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The Cleveland Guardians ended up with a 76-86 record last season, finishing in 3rd place, 11 games behind the division champion Minnesota Twins.
There is a changing of the guard in The Land, too, as manager Terry Francona stepped away after 11 seasons. First-time manager Stephen Vogt, a former Major League catcher, will assume the skipper role heading into 2024 and beyond.
The Guardians will have a decent pitching staff, and they’ll have to get the most out of their offense to be competitive. The team added C Austin Hedges to a 1-year deal, as well as SP Ben Lively, for depth. RP Scott Barlow comes in from the San Diego Padres, giving the back end of the rotation a boost, and a possible insurance chip if the team elects to trade Emmanuel Clase, the current closer.
The popular Carlos Carrasco is back in a Cleveland uniform, and he is expected to have a spot in the rotation with Cal Quantrill having been traded to the Colorado Rockies in the offseason. Lucas Giolito left for Boston, where he is dealing with an injury now.
The Guardians are going to be pesky in 2024, but it remains to be seen if they can be championship timber. Let’s analyze the Cleveland Guardians’ World Series odds, along with their projected win total, playoff, division and AL odds as we make our expert MLB picks and predictions.
Cleveland Guardians World Series odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday, March 26, at 12:31 a.m. ET.
Odds: +6000 (bet $100 to win $6,000)
The Guardians certainly don’t have the longest odds to win the World Series, but they’re nowhere near the favorites to win the championship, either. In fact, the Minnesota Twins (+2100) have the shortest odds in the AL Central to win the World Series.
The Los Angeles Dodgers (+320) are the favorites, followed by the Atlanta Braves (+450), Houston Astros (+700), New York Yankees (+900) and the defending champion Texas Rangers (+1400) and Baltimore Orioles (+1400).
At +6000, Cleveland has an implied probability of winning the World Series of 1.64% or 60/1 fractional odds.
The Colorado Rockies and Oakland Athletics are tied for the longest odds at +50000. The Chicago White Sox and Washington Nationals are next at +25000, with the Pittsburgh Pirates at +20000.
The Guardians could challenge for a postseason spot, as the AL Central is one of the weakest divisions in baseball, but a championship run is not expected from this mish-mash roster.
AVOID.
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Cleveland Guardians playoff odds
Will they make the playoffs: Yes +176 | No -230
The Guardians have the pitching to hang with anyone in the American League. From RHP Shane Bieber, RHP Triston McKenzie, RHP Gavin Williams, RHP Tanner Bibee and LHP Logan Allen, to depth options RHP Carlos Carrasco, RHP Xzavion Curry, RHP Jaime Barria and RHP Tyler Beede, the team has the pitching to make a sustained run.
The big question for Cleveland is where will the offense come from? Besides 3B Jose Ramirez, and perhaps 1B Josh Naylor, there isn’t a lot of offensive pop. The team will struggle to score runs, similar to 2023, and there doesn’t appear to be much help on the horizon.
Still, at this price, it’s tempting to take a chance on Cleveland for a playoff run. Play YES (+176) for the Guardians to make the playoffs, as it isn’t as big of a long shot as some might think.
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Cleveland Guardians win total
Over/Under: 79.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
The Guardians have a good chance to exceed their win total by quite a bit if the pitching holds up.
Cleveland could potentially trade Bieber at some point, and still be in relatively good shape. Bieber is the 2nd-highest paid player on the roster, and he could fetch some much-needed offense from a contender looking for pitching.
The Guardians will get to kick around the White Sox and Kansas City Royals, giving them a decent amount of victories from inside the division.
Don’t get carried away, but with Cleveland’s deep pitching, OVER 79.5 WINS (-110) is a decent play.
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To win AL Central Division
- Minnesota Twins -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
- Cleveland Guardians +300 (bet $100 to win $300)
- Detroit Tigers +380 (bet $100 to win $380)
- Kansas City Royals +1000 (bet $100 to win $1,000)
- Chicago White Sox +5000 (bet $100 to win $5,000)
Cleveland has an implied probability of winning the AL Central of 25.00% or 3/1 fractional odds.
The Guardians and the Tigers are giving chase to the defending champion Twins. It isn’t as huge of a gulf as the odds might indicate, however,
Minnesota has a strong offense, and the pitching is decent, but Cleveland can more than hold its own in the pitching department.
For a chance to triple up, GUARDIANS +300 TO WIN THE AL CENTRAL isn’t a bad idea. If Cleveland was in any other division, it wouldn’t have a chance, but this division is a legit 3-horse race. The Twins are good, but they’re not Braves or Dodgers good.
To win American League
Odds: +2100 (bet $100 to win $2,100)
The Guardians are worth a look to make the postseason, most likely as a division winner, as the AL Central isn’t likely to be a 2-playoff spot division. However, let’s not get crazy, as this isn’t a World Series contender.
If Cleveland makes the postseason, it would be decisive underdogs against any of the real contenders in the American League, and the postseason trip wouldn’t last long.
This isn’t a team capable of winning a postseason series, if it even gets there. AVOID.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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