The San Diego Padres bolstered their World Series chances by reportedly acquiring starter Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, but they remain a massive long shot to win their first championship in franchise history.
The Friars were +6000 at FanDuel Sportsbook, tied with the Detroit Tigers for the 19th-best odds at winning the 2024 World Series after dealing away Juan Soto to the Yankees and having yet to replace Blake Snell in their starting rotation.
After the Cease addition, San Diego jumped to +4800 — still behind the inner circle of contenders and only the third-best odds in their own division.
The Padres are now squarely in the middle of the pack with the 15th-best odds, a step behind fringe contenders like the Diamondbacks (+4000) and Cubs (+3500) but ahead of teams expected to be on the playoff bubble such as the Reds (+5000) and Mets (+5000).
Their preseason over/under total ticked up by two games, going from 81.5 pre-trade to 83.5 at FanDuel on Wednesday evening.
Oddsmakers still see the playoffs as far from a sure thing for San Diego.
The Padres are +145 to make the postseason, bunched together with seven other Senior Circuit teams with playoff odds between -105 and +200.
Only the Dodgers (-7000), Braves (-3500) and Phillies (-230) are seen as NL teams with likely playoff games on the horizon in 2024 while the rest of the league is a crapshoot.
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In a division with the vaunted Dodgers, the National League West is still extremely unlikely for the Padres.
The Dodgers, who have won 10 of the last 11 NL West titles, are -600 to take it once again, which are easily the best division odds in baseball.
The Padres and Diamondbacks are both +1100 to upset Los Angeles in the division.Â
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