Who can upset the heavily-favored Dodgers?

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in rarefied air.

The two-time defending champions are +225 to win the 2026 World Series, making them the biggest Opening Day favorite since the 2003 Yankees, per Sports Odds History.

Those Pinstripes were +200 to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy, but they came up just short as the 75-1 Florida Marlins upset the Yanks in the Fall Classic.

The point is two-fold. The Dodgers are expected to be historically good. But this is baseball, Suzyn, and anything can happen over the next six months.

With that in mind, we’ve handpicked one team from each tier of the betting board (favorites, mid-range, and long shots) worth considering as we kick off a brand new season.

Contenders: Atlanta Braves (20/1, Caesars)

Atlanta went through a Murphy’s Law 2025 campaign. There were injuries, there was bad luck, and there was an 0-7 start that put the Braves in a hole they could never escape. Nothing went right.

And while Spring Training brought more poor injury luck, Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep will miss at least the first two months of the season, there is still a lot to like about Atlanta’s chances to contend in 2026.

The lineup has the potential to be one of the best in baseball with Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Michael Harris II, and Austin Riley leading the way. The pitching staff, fragile as it may be, is led by a two-headed monster of Chris Sale and Spencer Strider, with Reynaldo Lopez sliding in as the No. 3, for now.

That should be enough to keep the Braves in contention in the NL East, which figures to be a three-way tussle between the Braves, Mets, and Phillies.

I don’t see much of a gap between those three clubs over the course of a 162-game campaign, and think Atlanta brings the most upside to the table out of that bunch.

Mid-range: Detroit Tigers (28/1, Caesars)

The Tigers should be priced with the Yankees, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Red Sox, but they’re checking into the season at a much longer price. It doesn’t make sense.

The strength of the Tigers is their rotation. Tarik Skubal has won the Cy Young two years in a row, and he’s got plenty of support behind him with Framber Valdez, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, and Justin Verlander rounding out the staff.

The lineup may not look like a juggernaut, but Detroit’s pitching should be elite, which lowers the bar that the bats in MoTown will need to clear. And it’s not like the lineup is paltry.

Riley Greene isn’t a household name, but he’s not too far off from being a star, and there aren’t any real red flags behind him.

Beyond the roster, Detroit has a couple of other things going for it.

The AL Central should be a lot easier to navigate than the other two divisions, thanks to the presence of the White Sox and Twins, and Detroit will be highly incentivized to throw everything it can at winning this season since Skubal will hit free agency this winter.

If the Tigers feel like they’re a bat away, they’ll go and get it for the stretch run.

Betting on Baseball?

Long shot: Miami Marlins (200/1, BetMGM)

The Pirates are getting plenty of love from the baseball world as the long shot du jour, but the Marlins are double the price and just as intriguing.

Miami’s lineup is full of high-ceiling players like Xavier Edwards, Kyle Stowers, Jakob Marsee, and Otto Lopez, plus the farm system could provide a few additional breakout candidates as the year goes on.

The pitching staff is similarly high-ceiling, low-floor, but it could be a real strength if Eury Perez makes good on the promise he’s shown as a frontline starter.

This is a 200/1 long shot, so a lot has to go right for it to have even the slightest chance, but this roster is brimming with talent, so if everything clicks, the ceiling could be sky high.

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.