Remember a year ago when the Blue Jays were the talk of baseball going into spring training?

Toronto was even listed at one time as the betting favourites to win the 2013 World Series, ranking shortly ahead of the Dodgers, Angels and Nationals. (For the record, the Jays, Angels and Nationals all went on to miss the playoffs.)

We all know how that worked out. Even after adopting half the Marlins roster and acquiring defending NL Cy Young champion R.A. Dickey, the Jays went on to crash, burn and finish dead last in the A.L. East. (For the record, the Angels and Nationals missed the playoffs as well.)

So maybe it’s a good thing people aren’t talking too much about the Jays as the 2014 season approaches. Oddsmakers don’t seem too impressed, either, listing Toronto as a +1800 darkhorse to win its first World Series since glory years that feel so much longer ago than 1992-93.

Sportsbooks rank the Dodgers, Nationals and Tigers as the top three betting favourites to win the World Series in 2014. They’re followed by the World Series finalist Cardinals, the World Series champion Red Sox and the World Series-jinxed Rangers.

It’s interesting to note that the top six favourites represent each of the six divisions. Part of the reason for this might be oddsmakers guarding against hedging, when bettors holding lucrative tickets bet the other side to ensure some profit. A popular futures betting strategy is to take a World Series longshot, have that team make the playoffs and then bet against that team in playoff series betting.

For instance, having one unit on the Red Sox at +1000 odds, seeing Boston make the playoffs, then putting two units on the Rangers +120 to beat them in the first round. If the Rangers win the series, you gain 1.4 units (including the one-unit loss on the Boston bet). If Boston wins the series, you still in effect have Boston at +800 odds (+1000 minus the 2 units you lost) and are one playoff round closer to cashing your bet.

Here’s a look at the 2014 MLB World Series futures betting odds for all teams, as of January 18:

Dodgers                     +700
Nationals                    +800
Tigers                         +900
Cardinals                    +1000
Red Sox                     +1000
Rangers                      +1100
Athletics                     +1400
Braves                        +1400
Yankees                      +1400
Reds                           +1500
Angels                        +1500
Rays                           +1800
Blue Jays                   +1800
Royals                        +2500
Indians                       +2500
Pirates                        +2500
Orioles                       +2500
Giants                        +2500
Diamondbacks           +3300
Mariners                    +3300
Phillies                       +3500
Brewers                      +4000
White Sox                  +4500
Cubs                          +5500
Rockies                      +5500
Padres                        +6600
Twins                         +8000
Mets                           +8000
Marlins                      +10000
Astros                        +250000