After acquiring Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers have become the new Bovada betting favorites to win the World Series, as heard through Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports.

The defending National League champions sit at 53-43, half a game up on the Arizona Diamondbacks for first in the NL West. With star shortstop Corey Seager needing Tommy John Surgery, which ultimately ended his season, the Dodgers found an ideal replacement in Machado.

A lineup that consists of Machado, Justin Turner, Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger and Matt Kemp will be very difficult to beat in October. Throw in an elite pitching staff led by Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood and Kenley Jansen, and the Dodgers just might have the best roster in all of baseball.

Machado is having an excellent 2018 season, batting .315 with 24 home runs, 65 RBI and an OPS of .962. He'll provide superb defense and another powerful bat in a Dodgers team that, on paper, is head and shoulders above every other team in the National League.

The Dodgers led the Majors with 104 wins last season and cruised to the World Series, but they fell to the Houston Astros in seven games. With a loaded roster and stacked farm system, landing Machado was their "go for it" move. He'll make the defending NL champs that much tougher to beat.

Los Angeles got off to a sluggish start, sitting at 16-26 on May 16. With the bulk of their roster finally healthy, the Dodgers have gotten hot and look poised to win a sixth consecutive NL West title.

But that simply isn't enough for the team that just acquired Machado. This fall will mark the 30-year anniversary of their last World Series championship. In trading for Machado, the Dodgers may be oh-so-close to ending the drought.

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