AL Central Winner Odds 2024: Guardians Lead Continues to Grow

• The Cleveland Guardians have a 4.5 game lead for first with less than 20 games remaining

• Kansas City and Minnesota hold two of the three wildcard spots

• The Detroit Tigers are just three games back from Minnesota in the wildcard standings

After narrowly losing their lead to the Kansas City Royals, the Cleveland Guardians have seemingly rounded back into form and have steadily pulled away from the rest of the pack. With a 4.5 game lead for first with less than 20 games remaining, the Guardians have built themselves a cushion in their efforts of winning the AL Central division title.

The Kansas City Royals meanwhile are still in division title contention, yet time is quickly running out for them to leap back over the Cleveland Guardians for first. Their lead for a wildcard spot is also dwindling as the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers continue to climb up the wildcard standings. Speaking of the Tigers, their postseason hopes have been revived after a hot stretch of play as they are now only three games back from the Twins in the wildcard standings for the last wildcard spot.

MLB AL Central Winner Odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM sportsbook. Use our code WSNSPORTS at BetMGM and claim your bonus: Get Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets!*
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AL Central Predictions and Favorites to Win

Kansas City Royals +950 at FanDuel

After threatening to leap over the Guardians for first, the Kansas City Royals have trended in the wrong direction as they are now 4.5 games back from the current leaders. Their offense has continued to struggle with getting on base at a league average rate, entering the final stretch of play ranked below league average in On Base Percentage.

While their division title hopes steadily fade away, the Royals still hold on to one of the three wildcard spots. They are far from cementing their spot in the playoffs as the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers continue to climb up the wildcard standings. Should the Royals want to hold them off, then their offense will need to generate more consistent production to help give the defense the help they need to limit negative variance.

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Minnesota Twins +4000 at BetMGM

Like the Royals, the Minnesota Twins are also trending in the wrong direction after threatening the Guardians for first in the division. Now six games back from first, the Twins best course of making the playoffs reside on them holding on to the last wildcard spot in the wildcard standings.

Outside of pitching, the Twins have arguably been the most well rounded team in the division as they rank above league average in Team Total Hits, RBIs, Total Runs Scored, On Base Percentage, and Defensive Efficiency. Their consistent high level of play puts them in a good position to hold on to their playoff berth, yet the Tigers trail not too far behind them. Their offense will have to continue to play at a high rate as they end their year with a series against the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Guardians, and Baltimore Orioles.

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Detroit Tigers +75000 at Caesars

After looking like a lost cause in the middle of the season, a hot stretch of play has the Detroit Tigers right back in playoff contention as they are now only three games back from the Minnesota Twins in the wildcard standings. They are also still in the division title picture, yet their hopes of winning the AL Central look bleak as they are nine games back from the Cleveland Guardians for first.

The issue for the Tigers is that negative regression looms large over their offense as they rank league average in RBIs and Total Runs Scored and near dead last in Team Total Hits and On Base Percentage. That is an unsustainable rate of scoring, leaving the Tigers prone to crashing hard should their bats cool off. AL Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal can’t play every game to help keep the contest tight for their offense, desperately needing to generate contact at a higher rate to help sustain their level of play.

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Chicago White Sox N/A

With only a few weeks left of play, the White Sox faithful will no longer have to continue to suffer by watching the worst team in the league. Nothing went right for the White Sox this year as they currently rank near dead last across the board in Team Total Hits, RBIs, Total Runs Scored, On Base Percentage, Defensive Efficiency, and Team Total Pitching ERA.

Fortunately for the White Sox, it will be near impossible to not improve throughout the offseason as any addition to their team will most likely elevate their level of play. The issue is that they need help at seemingly every single position as they failed to generate any sort of competitive production on either side of the field. While it may not be as ugly as this year, it’s tough to see the White Sox instantly turning it around next season.

Who Will Win the AL Central Division?

My Pick - Cleveland Guardians (-1000) at BetMGM

Post All Star break, the Cleveland Guardians were tasked with the second hardest remaining strength of schedule to end their season. That makes their play even more impressive as they managed to hold on to their lead for first in the division throughout that torturous stretch.

With a 4.5 game lead with less than 20 games remaining in the season, the Cleveland Guardians control their own destiny in terms of winning the division. Better yet, the Guardians would also receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs should they win the division as they currently have a seven game lead over the AL West leading Houston Astros. The Guardians also have an opportunity to secure the top overall seed as they are tied with the New York Yankees for the best record in the AL.

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AL Central History

The AL Central has been dominated by the Minnesota Twins as of late, winning the division title in three of the past five years. They even opened as the favorite to win it this season, but have quickly fallen down the board after a lackluster start to the year. 

That has opened the door for the Cleveland Guardians to make it two division title wins in three years while the Kansas City Royals trail behind them. Should the Royals manage to leap over the Guardians, that would mark their first division title since they won it back in 2015. As for the Tigers and White Sox, their division title drought looks to continue as they trickle down the standings.

Past AL Central Winners

How to Read AL Central Division Odds

When making any type of wager, it’s important to know how to read the listed odds. Especially for a favorite like the Cleveland Guardians as the minus sign (-) indicates that you would need to tie in $1,000 to win $100 at -1000 odds. Should you like one of the underdogs instead like the Minnesota Twins at +4000, then a $100 wager would profit you $4,000 should they win the AL Central.

How to Choose the Best Sportsbook for Betting on the AL Central Division

Having access to multiple online sportsbooks is important in more ways than one. Each book has their own listed odds, giving you the ability to line shop. That is especially vital when wagering on a favorite like the Guardians, getting them anywhere from -1000 at BetMGM to -1200 at Caesars Sportsbook. That is a difference of $200 in a tied up wager while returning the same amount of profit.

Each book also has their own unique new user sign up bonus, giving their users a boost to their bankroll to wager with during the MLB regular season. Caesars sportsbook for example is giving new users $1,000 back in the form of bonus bets if they lose their first wager after creating an account with the WSN promo code WSN1000.

Find more insights on the best MLB betting sites available today in our detailed guide.

*Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l terms.