The annual whirlwind of activity before the trade deadline in Major League Baseball came to a conclusion Tuesday, with several big moves made in the final minutes before the 6 p.m. EDT closing bell.
Among teams that got high marks for their work and saw their odds to win the 2024 World Series shorten were the Los Angeles Dodgers, who already were the consensus favorites at top online sportsbooks .
The San Diego Padres, while still not among the top-10 betting favorites, also saw their futures odds tighten.
Odds to win 2024 World Series: Futures market adjusts after trades by Dodgers, Padres
On the odds boards, the Dodgers became an even stronger World Series favorite the past two days after being available at +340 on Tuesday. With many of their injured guys expected back in time for the playoffs, this team will be tough to beat.
At FanDuel, the Padres' MLB futures odds went from +3500 to +3000.
Here are live odds to win the World Series from our favorite sportsbook apps for all 30 MLB teams.
Thanks largely to the expanded playoff format created in 2022 that includes 12 of the league's 30 teams, more clubs opt to be buyers than when fewer qualified for the postseason.
In last season's trading free-for-all, the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers were one of the teams that cashed in nicely with their deals.
They acquired veteran starting pitchers Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery, who combined to go 8-4 in the closing two months with a cumulative 16 quality starts in 19 outings. Montgomery went on to win three playoff games, with two coming against Houston in the American League Championship Series.
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Marlins, Rays sellers at trade deadline
Among the busiest sellers at this year's trade deadline were the Miami Marlins, whose fire sale involved 10 players, and the Tampa Bay Rays, who unloaded nine. Both teams wound up accumulating a boatload of prospects.
Key players involved in swaps on the final day included former Miami ace left-hander Trevor Rogers to AL East-leading Baltimore and Marlins mega-standout reliever Tanner Scott going to San Diego.
Trade deadline buyers boost World Series hopes
Here is a rundown of teams whose World Series chances appear to have improved, thanks to recent player acquisitions, along with their record and place in the standings as of Wednesday, July 31, and World Series odds in parentheses.
San Diego Padres, 58-51, 2nd in NL West; own third wild card ( )
The Padres, who have gone 8-2 since the All-Star break, are primed to make a charge thanks to deals they made with the Florida clubs, including acquiring the top relievers from the Rays and Marlins.
On Sunday, they acquired Tampa Bay's Jason Adam, a right-hander, who has a 2.49 ERA this season with a dazzling WHIP of 0.89. Then, close to Tuesday's trade deadline, the Padres acquired LHP Scott from Miami. He reportedly was coveted by a host of teams. His ERA is 1.18 with a WHIP of 1.01.
Those two will back up a starting staff led by San Diego's Dylan Cease, who is coming off a no-hitter against Washington.
Back in May, San Diego acquired last year's MLB batting champion, Luis Arraez, from Miami. He flirted with hitting .400 last year before winding up at .354. A year earlier with Minnesota, he won the American League batting title. He joined an already potent attack led by Manny Machado and Jurickson Profar.
The Padres likely will wind up as a wild card. Considering the past two NLCS winners were wild-card teams, it's not unreasonable to think San Diego can make it three straight.
LA Dodgers, 63-45, 1st place NL West by 5.5 games ( )
The Dodgers got an assortment of new additions, highlighted by the deadline pickup of veteran right-handed starter Jack Flaherty, who had a strong 2024 season with the Tigers (7-5, 2.95 ERA, 0.96 WHIP) a year after struggling mightily down the stretch with Baltimore.
He'll help fill a void in the starting rotation caused by a plethora of injuries. Among players who have spent time on the injured list are ace Tyler Glasnow, three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a rookie from Japan who was the heavy preseason choice to win the NL's ROY award.
The team also acquired a pair of all-out-hustle guys in center fielder Kevin Kiermaier from Toronto and infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman from St. Louis. Both are strong defenders with a background of playing for winning teams.
Not to be ignored is ex-Chicago White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech, who routinely throws at 99 mph.
New York Yankees, 64-45, 2nd in AL East ( )
The Yankees' deadline moves didn't raise too many eyebrows when made, but the production of outfielder/third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., coming over from Miami, is almost hard to believe.
Chisholm has smacked four homers in his first three games with New York and has led the often-stagnant Yankees to three straight victories, including the past two in Philadelphia.
He is a welcome complement to sluggers Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.
Although the addition of RHP reliever Mark Leiter Jr. from the Chicago Cubs didn't make headlines, he's been outstanding since his return to action after suffering a right forearm strain in June. In eight outings since, he has yielded only one hit and no earned runs in 8.2 innings.
With Baltimore not making any eye-opening upgrades, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Yankees overtake the O's for the division and earn a playoff bye. That should be no surprise at all considering Baltimore has longer Series odds at .
Seattle Mariners, 57-52,1st in AL West by one game ( )
The Mariners looked to improve their weak attack with the additions of Tampa Bay outfielder Randy Arozarena and Toronto's Justin Turner, who was part of the Dodgers' title run in 2020.
Arozarena was hitting a career-worst .211 with the Rays, but he's at .375 in his four games with the Mariners (OK, sure, that's a small sample size) and has a history of hitting with power.
The Mariners own a league-worst batting average of .218, but in their past five games -- four of them victories -- they are hitting .271. Even more impressive is that they twice scored 10 runs in a game. In 48 games before this stretch, they achieved that once.
As for the M's taking the Series title, they are fortunate to have a strong pitching staff and be in baseball's worst division, with their four rivals a collective 33 games under .500. A division title is surely within reach, even with perennial champ Houston in their rearview mirror.
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