MLB

2016 MLB Playoff Odds: Can Anyone Beat the Cubs?

Chicago is the best team in baseball. How likely are they to win the World Series?

The 2016 MLB playoffs are here.

They officially kick off on Tuesday, October 4 when the Baltimore Orioles (12th in our power rankings) travel to face the Toronto Blue Jays (6th) in the American League wild card matchup.

Then, on October 5, the New York Mets (11th) host the San Francisco Giants (7th) in a matchup between Noah Syndergaard and Madison Bumgarner.

Two of the four squads will advance to the final eight, but do any have a realistic shot to come away with the Commissioner's Trophy over the powerhouse Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox?

Here is what our algorithm, based on our nERD metric that indicates expected run differential over an average opponent, has to say on that matter.

TeamWorld Series Win OddsnERDnERD Rank
Chicago Cubs28.20%1.871
Boston Red Sox19.20%1.292
Cleveland Indians13.60%0.934
Washington Nationals11.90%0.983
Los Angeles Dodgers10.80%0.915
Toronto Blue Jays4.60%0.836
Texas Rangers3.30%-0.1716
San Francisco Giants3.10%0.637
New York Mets2.60%0.3411
Baltimore Orioles2.60%0.1312


Despite the best record in the American League, our numbers view the Texas Rangers as the weakest team in the playoffs.

The Cubs, though, are the clear favorites, and you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who can disagree with that.