games as injuries mounted. But Dylan Cease (2.15 ERA), who leads the majors in strikeouts per nine (12.9), has been stellar despite an All-Star snub, while the trio of Jose Abreu, Luis Robert, and Andrew Vaughn are all hitting over .300 with double-digit homers.

This lineup has stayed afloat despite just 19 games from Eloy Jimenez, and Yasmani Grandal hasn't played since June 11. This team is still favored to win the AL Central. If it can round into form by the postseason, this price will feel like larceny in hindsight.

Seattle Mariners (+4000)

Let's be clear: the Mariners probably aren't winning the World Series. They may not even make the playoffs, which has been foreign land for Seattle baseball for 20 years.

With that said, how can you ignore what this team has done over the last month? The Mariners have won 14 consecutive games - most by any team entering the All-Star break in MLB history - with half of them coming by multiple runs. Rookie phenom Julio Rodriguez owns a .854 OPS during the streak to power this lineup, while Seattle has allowed just 2.4 runs per game in that run.

There's an outside chance the M's could re-integrate top prospect Jarred Kelenic, who's been sizzling in Triple-A after a rough start to his MLB season. Maybe he's a trade chip to bring in more win-now talent. Either way, there's something brewing in Seattle, and this team has enough momentum and talent up top to warrant an upside play at these odds.

C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at [email protected].