Juan Soto gives big boost to Padres' World Series betting odds originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Juan Soto went from the worst team in Major League Baseball to the team that now has the sixth-best odds to win the World Series.
After Soto was dealt from the Washington Nationals to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday in a blockbuster trade, the Padres' odds to win the championship improved to +1000, per PointsBet. That puts them behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers (+350), New York Yankees (+350), Houston Astros (+400), New York Mets (+700) and Atlanta Braves (+900).
One day prior to the trade, the Padres' odds to win the World Series were +1500. Their chances of winning the NL pennant improved from +700 to +450 after the Soto acquisition.
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Championship odds and the baseball landscape tend to change following a trade of this magnitude, with Soto becoming the first player to have played in multiple All-Star Games and been traded before his 24th birthday. Soto, who hit .301 over the first four seasons of his career and won the batting title in 2020, is hitting .246 with 21 home runs and 46 RBIs. He also brings a league-high 91 walks and a .408 on base percentage to a lineup that includes Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado but has underperformed offensively.
Also heading to San Diego in the deal is former All-Star first baseman Josh Bell, who is hitting .301 with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs. The Padres on Monday also acquired star closer Josh Hader in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.
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The 58-46 Padres sit second in the NL West behind the 69-33 Dodgers, who have a 12-game lead in the division. San Diego currently holds the NL's second Wild Card spot with a two-game lead over the 55-47 Philadelphia Phillies.
San Diego has made the playoffs just once in the last 15 seasons, getting swept in the Division Series by the Dodgers in 2020 during the pandemic-shortened season.
The Padres, whose inaugural season was in 1969, are one of six MLB teams to have never won the World Series. They last played in the Fall Classic in 1998, losing to the New York Yankees in four games.
Perhaps Soto can help change that.
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.
