Betting Roundup /

Long-suffering Cubs the consensus favorite in preseason MLB futures markets

The Chicago Cubs, title-less in more than 100 years, are the favorites to win the 2016 World Series, and their odds are shrinking.

In its most recent MLB futures update, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has the Cubs listed at 4-to-1 to win the World Series and 2-to-1 to win the National League pennant. The Dodgers, Mets and Nationals are next at 10-to-1 for the World Series and 5-to-1 to win the NLCS, while defending champion Kansas City is listed at 16-to-1 odds to repeat.

In their first season with Joe Maddon at the helm, the Cubs won 97 games last year and reached the playoffs for the first since 2008. They knocked off Pittsburgh, 1-0, behind a stellar outing from Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta in the Wild Card game and trumped St. Louis in four games in the best-of-five NLDS, before getting swept by the Mets in the NLCS.

They opened at the SuperBook at 10-to-1 for the 2016 season, but have climbed steadily since, notably adding Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward to an offense that ranked 15th out of 30 teams in terms of runs scored.

Offshore, the odds vary. 5Dimes has the Cubs and Giants as co-favorites at +800, followed by the Mets (+850), Red Sox (+1050) and Blue Jays (+1300). Pinnacle has the Cubs at 9.16, followed by the Giants (10.18), Blue Jays (13.03) and Mets (13.23).

For props, Giancarlo Stanton is the 7-to-1 favorite to be the MLB Home Run King at both 5Dimes and the SuperBook. The 26-year-old Miami slugger had 27 home runs in 74 games before a broken hand forced him to miss the second half of the season.

Last year’s home run leader Chris Davis is getting 15-to-1 odds at the SuperBook and 13-to-1 at 5Dimes.

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