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2020 MLB Cleveland Indians World Series Odds & Picks

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
4 minute read

The Window is Still
Open for the Cleveland Indians

Since Terry Francona took over in 2013, the Cleveland Indians have posted seven straight winning seasons. This franchise has continually been competitive while being run on a tight budget, and that’s a credit to both Francona and the front office.

Cleveland has finished with 90 or more wins in each of the last four seasons, but after losing Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber, the Indians aren’t favored to win the AL Central for the first time since 2015 coming into this season.

2020 Cleveland Indians World Series
Betting Online Odds at FanDuel: +2800

Odds provided by FanDuel (IN, NJ, PA & WV only)
Subject to Change - T&C's Apply, 21+

2020 Cleveland Indians
Season World Series Odds Overview

Cleveland is in the top half of teams in terms of odds to win the World Series, but not by much. The Indians are buoyed by playing in a relatively weak division, and that will help them win more games than they would in either the AL East or AL West. Minnesota has the lowest World Series odds in the AL Central at 16-1 at FanDuel.

American League Central

There are two teams in the AL Central that are punting the season. Detroit and Kansas City are both likely to lose 100 or more games, and each team has 500-1 odds to win the World Series at FanDuel. That makes the division a three-team race with Cleveland competing with favorite Minnesota and fellow contender Chicago.

On the Hill

Shane Bieber is one of the best young pitchers in the game. He made a run at the Cy Young last season with a 15-8 record and a 3.28 ERA, and he showed that he has the durability to last a full season by throwing 214.1 innings. Bieber was extremely effective despite the workload, striking out 259 batters while only recording 40 walks, and his 1.054 WHIP was phenomenal. The young right-hander has three solid pitches and he was just as good against righties as lefties.

In mid-February, Mike Clevinger suffered a knee injury that threatened to keep him out for the first few weeks of the regular season. However, the postponement of the season means that he will be healthy if and when baseball comes back. Clevinger posted a 12.1 K/9 rate, and his WHIP was right in line with Bieber’s last season. That gives the Indians two excellent pitchers to lean on, but durability is a concern for Clevinger after he only threw 126 innings in 2019.

Cleveland is expecting a bounce-back season from Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco missed three months as he was undergoing treatment for leukemia, and that led to him posting his worst numbers since 2013. He was a very solid pitcher from 2014 to 2018 though, so the Indians are looking for him to rediscover that form with a clean bill of health. No matter how he pitches though, Carrasco being back in baseball is a huge win.

At the Plate

The front office has a huge decision to make when it comes to Francisco Lindor. Lindor will become a free agent at the end of the 2021 season, and many observers expect Cleveland to trade him away like they have so many other good players coming up on free agency over the last half of the decade. Those moves have alienated the fanbase though, so dealing the most talented player the Indians have produced over the last decade could lead to a precipitous drop in attendance. Lindor was second on the team with a .854 OPS, and the shortstop has hit 30 home runs or more for the last three seasons.

Carlos Santana had an excellent season in 2019. The veteran slugger led Cleveland with a .911 OPS, and he drew a whopping 108 walks. He was dialed in over the course of the season, posting a career-high in batting average, and he crushed left-handed pitchers by hitting .324 against them. Some regression is expected, but Santana should be one of the top bats for the Indians.

Jose Ramirez was fantastic in 2017 and 2018, but he regressed mightily last season. He was a veritable no-show through the first half of the campaign, but he rallied to post a respectable .255/.327/.479 triple slash line. Ramirez continues to limit strikeouts while making contact, so he should post much better numbers in 2020.

2020 Cleveland Indians World Series Projection

This team has all the makings of a sleeper. Cleveland has three very good rotation arms, a decent bullpen, and three reliable hitters in the lineup. If they can get some production from the lower end of the rotation and the lineup, they will win the AL Central and be a very live dog in the postseason.

2020 Cleveland Indians World Series Free Pick:
One of the better bets at this price

Odds provided by FanDuel (IN, NJ, PA & WV only)
Subject to Change - T&C's Apply, 21+

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