It’s no secret that the AL Central isn’t very good this season, and you don’t have to look beyond sports betting futures odds to see the division’s weakness.
The division-leading Minnesota Twins (44-43) are +3000 to win the World Series on FanDuel, the 11th-shortest odds of any team to win the title. Four (!) AL East teams have equal or shorter odds to win the World Series, as the Central has been laughable compared to the East, where all five teams have records of .500 or better. Caesars Sportsbook gives the AL Central the lowest odds (+1600) of any division to have the World Series-winning team.
Fortunately for the Detroit Tigers, a weak division means the team’s postseason hopes aren’t dashed as the All-Star break nears despite their poor record of 37-47.
Tigers need a second-half run
If Detroit wants to win its division, the team will need a strong push over the second half of the season. Ahead of Wednesday’s games, the Tigers sit 5.5 games behind the Twins and 4.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians, the AL Central’s second-place squad.
Sadly for Detroit, the betting markets don’t expect the Tigers to make much of a late-season surge. FanDuel lists Detroit at +3500 to win the division and +50000 to win the World Series. The Chicago White Sox, who sit 1.5 games behind Detroit in the AL Central, have shorter odds (+1600) to win the division.
Minnesota is the division favorite (-210), with Cleveland holding the second-shortest odds (+190).
Other mobile sportsbooks have a similar order of projected finish in the AL Central, but FanDuel gives Detroit some of the longest odds to win the division. BetMGM lists Detroit at +2000 to win the AL Central, while Barstool Sportsbook and BetRivers list the Tigers at +3000. DraftKings matches FanDuel’s odds, giving Detroit +3500 odds to win the division.
Easy schedule left
If there is one positive for Detroit, it’s that the Tigers’ remaining schedule is manageable. Detroit faces the third-easiest slate of games through the rest of the season, according to Tankathon.
Sadly for Detroit fans, Minnesota and Chicago have the second-easiest and easiest schedules, respectively. The AL Central’s weakness means four of the five easiest remaining schedules belong to division teams. Cleveland is the outlier with a remaining schedule strength of 17th.
It’s expected to be a pillow fight down the stretch in the AL Central, but the betting markets don’t indicate Detroit is ready to take down its peers and earn a postseason spot.
Photo: Dustin Bradford/Getty Images
