FanGraphs gives Cleveland Guardians 54% chance to make playoffs; 2.5% chance to win 2023 World Series

The Cleveland Guardians will be looking to defend their AL Central crown in 2023, and according to FanGraphs, the team has a 42% chance of doing just that.

FanGraphs has launched its 2023 playoff odds for every team in baseball, which use a combination of their Steamer and ZiPS projection systems, which are then used as part of a pretty detailed formula, which you can read about here if you want to get into the weeds of it.

Long story short, the Guardians are being given a 42% chance to win the division, and a 54% to simply make the playoffs. FanGraphs gives Cleveland a 15% chance to clinch a playoff bye and a 12% chance to make the playoffs as a wild-card team. Most importantly, the Guardians are being given a 2.5% chance to win the World Series, which is the sixth-highest mark int he American League.

These are always fun projections to look at before a season gets underway, and they're even more fun (or humiliating sometimes) to look at after the fact. And while it gives us something to talk about as spring training is set to begin, you really can't take too much stock into these numbers.

As for the rest of the division, the Twins are being given a 34% chance to win the Central, and the White Sox have an 18% chance. The Royals and Tigers are bringing up the rear with 3% and a shade under 2% respectively.