St. Louis Cardinals 2024 Betting Preview: Futures Odds & Prediction

It says a lot about the St. Louis Cardinals that their 71-91 campaign in 2023 was so notable.

The Cardinals finished fifth in their division for the first time since 1988, when they competed in a six-team grouping. It marked the team’s first losing season since 2007 and its first 90-loss year since 1990.

But the good news for baseball fans in St. Louis is that MLB betting odds expect a bounce-back performance by the Cardinals in 2024.

Cardinals Futures Odds

Win Total: 84.5
NL Central: +175
NL Pennant: +1600
World Series: +3500

Despite last year’s performance, MLB odds still show plenty of respect for the Cardinals.

St. Louis hasn’t been as long as 30/1 to win the World Series since 2017, but it was 20/1 last year. The Cardinals are +175 favorites to win the National League Central after being -125 in the preseason last year.

The team’s win total has dropped four games compared to last year’s mark.

Cardinals Offseason Moves

The Cardinals prioritized pitching in the offseason to revamp their rotation, as they ranked 24th with an ERA of 4.79.

Additions

Departures

St. Louis will have three new starters in its rotation this summer, with Gray slated to lead the way after he comes back from a hamstring injury.

Gray, 34, and entering his 12th season, posted a 2.79 ERA across 184 innings in 32 starts with the Minnesota Twins last year.

Gibson and Lynn, who are both 36, also add some veteran experience to the rotation. Gibson started 33 games for the Baltimore Orioles in 2023, finishing with a 15-9 clip in 192 innings of work. Lynn started 33 games and pitched in 183 2/3 frames last year.

The Cardinals acquired pitchers who should eat up a lot of innings. But the age of the youngest starter in this year’s group is 33.

Cardinals 2024 Betting Prediction

Prediction: Sonny Gray under 170.5 strikeouts

While this MLB betting pick was made before Gray’s injury, bettors should consider alternate ways to fade an older St. Louis rotation.

After ranking 29th in total strikeouts as a staff last year, the Cardinals emphasized obtaining more whiffs with their new pitchers. Gray, who tossed 183 strikeouts last season, is essential in that department.

Gray adopted a sweeper last year and used more of his cutter, leading to his best strikeout total since punching out 205 in 2019. But he has only cleared this mark three times in 11 years, making it unlikely he will do so for a second year in a row.

While Gray’s addition should boost the rotation, projecting him to do much better than last year would be too optimistic. With a projection closer to 155 whiffs, this under is worth a bet before the start of the season.

2024 MLB Team Previews & Predictions