2024 MLB odds: Breaking down each division as new season begins

The World Series projections will always headline the prognostications of a new season, but when it comes to the ebbs and flows of an MLB season, you have to win the division first to set yourself up nicely for a postseason run. 

Six automatic postseason qualifying spots were put on the line Thursday and for the next six months, it’s the first thing MLB fans will check when they wake up in the morning — regardless of what place their team is in. 

Here is how the sportsbooks see things playing out this season:

AL East

More often than not the American League East has been a two-horse race between its blue-chip, traditional rivals in the Yankees and Red Sox. The Yankees are one of the favorites despite losing Gerrit Cole for a couple months thanks to the acquisition of Juan Soto. The other is the upstart Orioles — the defending division champions with a young core and new ownership poised to make success much more consistent in Baltimore moving forward. 

1. New York Yankees +185
2. Baltimore Orioles +185
3. Toronto Blue Jays +400
4. Tampa Bay Rays +550
5. Boston Red Sox +1700

AL Central

One of the least impressive divisions in baseball is set to benefit the Twins once again. They won their third divisional title in five years last season with 87 wins and there probably will not be many more wins required to take the crown in 2024. The White Sox regressed significantly and the Royals still have plenty of work to do. The Tigers and Guardians are on the cusp, but things have to break their way this season to be in the conversation.

1. Minnesota Twins -115
2. Detroit Tigers +350
3. Cleveland Guardians +350
4. Kansas City Royals +850
5. Chicago White Sox +4000

AL West

The defending World Series champions are not favored to win their division in part because they lost Jordan Montgomery to free agency and have two of their star arms in Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer on the injured list. The Astros have won the division six times in the last seven years. They know how to get it done and they’ll be right near the top when this season is over.

1. Houston Astros -110
2. Texas Rangers +230
3. Seattle Mariners +285
4. Los Angeles Angels +4500
5. Oakland Athletics +25000

NL East

The Braves are the second-best team on paper in MLB behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, and rightfully so. An embarrassment of riches in the power department is coupled with an impressive starting rotation that should have them flirting with 100 wins. Their kryptonite in the Phillies, however, are not far away and with the Mets expected to take a year to assess what they have, the NL East feels like a two-horse race.

1. Atlanta Braves -240
2. Philadelphia Phillies +310
3. New York Mets +1200
4. Miami Marlins +1700
5. Washington Nationals +10000

NL Central

There must be something about central divisions because the NL Central is not much to write home about. Both the Cubs and Cardinals’ over/under in total wins this season is at 84.5 and they are the two favorites to win the division. The young Cincinnati Reds should start to show flashes of something special this year, which should make this an entertaining race.

1. Chicago Cubs +185
2. St. Louis Cardinals +190
3. Cincinnati Reds +350
4. Milwaukee Brewers +750
5. Pittsburgh Pirates +1200

NL West

It sure feels like the NL West is the Dodgers and then everybody else. The acquisitions of Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto make them the undisputed World Series favorites — and no one in their division could slow them down. Even if that includes the defending NL champions, the Diamondbacks. 

1. Los Angeles Dodgers -450
2. San Francisco +1000
3. Arizona Diamondbacks +1000
4. San Diego Padres +1100
5. Colorado Rockies +20000

Odds courtesy of DraftKings. For more, click here.

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