Yankees vs Dodgers World Series Odds, Prediction, Expert Picks

For the first time since 1981, the Dodgers and Yankees will face off in the World Series in a battle of MLB Goliaths.

The teams that started the season as the absolute favorites to win their respective pennants lived up to the hype and secured first place in their league in the playoffs.

The league's projected MVPs Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani will compete, but they're far from the only headliners.

The series features five former league MVPs, including Ohtani, who won the AL Award twice with the Angels.

Not included in the list is Juan Soto, who is on track to secure a historic contract with his incredible postseason success.

The Yankees slugger is my pick to win World Series MVP.

What both of these squads lack are quality starting players, at least compared to most teams that make it to the Fall Classic.

As we saw in Cleveland in the ALCS, the Dodgers are unlikely to get many innings of work from starters Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler.

Dave Roberts used his bullpen skillfully against the Padres and Mets, but it's a big question mark as to whether his bullpen can continue to be as effective for so many innings.

The Dodgers pitching staff has posted a 4.36 ERA this postseason, and their xFIP of 4.97 is the worst of any team that has made the playoffs.

While the Yankees' starting rotation isn't entirely overwhelming, it looks deeper and more formidable than the Dodgers' three-man unit entering the series.

Gerrit Cole deserves to be considered the best starter on both sides, and the supporting cast beyond him has significant potential.

Based on this season's Stuff+ ratings, the Yankees have the four best starting teams in this matchup.

Carlos Rodon pitched well against Cleveland, posting the best Stuff+ rating (122) of any starter on either side.

Clarke Schmidt's 116 Stuff+ rating is in second place, while Luis Gil's 110 Stuff+ rating is in fourth place.

Even Nestor Cortes, who is likely to make the World Series roster and return from injury, would currently be the Dodgers' third-best starter if he returns at the same level as he did in the regular season.

The Yankees have been the best team in the MLB against right-handers this season with a wRC+ of 120, which puts them in a good position since Yamamoto, Buehler and Flaherty are all right-handed.

The Dodgers bullpen has been incredible and they will likely have to lean heavily on that strength in this series.

In 57 innings in the postseason, Dodgers relievers posted a 3.16 ERA with a 3.16 xFIP.

This series could become something of a war of attrition, as both lineups have shown elite plate discipline in the playoffs and will increase the pitch count of opposing pitchers.

Yankees hitters have a wRC+ of 117 in the postseason, rank first with a BB/K ratio of 0.64 and maintain a hard-hit rate of 36.6 percent.

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The Dodgers have a slightly larger roster that posted a wRC+ of 120 in the playoffs.

They take second place with a BB/K ratio of 0.62 and have a hard-hit ratio of 30.8 percent.

The Yankees' deeper starting rotation appears to be the clearest advantage either side has heading into Game 1 on Friday night.

Because of this advantage, I don't think the Yankees deserve to be underdogs.

With plus money, I see it making sense to back the Bombers to win a spectacular World Series.

Recommendation: Yankees win the World Series (+115, FanDuel)

Why you should trust New York Post Betting

Nicholas Martin breaks down the NHL, MLB and NFL for the New York Post. He strives to include relevant game notes in articles to help bettors reach their own conclusions, but also has a 180 unit lead himself in verified picks on a sports betting app. You can find Nick on X @nickm_hockey.