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

Chicago Cubs: Dodgers and Yankees poised for returns?

The Los Angeles Dodgers are favored next on the list with third-best chance to win the World Series and I’m scratching my head on that one.

Next year’s Dodgers ball club could look very different from the team that represented the National League in the World Series this month. The team could, in theory, lose Manny Machado, Brian Dozier and Yasmani Grandal to free agency.

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This team is going to get shaken up – even with its young core. The Dodgers will need to make strong offseason moves, similar to what they did last offseason (and even this summer), to get back to the World Series. Honestly, I don’t see the Dodgers making another deep run.

The other team in front of Chicago? The New York Yankees. Personally, I think the Yankees should rank number two on this list. Next year marks a full decade since the Bronx Bombers last won the World Series back in 2009. This marks the second-longest appearance drought in franchise history.

With a core that includes Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Miguel Andujar and even prospects Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier, it’s hard to not be high on this team.

The longest New York has gone before appearing in the World Series was a 15-year absence spanning 1981 to 1996. New York will not go 15 years again without another American League pennant. In short, expect New York to compete hard in 2019.