The National League Central is in an interesting place this Major League Baseball season, as there does not appear to be one spectacular team in the division. But someone will do enough to win this division, as one team will represent the NL Central in the postseason this year. Here, we look at the NL Central futures market and where each team is in the hierarchy this year.
2024 NL Central Futures Betting Odds
Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals: Rivals Fighting For a Title
The co-favorites to win the NL Central this season are the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. These rivals finished in second and fourth place in this division, respectively, last season. But both teams have made some maneuvers that they hope will push them over the top in a division where only one team finished the season with over 90 wins in 2023.
Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds: In the Mix
The team that won the NL Central last season was the Milwaukee Brewers, who pulled away comfortably late in the season. Milwaukee was swept in the Wild Card round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, who went onto win the National League pennant. This year, the Brewers will need to do more offensively if they want to hold off the rest of the pack in this division.
Last year’s Cincinnati Reds were much-improved last season, finishing the year two games above .500, with the same record as the New York Yankees. Cincinnati’s pitching staff was dreadful last season, ranking fourth in this division in runs allowed. But adding Jeimer Candelario could certainly help their offense to offset some of their pitching issues.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Low Expectations Again
The Pittsburgh Pirates spent a lot of time in first place in the NL Central last season. But their success ceased in the second half of the 2023 campaign. Pittsburgh is expected to finish in last place in this division once again this year, but they proved last year that they are certainly capable of avoiding finishing in the basement.