The start of the 2024 season has arrived, as all 30 teams start with a clean slate. But, only 12 will make it past the 162-game marathon and move on October, where anything can happen. And after the last two postseasons, that much is obvious. With that said, here are our 2024 MLB regular season and postseason predictions.
Our MLB Regular Season Predictions for 2024
Let’s start with our predictions for the American League:
American League
- AL East winner: Orioles (#1)
- AL Central winner: Tigers (#3)
- AL West winner: Mariners (#2)
- AL Wild Cards: Yankees (#4), Astros (#5), Rangers (#6)
The Orioles come into 2024 with a strong unit, including a trio of productive outfielders in Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins, and Anthony Santander, as well as Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. Not to mention, the O’s have a new ace in Corbin Burnes.
And with reinforcements to come, Baltimore has a very strong chance of repeating as AL East champions.
The AL Central will be very interesting, as Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, and reigning division champion Minnesota all have arguments. The Tigers, though, intrigue us.
Detroit has a deep bullpen, led by Alex Lange and Jason Foley, and middle relievers Tyler Holton, Shelby Miller, and Andrew Chafin. And with a returning Casey Mize, newcomers Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty, and ace Tarik Skubal, the Tigers rotation has the pieces to break their lengthy playoff drought.
But, it’ll ultimately depend if the offense, led by Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene, can guide the Tigers to October. Last season, Detroit finished 28th in team OPS (.687) and runs scored (661).
As for the AL West, injuries to both the Astros and Rangers’ pitching staffs could open the door for Seattle. The Mariners have arguably the deepest rotation in the division, even with Houston and Texas at full health.
If Julio Rodriguez and the offense produce modest numbers like in 2022-23, Seattle has a good shot of winning the division this time.
For our AL Wild Card predictions, we like Juan Soto and the Yankees to make it back to October, alongside the Astros and Rangers.
Now, let’s move to our National League predictions:
National League
- NL East winner: Braves (#1)
- NL Central winner: Reds (#3)
- NL West winner: Dodgers (#2)
- NL Wild Cards: Padres (#4), Phillies (#5), Diamondbacks (#6)
The Braves and Dodgers are the two powerhouses in the National League, and not much has to be said about those two teams. Atlanta’s lineup is incredibly deep, and the same can be said about the Dodgers.
Over a 162-game season, we expect the Braves and Dodgers to dominate.
The NL Central is a curious one. The Pirates are likely a year or two away, while Milwaukee is in reset mode. Chicago does have a good group and should compete, while the Cardinals should be better in 2024. However, the Cardinals rotation, sans Sonny Gray for the start of the season, does have us concerned.
The Reds, meanwhile, looked poised to make it to October last year — but should make it to the playoffs in 2024. Despite a myriad of injuries and a suspension to Noelvi Marte, the Reds have the depth offensively to overcome some of those losses.
And on the mound, the additions of Emilio Pagan, Nick Martinez, and Frankie Montas give the Reds depth that was sorely missing in the second half of 2023.
As for the NL Wild Cards, it wouldn’t shock us if just one NL West team joined the Dodgers in the playoffs. But, we do like the D-Backs and the Padres, the latter of whom had unfortunate luck last season, to make it back to the postseason.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, has a team built for October.
Our MLB Postseason Predictions for 2024
Now, for our MLB postseason predictions:
- AL Wild Card Round: Rangers def. Tigers, Astros def. Yankees
- NL Wild Card Round: Reds def. Diamondbacks, Phillies def. Padres
- NLDS: Dodgers def. Reds, Phillies def. Braves
- ALDS: Orioles def. Rangers, Astros def. Mariners
- NLCS: Phillies def. Dodgers
- ALCS: Astros def. Orioles
- World Series: Astros def. Phillies
It’ll be interesting to see how Houston looks after 2024, given the impending free agency of Alex Bregman. The Astros will have Bregman for 2024, and we believe that Houston — once they get healthy — has the pieces to win it all again.