World Series odds: Nationals now favorites for title

Two months into the season, the pretenders are beginning to fade and the true contenders are emerging, and who better to figure out who those contenders are than the folks with a financial stake in it in Las Vegas. With that said, here are Bovada's latest odds on who will win the World Series:

Buyers at the deadline?

Washington Nationals - 6/1
Los Angeles Dodgers - 13/2
Kansas City Royals - 15/2
St. Louis Cardinals - 15/2
San Francisco Giants - 10/1
Chicago Cubs - 12/1
Detroit Tigers - 14/1
Houston Astros - 18/1
New York Mets - 18/1
Los Angeles Angels - 20/1
Pittsburgh Pirates - 20/1
New York Yankees - 22/1
Boston Red Sox - 25/1
Minnesota Twins - 25/1
Seattle Mariners - 25/1
Cleveland Indians - 28/1

Potential sellers at the deadline

San Diego Padres - 33/1
Baltimore Orioles - 40/1
Chicago White Sox - 40/1
Tampa Bay Rays - 40/1
Toronto Blue Jays - 50/1
Texas Rangers - 66/1
Oakland Athletics - 100/1
Atlanta Braves - 150/1
Cincinnati Reds - 150/1
Miami Marlins - 150/1
Arizona Diamondbacks - 250/1
Colorado Rockies - 250/1
Milwaukee Brewers - 500/1
Philadelphia Phillies - 500/1

What this means as we eye the MLB trade deadline on July 31:

The biggest movers up the board were the Twins, who are at 25/1 now and were 100/1 to win the World Series at the last update on May 6. Minnesota leads the AL Central at 30-19 behind a strong performance on the mound, especially from starters Kyle Gibson and Mike Pelfrey, who both have sub-3.00 ERAs so far this season.

If the Twins are still in good shape in a month or two, they could call up top prospect Byron Buxton, who currently has an .826 OPS at Double-A Chattanooga.

Another team improving its odds is the Cubs, who are now at 12/1 after being 16/1 in the last update. Chicago is five games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central race, but are right in the thick of the Wild Card race at 27-22, and will likely look to add pitching if they stay in the race near the trade deadline.