2023 World Series odds strongly against first-time winner of Fall Classic

Six active MLB franchises have never won a World Series: the Padres, Brewers, Rockies, Mariners, Rangers and Rays, with Seattle the only team to never reach the Fall Classic. Will there be a first-time World Series winner this year? Yes is +320 with No at -425 at DraftKings. The NL East is favored to produce the eventual champion at +280.

Realistically, only San Diego, Milwaukee, Tampa Bay and Seattle have first-time World Series chances this year. The Padres will be unbelievably loaded once Fernando Tatis Jr. is back from his PED suspension on April 20. He'll slot into the lineup alongside NL MVP favorite Juan Soto (+550 to win), Manny Machado and new addition Xander Bogaerts. The Padres' six-man rotation has major question marks, beginning with a back-end of Nick Martinez, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha.

FanGraphs actually lists San Diego as the top team in the NL West, projected for 91 wins, four games ahead of the LA Dodgers. However, the Dodgers are -125 favorites in the West and the Padres are +120 despite beating L.A. in last year's NLDS.

Milwaukee's four-year streak of reaching the playoffs ended last season despite an 86-76 record, one game behind Philadelphia for the NL's final wild card spot. Led by former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes, who is set for free agency next winter, the Brewers should again have one of the NL's best rotations.

Despite a miniscule payroll and terrible attendance in the worst stadium in American sports, the Rays are so well-run that they have made the playoffs in four straight seasons. Tampa Bay got good news Monday on an injury to young star shortstop Wander Franco.  He's dealing with just right quad tightness, not a strain as once feared, and should be ready Opening Day.

Seattle ended the majors' longest playoff drought last season and could be poised to steal the AL West this year if Houston gets off to a slow start without former MVP Jose Altuve, who will miss at least the first two months. The Mariners will have a full season of All-Star starting pitcher Luis Castillo after he was acquired from Cincinnati at the 2022 trade deadline.

On the division prop, the NL East makes sense as the favorite. The Mets, Braves and Phillies, all potential powerhouses, reside there. The AL East is the +300 second favorite thanks to the Yankees, Rays and Blue Jays. Both East divisions had three playoff teams last year. The longest shot is an AL Central team winning the World Series at +1000. 

So which 2023 Fantasy baseball busts, breakouts, and sleepers should you target or fade in your drafts? Visit SportsLine's Fantasy baseball cheat sheets now to get rankings for every single position, all from the model that called Joey Votto's disappointing season, and find out.