The 2025 World Series begins Friday. Los Angeles Dodgers visit Toronto Blue Jays. Popular gamble the corner heading into the series will be the World Series MVP.
This is quite a fun shot in the dark. In a small sample of the series one can only guess. Over the years we have seen many stars and even superstars win equipment e.g. Freddie Freeman, Corey Seager, Stephen StrasburgDavid Ortiz, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. It's a fairly diverse star lineup on its own, but then you have to consider when it's won by a good player who isn't a big star, like Jeremy Pena. Jorge Soler, Ben Zobrist or David Freese. Or how about when the role player takes it, like Steve Pearce in 2018 or, going back to the Blue Jays' title run, Pat Borders in 1992?
With everything on the map here, let's break down the candidates who have a tempting chance. Lines pass through DraftKings.
Easy favorites
Shohei OhtaniDodgers, +180 “It actually seems like incredible value for the favorite.” What's the most likely scenario here? Dodgers win? Yes. Ohtani the best player in the series? Yes.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.Blue Jays, +600 – Just fresh from it ALCS Best PlayerGuerrero is an easy pick if the Blue Jays win the World Series. He's having a special postseason, hitting .442/.510/.930 with three doubles, six homers, 12 RBIs and 11 runs in 11 games.
Next Level Stars
Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, +900 “We just saw what can happen last year.” What is Freddie preparing for an encore?
George SpringerBlue Jays, +1000 – Only two players in history have more home runs in the World Series and Springer's postseason. a resume of clutch hits as good as any in history.
Teoscar Hernandez, Dodgers, +1800 – He often wedges himself between superstars on the Dodgers' roster, hitting third behind Ohtani and Mookie Betts and before Freeman. Sometimes he hits the sixth over, which is RBI's prime territory. He has nine home runs and 27 RBIs in 30 career playoff games.
Mookie Betts, +2000, Dodgers “He picked up the pace and has played confidently in the playoffs so far.” A huge World Series wouldn't be surprising at all.
Will Smith+3000, Dodgers — The star catcher battled an arm injury earlier in the playoffs but is 6-for-15 with two walks in his last four games. During the regular season, he was an offensive force when healthy.
Alejandro Kirk +3000 “Perhaps we’ll expand the definition of the word “star” here, but he participated in two All-Star Games and distinguished himself.
Frontline pitchers
Blake SnellDodgers, +1800 – Snell starts the Dodgers' Game 1 lineup, which means he'll likely start Game 5 as well. He had a 0.47 ERA in his final three regular-season starts. In his three playoff starts, he has a 0.86 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 21 innings. Let's say the Dodgers win five games and he pitches twice, including in the deciding game. Given the odds, he seems like a great candidate.
Yoshinobu YamamotoDodgers, +3500 – What if the Dodgers close the scoring six times, and Yamamoto dominates twice, including in the deciding game? He's played very well in the playoffs so far, including most recently when he threw his first complete game since 2017.
Kevin GausmanBlue Jays, +6000 – We saw in Game 7 of the ALCS that the Jays were willing to use Gausman as a replacement. If he has two dominant starts and then pitches well in the Game 7 win in Toronto, it's easy to see a path for him to win MVP here.
Trey YesavageBlue Jays, n/a – Yesavage was not listed in the odds at the time of publication, but it is always possible that he is there before the series begins. Stay alert. He has a talent for grabbing equipment.
Wild cards
Dalton VarshoBlue Jays, +3000 – In just 71 regular season games, Varsho had 13 doubles, two triples and 20 home runs. He hit .438 with three doubles and two home runs in the ALDS and hit a home run with an RBI single in Game 7 of the ALCS. He also adds excellent defense in midfield.
Tommy EdmanDodgers, +4000 – The hitter wears down lefties and has had a lot of great postseason success throughout his career. In fact, he won the 2024 NLCS MVP, so we're well aware it's possible. He's hitting .286 with a pair of homers this postseason.
Nathan LuxBlue Jays, +5000 – He ranks second between Springer and Guerrero. This is a pretty comfortable spot where a player can sustain a lot of runs and RBIs. So far in the playoffs, he's hitting .333 with three doubles. Of course, he'll have to outshine everyone else, and this is where it gets tricky.
Ernie ClementBlue Jays, +5000 — He's hit six holes in his last few games and is hitting .429/.444/.619 with three doubles, a triple, a home run, seven RBIs and 10 runs in 11 playoff games this postseason.
Cheerful long-range plans
Max ScherzerBlue Jays, +10000 – Maybe he makes two starts and comes on in the seventh game, right? What if he throws like he did in Game 4 of the ALCS?
Jeff HoffmanBlue Jays, +20000 – There is a world in which the Blue Jays win four ties and Hoffman makes a save every time – and pitches more than an inning in several games. If all the clutch hits were spread fairly evenly across the offense and the starting pitching wasn't dominant, Hoffman could sneak in there.
