As the final stretch of the Major League Baseball regular season nears, Kalshi has announced exclusive partnerships with five teams, including the reigning World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The prediction markets operator revealed on Tuesday that it signed multi-year branding agreements with the Dodgers, alongside the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants. Notably, due to ongoing legal issues, Kalshi does not provide sports event contracts in Massachusetts. A lawsuit from the Massachusetts attorney general has halted Kalshi's sports markets pending a decision from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Of the teams involved, the Dodgers, Padres, and Giants are all based in California, which is a key market for prediction market engagement despite sports wagering being illegal in the state. Following this latest announcement, nearly 25% of all MLB teams are now partnering with a prediction market operator, bringing the total to seven teams in the league. The New York Mets were the first MLB team to enter into a partnership with a prediction market when they signed with Novig in late July, just ahead of Polymarket's agreement with the New York Yankees.
In a statement on X, Kalshi expressed enthusiasm, saying, "Baseball fans have made Kalshi part of how they engage with the game. We’re excited to keep investing in them and in the sport."
Fans attending games will see brand activations as early as Tuesday, when the Braves host the Dodgers for a three-game series at Truist Park. These activations will include in-stadium branding, social media campaigns, online content, radio promotions, and various fan interactions.
In the game on Tuesday, Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow (3-0, ERA 2.72) is set to take the mound. As of 3 PM ET, Kalshi indicated a 60% probability of the Dodgers winning against the Braves, alongside a 27% chance for Shohei Ohtani hitting a home run—marginally above Matt Olson’s 20%. There's also a 59% likelihood of Glasnow achieving at least six strikeouts.
As the Dodgers embark on a six-game road trip, they are scheduled to return home on September 1 to face the St. Louis Cardinals. Under their new multi-year partnership, the Dodgers will rebrand the Golden Glove Bar, located in left field, to the Kalshi 435 Club. Kalshi has promised fans unique offers and exclusive activations at the venue throughout the season. The operator reported a dramatic increase in baseball-related trading volume, which has surged approximately 36 times over the past year.
Adam Barrick, Kalshi's head of sports partnerships, noted, "The idea is that fans are already engaging with their favourite teams on Kalshi, so it only makes sense to extend that fandom to some of the most beloved baseball teams in America."
In terms of current World Series odds, the Dodgers are leading the pack with a 34% chance to win the championship in 2026. This means a Kalshi customer who bets $100 could see a payout of around $282. The Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers sit at roughly 10% odds. In the American League, the Yankees hold a 24% likelihood of victory, while the Tampa Bay Rays and Red Sox follow closely at 22% and 15% respectively.
Ohtani is also in contention for his third consecutive National League MVP title. According to an MLB.com poll of 37 anonymous experts, Ohtani ranked second behind Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow Armstrong, who received 29 first-place votes. Ohtani holds MVP odds of 33%, compared to Armstrong’s commanding 67% and Alex Bregman’s distant 1%.
Earlier this year, Polymarket became MLB's exclusive prediction market exchange partner following a deal that came shortly after the league's agreement with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission on prediction market frameworks. MLB has not publicly commented on the Kalshi partnerships, and only the Red Sox acknowledged the deal briefly on social media with an approving emoji.
