World Series odds update: Blue Jays surging after recent acquisitions

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.

Entering the season, only eight teams had worse odds to win the World Series than the Toronto Blue Jays (+10000). They were mere afterthoughts after three consecutive losing seasons.

Fast forward six weeks and Toronto is among the hottest teams in baseball - and bettors are taking notice.

Since Aug. 17, no team has won more games than the Blue Jays (11), who boast three wins by five runs or more and five losses by a combined six runs over that span. After seeing odds as high as 75-1 earlier this month, their price has shortened to 60-1 and could continue to shrink after a busy trade deadline.

Toronto acquired versatile infielder Jonathan Villar, who will likely be the everyday shortstop until young star Bo Bichette returns from the IL. They also bolstered the rotation by adding Taijuan Walker - who threw six scoreless innings in his Saturday debut - and former All-Stars Robbie Ray and Ross Stripling ahead of the deadline.

Those additions should bring upside and stability to a staff that used 21 different starters a season ago. This year the rotation has been one of the most effective in the majors. Toronto leads the league in opposing xwOBAcon (.364) - which is an expected measure of the quality of contact allowed - and it's among the best at avoiding zone contact and hard-hit balls.

The Blue Jays hitters aren't having trouble producing this season. They rank fourth in MLB in hard-hit rate (41.1%) and have cut down on their swings and misses, a major problem for this young lineup last year. Playing in Buffalo's minor-league park certainly helps - they own MLB's second-best OPS (.878) at home - but Toronto's lineup seems to have turned things around after a disappointing 2019.

Will it last? Advanced stats seem to think so. The Blue Jays have a 65.2% chance of making the playoffs, per Fangraphs, and Toronto's 1.2% chance to win it all is much closer to their 75-1 price in early August than their current charge. For that reason, it's probably wiser to stay away for now and buy back up when their bats cool off.

If you bought at 100-1 this summer, though, you should feel encouraged about owning one of the highest upside tickets in the field. With a deep rotation and a stable of powerful young bats, Toronto has a legitimate chance to make some noise in what promises to be a wild postseason.

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.