It has been a crazy offseason in the baseball world but as per usual, the New York Yankees stole the headlines and now headline the MLB odds for the World Series. It has been a while since they won it and since the bar is set so high in New York, it’s win a World Series or go home for the Yanks.

They started the offseason out well by bolstering their bullpen with the additions of C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. Then they added All-Star first baseman, Mark Teixeira. With Sabathia, Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettite, the Yankees now have the starting rotation of a potential champion. That’s been the key because the hitting and power has always been there from their deep and versatile lineup.

If it’s not the Yankees, then it’s the Boston Red Sox who are next in line on the MLB odds for the World Series. It’s hard to argue with them as the Red Sox made it to the American League Championship Series but fell just short to the Tampa Bay Rays. And that was just one year removed for a World Series Championship anyways.

In the National League, the Chicago Cubs are the team expected to win according to the MLB odds and are the only team in the NL that is below 10-to-1 on the odds. The general feeling is that the Cubs should be improved from within with Carlos Marmol moving to the closer’s role and Rich Harden being part of the starting rotation for a full season. The Cubs haven’t sniffed a World Series ring in a long time – can this really be the year? If the Cubs don’t represent the National League in the World Series, it definitely will be a disappointment.

The teams they are expected to compete with are the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are an interesting contender now that they have Manny Ramirez in the heart of their order. They have always been a near playoff team and now can supplement their stellar pitching with a solid batting lineup. With Ramirez in the lineup, the Dodgers took a big jump up in the MLB odds.

As for the Mets, they have to figure out how to stop collapsing in September. For two straight years they have had huge leads in the last month of the season but failed to make the playoffs both times. Their pitching rotation is thin, though, so even if they make it past September, there is no guarantee they will be a success in October.

There are a number of peripheral teams who will buzz around for a Wild Card and potentially factor for the World Series MLB odds. The reigning Champion Philadelphia Phillies will likely have a much harder time trying to repeat now that they have a big bull’s-eye on their back. In the American League, the Los Angeles Angels, who haven’t been able to get over the playoff hump previously, will now have to find a way to make a move in October without Mark Teixeira. Neither team is likely to be as much of a factor on the MLB odds this year as they were last year.

The same might be said for the Tampa Bay Rays, who played in the World Series but now won’t catch anyone by surprise. Both them and the Arizona Diamondbacks are led by young talented players with World Series potential, but it would have to be a perfect storm for it to happen. There are more than a handful of World Series contenders and it feels good to have baseball back.