The Detroit Tigers quietly come off their best season since since 2016 as they finished the 2023 season with a 78-84 record. Detroit is looking to take another step in the right direction and is chasing its first playoff appearance since 2014.

This is a club led by plenty of youth, and the Tigers added some veteran experience in the offseason. Will it be enough for a Detroit breakthrough in the 2024 season?

Perhaps various MLB futures odds could reveal the answer. What are the Tigers' World Series odds at FanDuel Sportsbook?

The Detroit Tigers are still viewed as a longshot to win the World Series with +6000 odds, which are the 19th-best odds (out of 30 teams).

Let's dive into Detroit's upside for the upcoming season.

All MLB odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Tigers World Series Odds

• Odds to Win the World Series: +6000 (19th)

Tigers Betting Odds

• Win Total: 79.5 (19th)
• Odds to Make the Playoffs: +200 (19th-best)
• Odds to Win the AL Central: +350 (2nd-best)
• Odds to Reach ALCS: +950 (9th-best)
• Odds to Win the American League: +3200 (tied 10th-best)

Tigers Projections

nERD from numberFire. Projections via FanGraphs.

• nERD: -0.68 (20th)
• Wins: 79 (22nd)
• Runs Per Game: 4.46 (27th)
• Runs Allowed Per Game: 4.56 (tied 13th)
• Run Differential: -16 (22nd)

Tigers Analysis

First thing's first -- there's a ton of risk involved with the Tigers' 2024 roster. There are plenty of unknown factors from declining veterans looking to regain their footing to youngsters hoping to break out.

Let's begin with Detroit's moves in free agency.

The major loss was starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, who posted career-bests with a 3.30 earned run average (ERA) and a 1.15 walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP), as he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Tigers looked to replace Rodriguez with two veteran pitchers in Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty.

Maeda has dominated for stretches, posting three seasons with an ERA of under 4.00 over his seven-year career. He also finished second in Cy Young voting in 2020 with a 2.70 ERA and 0.75 WHIP. However, there are no guarantees that Maeda can return to his dominant form after returning from Tommy John surgery last season. He was in the bottom 26% in average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage last season, according to Baseball Savant.

Flaherty brings a similar story. Since posting a 3.22 ERA in 2021, he has a 4.84 ERA over the last two seasons. Flaherty underwhelmed in several categories in 2023, sitting in the bottom 19% in expected ERA (xERA) and bottom 23% in walk percentage (BB%).

To earn a postseason berth, the Tigers will need Maeda and/or Flaherty to impress. Plus, most of this starting rotation will ride on the arm of lefty Tarik Skubal, who is +1600 to win the American League Cy Young award when looking at FanDuel's Cy Young odds.

Detroit also added some depth to their batting order by trading for Mark Canha. The veteran outfielder showed great discipline last season by ranking in the 78th percentile in chase percentage, whiff percentage, and strikeout percentage while posting a .355 on-base percentage (OBP).

Canha joins a batting order that's hoping to see increased production from several youngsters. This includes Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene, and Kerry Carpenter. Following the retirement of Miguel Cabrera, the franchise has officially entered a new era, and Torkelson, Greene, and Carpenter could emerge as building blocks going forward.

Greene (.278) and Carpenter (.288) both posted impressive batting averages last season. Torkelson brought good power to the lineup with 31 home runs while ranking in the 94th percentile of hard-hit percentage.

After inking a six-year, $140 million deal with the Tigers, Detroit is hoping for Javier Baez to finally produce at the plate. Baez has disappointed thus far with a .230 batting average in his two seasons with the Tigers. He had a career batting average of .265 before landing in Detroit.

Overall, there are a lot of unknown factors about the Tigers heading into the 2024 season. Will the starting rotation be good enough after the signings of Maeda and Flaherty? Will the batting order have depth led by the improvement of young players? Detroit has the upside to potentially crash the postseason with the second-shortest odds to win the AL Central (+350).

Every Team's Odds to Win the World Series

• Los Angeles Dodgers (+320)
• Atlanta Braves (+450)
• Houston Astros (+700)
• New York Yankees (+800)
• Texas Rangers (+1400)
• Philadelphia Phillies (+1500)
• Baltimore Orioles (+1500)
• Minnesota Twins (+2000)
• Toronto Blue Jays (+2000)
• Seattle Mariners (+2000)
• St. Louis Cardinals (+3200)
• Tampa Bay Rays (+3300)
• Chicago Cubs (+3700)
• Arizona Diamondbacks (+4000)
• New York Mets (+5000)
• Boston Red Sox (+5000)
• Cincinnati Reds (+5500)
• San Diego Padres (+6000)
• Detroit Tigers (+6000)
• San Francisco Giants (+6500)
• Cleveland Guardians (+7500)
• Milwaukee Brewers (+8500)
• Miami Marlins (+9000)
• Kansas City Royals (+15000)
• Los Angeles Angels (+18000)
• Pittsburgh Pirates (+20000)
• Washington Nationals +25000)
• Chicago White Sox (+25000)
• Oakland Athletics (+50000)
• Colorado Rockies (+50000)

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.