World Series 2023: Best Bet To Be Next Year’s Philadelphia Phillies

Sure, the Philadelphia Phillies didn’t defy ALL odds this past season by reaching the World Series, but they certainly were heavy underdogs to make the Fall Classic.

Last April, just before the season’s first pitch, the Philadelphia Phillies were somewhere between +2800 and +3500 to win the World Series.

Of course, they came up short against the impressive Astros but the wild-card Phils knocked out three favorites (the Cardinals, the Braves and the Padres) to at least get there. All this came after recording just 87 wins during the regular season.

So the Phillies proved it’s possible for a non-90-win team to take down the big boys in the postseason.

The question now is: Can the Phillies do it again in 2023, or is there a sort of Philly facsimile out there lurking?

There’s one team I like to surprise people next year.

We’ll get to them, but first, the odds are courtesy of one of our favorite sites, DraftKings Sportsbook.

But browse all of the great bonuses out there (mostly for those signing up for the first time), from FanDuel Sportsbook and its $1,200 offer to new players to PointsBet Sportsbook (Risk-free bet up to $2,000 for new players) to BetMGM’s awesome $1,000 match on a first deposit.

As of this writing, there are 19 states, and also D.C., that offer online sports gambling, with more to come in 2023, just in time for Super Bowl LVII.

So shop around and decide on what’s the best sportsbook for you.

You can’t go wrong.

And I’d also say you can’t go wrong with a small World Series futures bet on the…

San Francisco Giants (+4000) to win the 2023 World Series

First, yeah, long odds.

Still, it’s worth a sprinkle of dollars now before the Giants sign Aaron Judge.

You read that right. Sorry, Yankees fans. The Bronx Bombers are still the favorite to re-sign the almighty Judge but the Giants will make him an offer that he can’t refuse and he’ll become the Godfather of San Francisco.

ESPN baseball expert Buster Olney said on a recent podcast: "It would have to be ownership basically saying, 'Look, we need a face of the franchise. We need a power hitter. We need a guy that fans are going to rally around and be excited by the way they were with Barry Bonds when they signed him back in the day.' "

I think that’s exactly correct.

Judge, who hails from Sacramento and played his college ball at Fresno State, rejected the Yankees’ seven-year, $213.5 million contract before Opening Day and will likely sign a contract worth between $300-$340 million.

He’d be the toast of the town from the day the ink on the contract dried.

After that, other pieces would likely fall into place.

The Giants are said to be looking at four top shortstops even though they already have Brandon Crawford.

Their top target appears to be Dodgers free agent and five-tool stud Trea Turner, who’s only 30 and was the NL batting champion for the Dodgers in 2021. His stats for 2022: 298/.343/.466, 21 HR, 100 RBI, 6.3 fWAR. Over the past three seasons, only Judge has amassed more Fangraphs WAR among position players. But would Turner, who could play second alongside Crawford, leave the Dodgers for their rivals? If Judge joins the Giants first …

Brandon Nimmo, the high-energy centerfielder for the Mets, also appears to be high on the Giants’ list. He’s a solid defender and walks a lot, which would be great as San Francisco’s leadoff hitter.

The Giants will likely stand pat with their pitching although another Met, Jacob deGrom, could be in play if the 35-year-old is willing to sign perhaps a lucrative but short (two or three-year) deal.

Otherwise, San Francisco seems set to go with Logan Webb, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, and Jakob Junis, all signed through 2023.

Plus, Kyle Harrison, considered among the top left-handed pitching prospects in the minors, could join the team from AAA Sacramento sooner rather than later.

But there’s no doubt San Francisco’s higher-ups are going to do whatever they can to shake things up this offseason. They are no doubt a bit jealous of the young star-studded talent the Giants’ NL West rival Padres and Dodgers have on their rosters.

San Francisco was 81-81 last season, a year after winning a franchise record 107 games and capturing the NL West division title.

Now, ownership seems ready to get serious about taking on all of baseball in an offseason that Giants fans and beat writers have dubbed, “Aaron Judge or bust." 

My bet is there will be major signing booms from the Bay Area so put some money on the Giants – even if it’s just to make the World Series – while the getting is good.