Breaking down the odds and contenders in the 2024 AL Central race.

We’re a week into Spring Training in Florida and Arizona. It’s always nice to see the sunshine and know that the 2024 MLB season is coming.

After finishing second in the AL Central last year, hopes are high for the Detroit Tigers entering 2024 with a young core led by Javy Baez looking for a big year.

We’ve already gone over what the Tigers need to do in 2024, now we’re going to look at the other teams in the AL Central and where the best Michigan Sportsbooks have them in the chase for the division title.

Minnesota Twins

Caesars Odds to Win Division -110; BetRivers -122; BetMGM -125

Minnesota’s 87 wins last season were the fewest of any division winner. They were just the most consistent team in the division while the other four teams were all in some stage of rebuilding. The rotation is built around Sonny Gray and Pablo Lopez who each made the All-Star team last year.

No one in the Twins line-up last season had over 66 RBI. Carlos Correa is still making the big money. He finished with 65 RBI and 29 doubles.

Cleveland Guardians

Caesars Odds to Win Division +375; BetRivers +375; BetMGM +400

The Guardians thought outside the box and hired 39-year-old Stephen Vogt as new manager despite limited experience. He was a back-up catcher most of his MLB career.

Cleveland may have the best pitching staff in division. Tanner Bigbee won 10 games in his rookie year with a 2.98 ERA and the Guardians have a good closer in Emmanuel Clase, who had 44 saves. But there are questions at shortstop and in the outfield.

Kansas City Royals

Caesars Odds to Win Division +850; BetRivers +700; BetMGM +900

The Royals started 1-6 last season and were never in it, but they did finish 14-12 in September. Maybe that’s a good sign.

Kansas City spent money on the pitching staff in the off-season, bringing in former All-Star Michael Wacha, who was 14-4 with the Padres last year, and Seth Lugo who finished 8-7 with San Diego.

The line-up is led by Bobby Witt Jr. who led MLB with 11 triples in 2023 and added Hunter Renfroe. The Royals may be a lot better, but they have a long way to go.

Chicago White Sox

Caesars Odds to Win Division +3500; BetRivers +4000; BetMGM +4000

The bottom dropped out for the White Sox in 2023. They finished with their fewest wins since 1970 and no starter won 10 games or more.

Second-year manager Pedro Grifol is counting on another big year from All-Star Luis Robert Jr. who bashed 38 homers last year. Andrew Benintendi had 34 doubles. It feels like he’s been around forever. Dylan Cease will probably be the Opening Day starter. He had 214 strikeouts last year. But the White Sox look like a team that’s a year away from being a contender at least.

By:Darren Cooper

Born and raised in Louisiana, Darren Cooper has a fond appreciation for bayous, Mardi Gras beads and the sports betting industry. Darren has worked for multiple print and online publications since 1998, primarily as a sports columnist in the Northeast. He’s covered a Super Bowl (it was a blowout), the World Series (same) and the NBA Draft (man, those guys are tall). For the last few years he’s dug deep into the sports gambling industry as it exploded across America, learning how the legal sausage is made and how while all the sportsbooks look the same, they all have different identities and styles. He’s learned to always bet within his means -- and take the under. When not in front of his computer creating, Darren spends time with his three boys. He runs, reads and is always looking for the next big thing to write about.