What a difference a year makes. Last year the Cubs were the favorite to win the World Series heading into the MLB playoffs. This year with the NLDS already won in epic fashion, they’re the longest shot on the board as the two league championship series get set to start.
Bovada has the defending world champion Cubs at 3.75-1 to win it all. The New York York Yankees, who came out of the AL wild-card spot, are also listed at 3.75-1.
With the odds-on-favorite Cleveland Indians bounced, the Los Angeles Dodgers are now the chalk at 2-1. The Houston Astros are slightly higher at 9-4.
FanGraphs gives the Cubs a 20.5 percent chance of winning the World Series. The Astros have a 33.1 percent chance, the Dodgers 26.9 and the Yankees 19.5.
Cubs fans are not going to like FiveThirtyEight’s probability to win the World Series: Dodgers 31 percent, Astros 30, Yankees 20, Cubs 18.
No reason to worry, though, Cubs fans. When Michael Turner put the Nationals up 4-1 with a three-run homer in the second inning of Game 5, Fangraphs gave the Cubs less than an 18 percent chance of winning.