New York Yankees fans certainly won't be thrilled with these World Series odds.

The New York Yankees have been playing some terrific baseball of late, having gone 19-8 over their last 27 games with October just over the horizon. The Yankees just took three of four from the Baltimore Orioles and have a two series remaining during the regular season: one with the Chicago White Sox and another against the Orioles.

That's a pretty easy slate and actually gives New York the opportunity to win out here just before the playoffs start.

But for as well as the Yanks have been playing, another American League team has emerged as a very serious World Series threat: the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners have not only booted the Houston Astros out of first place in the AL West, but they are also on track to get a first-round bye in the postseason. And it's not just because of Cal Raleigh. Seattle has a very good all-around ballclub in general.

In fact, Fangraphs likes the Mariners so much that it has given them the best World Series odds of any team in baseball.

Yankees fans probably won't like that, but it is what it is.

Remember: Fangraphs uses statistical models to come up with their projections, so it's not like anyone is specifically picking the Mariners here. It's just what the numbers say.

Is it realistic? Possibly, but it largely depends on the health of star pitcher Bryan Woo, who is currently dealing with some minor pec inflammation. That could absolutely affect his status for the playoffs, so it remains to be seen (it also makes it all the more important for Seattle to get that first-round bye).

But for New York? All the Yanks can worry about is continuing to play sound baseball to close out the regular season. The Yankees definitely have the talent to win the World Series, but their shaky bullpen and their lack of a proven No. 3 starter are certainly concerning variables.

The good news is that the rest of the American League does not look overly impressive. The Detroit Tigers have fallen off a cliff, and the Astros are no longer as menacing as they once were. The path to a World Series is there for the Bronx Bombers, even if the Mariners may have something to say about it.