Detroit Tigers Open Season as Sports Betting Longshots

The Detroit Tigers start the 2024 baseball season Thursday against the Cleveland Indians. Detroit finds itself in a sports betting position it will likely be in for the entire season: an underdog.

The Tigers are +160 on the moneyline for the 1:15 p.m. start, while their run line odds of +1.5 sit at -106. The total is currently set at 7.5.

This is the first baseball season for bettors in Michigan to wager legally on games online and at retail locations. The state launched its mobile sports betting and online casinos platforms on Jan. 22.

With the Tigers going through a rebuild, expect long odds on any future bets with the team. Here’s a rundown of team and player bets you can make on the season.

Team Futures

The Tigers have moved up the odds list to win the World Series. Earlier this offseason, Detroit was dead last. Now, the team is tied for the second-to-last odds to win it all at +15000 with the Texas Rangers. Only the Pittsburgh Pirates have longer odds at +25000.

Detroit is last to win the American League at +6000 and is +6000 to win the division. The Tigers’ season over-under win total is currently set at 68.5, while its odds to make the postseason are at +2500.

If you are a diehard Tigers fan who believes a miracle can happen, then maybe those longshot odds are for you.

Player Awards

The Tigers don’t have anyone listed on DraftKings to win the AL MVP, but the team does have an AL Cy Young Candidate.

The No. 1 pick in 2018, Casey Mize, is +5000 to win the Cy Young, which is the third-longest odds to win the award on DraftKings. Mize appeared in seven games last season and posted an ERA of 6.99 and a WHIP of 1.48 while finishing with an 0-3 record. He managed to record 27 strikeouts.

Mize is also listed as a potential AL Rookie of the Year Candidate, coming in at +1500 to win the award.

Detroit has three other players listed on the AL Rookie of the Year list at DraftKings. Pitchers Matt Manning (+3000) and Tarik Skubal (+5000) make the list, while 2023 No. 1 pick Spencer Torkelson comes in at +5000. But Torkelson and Manning will start the season in the minors, and if Detroit’s rebuild goes as planned, neither will be rushed to the majors as they look to develop.

Tigers first-year manager A.J. Hinch led the Houston Astros to the World Series in 2017 and will now set out to rebuild Detroit. Hinch is currently listed at +4000 to win AL Manager of the Year. Realistically, any sort of success will be welcomed to those in Detroit and if a miraculous turnaround were to occur, Hinch could rise up the board this season.