The MLB postseason is set to start, which means it’s time to flip coins 11 times to see who wins the World Series. Kidding … sort of. The MLB Playoffs are largely unpredictable, and the short best-of-three Wild Card Series add to that.

Still, there is a hierarchy of favorites ahead of postseason play on Tuesday. For one, the Philadelphia Phillies are the favorite to win the World Series on BetMGM at +450 odds. Sticking with the theme, +450 is far from a clear favorite, implying the Phillies have a roughly 18 percent chance of winning the World Series. Philadelphia doesn’t have the top seed in the National League, but does have a first-round bye.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are next at +500 without the bye. The betting market has loved the Dodgers for years, so it’s no surprise to see the Dodgers valued this highly even while having to play in a Wild Card Series. If L.A. gets by Cincinnati, the Dodgers could vault into favorite status ahead of the Division Series.

The third team in the odds, and first among American League teams, may come as a surprise. It’s the Seattle Mariners at +550. Seattle only won 90 games, but did get a bye, and the betting market has not been relatively fond of Toronto, the top seed in the AL. The Blue Jays and Yankees are both +700. The fact that the Yankees have the same odds to win the World Series as Toronto while having to play an extra round is telling.

The Milwaukee Brewers had the best record in the regular season, but are only sixth in the odds at +800. Since the Brewers rattled off 14 wins in a row in August, they’ve been 19-21.

The two Ohio teams are the longest shots entering the postseason. The Cincinnati Reds got in ahead of the New York Mets on the last day of the regular season and are +3500 (35-to-1) to win the World Series. The Cleveland Guardians had an epic comeback in the AL Central, but are +2500 to win the World Series, behind Detroit (+2000), which blew the division lead.

Wild Card Series oddsGuardians vs. Tigers

Series odds: Guardians -110, Tigers -110

Speaking of Detroit and Cleveland, the Guardians clinched the division title on the last day, but still have to get through the Tigers in postseason play. The series is dead even in the odds, although the Tigers are solid favorites for Game 1 with Tarik Skubal starting for Detroit.

Yankees vs. Red Sox

Series odds: Yankees -175, Red Sox +145

Hoo boy, this is the main event of this round. Both teams are probably a touch disappointed to be in this spot and not ahead of Toronto in the division, but both are alive with a shot in the playoffs.

These rivals last met in the playoffs in the 2021 Wild Card Game when it was a single-elimination game. The Red Sox won that one.

The last time they met in a series was in 2018, when the Red Sox won the ALDS in four games and went on to win the World Series.

Before that, it was the infamous 3-0 comeback in the ALCS in 2004 that later ended Boston’s World Series drought.

It’s been 22 years since the Yankees beat the Red Sox in the playoffs (2003 ALCS).

Cubs vs. Padres

Series odds: Cubs -125, Padres +105

This 1984 NLCS rematch favors the Cubs, but only slightly. Game 1 is also almost a toss-up, with the Cubs getting -115 odds and the Padres at -105.

These teams split six meetings in the regular season, but all of those games took place back in April.

Dodgers vs. Reds

Series odds: Dodgers -250, Reds +200

Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers are the biggest favorite of the round. As mentioned, Los Angeles is highly rated by the betting market, and the Reds only won 83 games in the regular season.

The Dodgers are also -200 to win Game 1, which makes L.A. the biggest favorite of Tuesday’s four Game 1s.

(Photo: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)