MLB 2025: Three Underdogs That Could Win the World Series

Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays - Source: Unsplash

What makes October baseball truly electric? Is it the potential slip-ups of the big-market juggernauts-or is it the wild, unpredictable late-season surge of teams nobody tipped as potential champions when spring training began in the Arizona desert? As the 2025 MLB season thunders toward its climax, it's the latter, the upstarts, who threaten to redefine the hierarchy of power.

Much of the reason for that is the inconsistent form of the reigning champion, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last season, the Californians romped to the World Series, dominating the Yankees 4-1 in the finale, which much of their form built on the back of a record-breaking year from MVP Shohei Ohtani. But while the Japanese sensation has returned to the pitching mound this term in a bid to take his brilliance two ways, LA have been far from the imperious force that betting sites predicted at the start of the year. Before a pitch was thrown, the oddsmakers at one popular online betting website said it all: +150 to repeat as champions, a near-unprecedented nod to their perceived invincibility. But baseball is a long, punishing marathon, and the Dodgers have stumbled through unexpected potholes. A rash of injuries, inconsistent bats, and cracks in a once-mighty bullpen have seen them slip all the way out to +400 with the playoffs beginning to loom. With the kings of Chavez Ravine now looking more mortal than ever, who stands most ready to seize the moment? Here are three dark horses who possess the metrics, the momentum, and the mentality to capture the 2025 World Series against all odds.

Detroit Tigers

If you are searching for thunder in the American League, look no further than Detroit. The Motor City has traditionally been relegated to the background when it comes to sporting championships, but that has all changed in recent years. The Lions are a force in the NFL, the Pistons are on their way back in the NBA, while the Tigers look poised and ready to mount a deep postseason run in the MLB.

The Tigers have staged an insurgency at the summit of the AL Central this season, racing to an impressive 85-65 record. They look poised and ready to claim their first divisional crown in over a decade, but their hopes don't end there. It has been 41 long years since the Michigan side last claimed the World Series, and the bookies make them a +850 shot to end their drought this season, the fourth-shortest odds of anybody.

Start with the pitching. Tarik Skubal has underscored his second straight Cy Young candidacy with one of the season's great masterpieces, slicing through line-ups with a sub-2.70 ERA and fanning more than 200 batters. Rookie revelations don't end there: Jackson Jobe has also entered the rotation this term and immediately silenced doubters with his electric fastball, offering the type of arsenal that chews up postseason nerves.

Yet the Tigers' story is not one of pitching alone. Their home dominance is stunning-a 44-25 mark at Comerica, where crowd energy and cool fall air combine to rattle even the gutsiest visitors. Offensively, Bobby Witt Jr. has emerged as the catalyst, pacing the team with a lethal blend of pop and speed. There are no glaring weaknesses, only youthful confidence fired up by veteran guidance. Add in a soft finishing schedule that is considered as one of the easiest down the stretch-and it's easy to see how Detroit may secure a coveted AL bye and perhaps much, much more.

Toronto Blue Jays

Sometimes, a team's signature is resilience. In the case of the Blue Jays, it's a rallying cry. Cast your mind back to last fall's collapse and you'll see the fire that�s propelled Toronto to its current 88-66 perch, enough to top the pile in the cutthroat AL East ahead of the heavyweight Yankees and Red Sox.

Up and down their roster, data speaks to a squad built for the postseason crucible. Bo Bichette leads the league in hits and doubles, battering opposing pitchers with a workman�s consistency. George Springera name already synonymous with playoff heroics-has rediscovered vintage form, clubbing 30+ home runs and igniting an offense that has outscored opponents by 40 runs in the past six weeks.

The trade deadline was decisive. Reinforcements arrived, transforming a good lineup into one of September's most potent (.490 team slugging in the month). Kevin Gausman has been a mainstay, compiling a 3.17 ERA. But the biggest surprise? The bullpen, so often Toronto's Achilles' heel, now ranks among the league's best since August with a combined 2.89 ERA.

The schedule handed Toronto a gauntlet of playoff-bound foes, but each challenge toughened their mettle. Analysts praise their tactical flexibility, an ability to win both slugfests and taut duels. In a postseason where versatility is king, the 2025 Blue Jays are sculpted for survival-and for something much bigger.

San Diego Padres

If baseball's closing act is destined for fireworks, watch the Padres light the fuse. At 87-67, and locked in a dogfight for both the division and a wild card slot, you might wonder: Are San Diego legitimate or simply the product of a friendly late schedule? Peel back the layers, and their case becomes impossible to ignore.

Ramon Laureano now sits at the center of the resurgence-his .305/.354/.581 slash line since August giving the offense the dynamism it desperately needed. Paired with the playoff-wizened hands of Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts (each carrying OBPs north of .370), the Padres now rank among the league's top ten in slugging.

Schedule-makers have smiled on San Diego: with some predicting a possible 7-0 stretch against the lowly Rockies, part of what could be the softest closing slate in the league. But it's playoff adaptability-made for the shift-ban era, reliant on both contact and creativity-that has experts buzzing. Of course, there are Achilles' heels; bullpen volatility could burn them. But as every October reminds us, sometimes all it takes is one improbable hot streak.