I’ve always believed that betting on futures in baseball is the most difficult of the five major sports leagues in the US. Unlike the other sports, determining a favorite in baseball before the season starts is like basing it on the flashiness of a team’s roster and their offseason spending habits. Go back to last season and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Remember when the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Dodgers were deemed head and shoulders above the rest? Conversely, how many people had the San Francisco Giants and better yet, the Kansas City Royals making it to the World Series?

How about the supposedly revamped Toronto Blue Jays from two seasons back? Go back a few years and you’ll remember that the Miami Marlins – the Marlins! – were actually once preseason favorites.

There’s so many moving parts in baseball that betting on a favorite this early has become a tricky proposition. It’s a big reason why the favorite to win the World Series receives significantly higher odds than favorites in other sports leagues.

Right now, the Washington Nationals sit on that said spot…and it’s been priced at 7/1 odds. Depending on what sportsbook you use, you’ll see that the two LA teams – the Dodgers and the Angels – are not that far behind, getting anywhere from 7/1 to 10/1 odds.

Oh, and after these three teams? It’s the Tigers again at 12/1 odds.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t bet on any of these four teams, but recent history will tell you that putting money down on favorites has been a losing proposition. You’re better of identifying a team flying under the radar that has the requisite roster balance that can get into the postseason.