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Yankees or Dodgers: Which Team Will Win More Games In 2020?

Adam Thompson for Bookies.com

Adam Thompson  | 5 mins

Yankees or Dodgers: Which Team Will Win More Games In 2020?

When it comes to 2020 World Series odds, it’s the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and everyone else.

There is good reason Cody Bellinger and the Dodgers, along with Aaron Judge and the Yankees, are 1-2 on the MLB futures betting charts. But which team has the chops to have a better regular season?

DraftKings has posted some intriguing props matching teams and win totals for the 2020 MLB regular season, including between these premier teams of each league. Which team should you back? Let's take a deep dive and find the answer.

Team Odds Bet It At
New York Yankees -105 DraftKings
Los Angeles Dodgers -120 DraftKings

MLB odds current as of publication

Comparing The Rosters

There is a reason the Dodgers are the class of the National League and the Yankees are favored to win the American League over the Houston Astros.

First, each team offers an exhausting lineup of hitters for pitchers to contend with each night. The Dodgers’ acquisition of MVP Mookie Betts from the Red Sox pairs him with Bellinger to form perhaps the top 1-2 combo in the majors. Max Muncy, Corey Seager and newcomer Gavin Lux are just a few of the other big bats in the order.


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Is that better than the Bombers’ foursome of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu? That’s just the start of a major 1-9 order.

The Yankees were slightly better across the board last year, despite dealing with myriad injuries.

For pitching, the Dodgers had the best staff in baseball in 2019 and seemed to bolster it by adding David Price. But Price has said he’ll sit out the 2020 season for family reasons. The Yankees added the best hurler in the game, Gerrit Cole, but will be without Domingo German, who must sit the entire season because of a domestic violence suspension.

The Yankees might get the edge with the depth of their bats, but the Dodgers – with Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and a strong bullpen – have the edge on the mound.

Comparing The Schedule

Yankees or Dodgers: Which Team Will Win More Games In 2020? 1
Cody Bellinger, facing, and Max Muncy led the Dodgers offense in 2019, combining for 82 home runs and 222 runs scored.

According to the Washington Post, the Dodgers have the third-easiest schedule in this 60-game season in terms of opponents’ win percentage. The Yankees have the fourth-easiest.

But breaking it down more from an MLB betting perspective, it appears L.A. has the smoother path and it doesn’t seem that close.


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The Yankees should win the AL East, though the Rays and Red Sox won’t go away. But their interleague matchups with the NL East are going to be tough. There are no gimmies with 16 games vs. the Nationals, Braves, Mets and Phillies. The Yankees’ strength of schedule is diminished because those NL East teams batter each other.

The Dodgers don’t have a real threat in the NL West – they won the division by 21 games last year. They then match up with an AL West that had the Astros, along with two wild-card hopefuls in the A’s and Angels.

On paper it’s close, but in reality the Dodgers have an easier regular-season path.



The X-Factor

The Yankees led MLB in scoring last year and ranked in the top five in home runs, RBIs, average, on-base percentage and slugging. But they also had 30 injured list stints that cost the team 3,150 in combined games – the most in the history of baseball. Stanton accounted for 144 of those games, Judge for 60 more.

Clearly, the Yankees were good despite the injury issues, but in a shorter season it could be an issue. Two stints on the injury list could constitute more than one-third of the season.

The Pick

These are the two best teams in baseball and favorites to reach the World Series for a reason. They each possess a top-five offense and the pitching staffs should be top-heavy and bullpen-strong.

But the Dodgers get the edge. Their schedule is easier and their propensity to stay healthy is stronger. In a short season like this one, those traits are heightened. Take the Dodgers to win more games with DraftKings.

About the Author

Adam Thompson for Bookies.com
Adam Thompson
NFL writer and expert Adam Thompson joined Bookies.com in 2019 after a successful run as senior handicapper for SportsLine and CBSSports.com. He's long been established as one of the nation's premier handicappers, specializing in the NFL where he's hit on more than 60% over the past three years. Adam's NBA, PGA and horse racing picks have also produced major winners over the last 12 months. His customized NFL and NBA odds for players and teams have been picked up by hundreds of websites over the past year.