Chicago Cubs: Oddsmaker makes way-too-early World Series predictions

Chicago Cubs: Oddsmaker picks tie for the top spot

At this point, in what can hardly be called a surprise, the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox rank as the World Series favorites.

I don’t buy it. No team has repeated as World Series champs since the Yankees did it from 1998 to 2000. Houston couldn’t do it. The last time Boston repeated was more than 100 years ago (1915-16). It’s no easy thing to repeat these days.

Teams that win it all have so many additional responsibilities and appearances to make, that their offseason goes by really fast. Before you know it, spring training games are beginning and you’re like,  “I need some rest”.

Many critics believe this is what happened to the 2017 Cubs, deemed a “World Series hangover”.  All season, Chicago players claimed not to be affected by the Series and only after losing in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers admitted the stress.

Even a historically good team like Boston will find it near-impossible to go all the way and repeat. My guess is they’ll most likely wind up suffering a fate similar to the 2017 Cubs. I think Houston will slip further away from the championship and may not even make the postseason.