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
Milwaukee Brewers: Out In Front Again
The favorites to win the NL Central this season are the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brew Crew won this division a season ago and they appear to have more of an offense to rely on than they did a season ago. As the rest of the teams in this division are struggling to find consistency, the Brewers have a top-three run differential in the National League in 2024 and they have been dominating opponents at home, putting them at the front of this race.
St. Louis Cardinals: Still In Contention
The St. Louis Cardinals were co-favorites to win this division alongside the Cubs before the 2024 season started. But they are trailing the Brewers in the standings while looking to rebound from last year’s disaster of a 2023 campaign. So far this year, the Cardinals have been hovering around the .500 mark and they clearly have some talent on their roster. But they need to be more consistent if they are going to find a way to catch up to the Brewers and challenge for the NL Central crown. Still, being in Wild Card contention is not a bad thing for this team after how last year went.
Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds: Falling Behind
After the Brewers and Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds are all fighting to try to climb back into contention in the Central. The Pirates have a prolific young starter in Paul Skenes to help them, but the rest of their pitching staff has been mediocre at best. Pittsburgh not being the clear worst team in this division is a step in the right direction, though, no matter what happens in the final months of the season.
Chicago was a co-favorite to win the NL Central along with the Brewers for much of the first half of this season. But they have fallen off, as struggles with their bullpen have made it tough for them to hold the leads they do get. While there are some clear positives on the Cubs roster right now, they haven’t been enough to hang with Milwaukee.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati is falling further under the .500 mark this season and they are in danger of finishing in last place in this division this year. The expectations for the Reds are still low for now, as their nucleus is still relatively young. But the Reds are by no means dead and buried yet and still have time to try and turn it around.