MLB Win Total Betting: Will the Giants See Real Improvement in 2024?

After a four-year stint with Gabe Kapler as manager, the San Francisco Giants are re-shuffling the deck.

For the coming season, the Giants have hired Bay Area-native Bob Melvin to succeed Kapler at skipper. Of course, San Francisco will find some comfort in having a former catcher running the team. Bruce Bochy -- a former MLB backstop himself -- is still the only manager to bring World Series titles to the "City by the Bay."

What is the Giants' win total set at for 2024, per the MLB win totals at FanDuel Sportsbook? Currently, we see a bar of 82.5 games at in this market.

Let's dig into what we can expect from San Francisco this year and which side of the win total should interest you.

All MLB odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published. nERD via numberFire. Projections via FanGraphs.

San Francisco Giants Win Total Odds

San Francisco Giants Over/Under 82.5 Wins

• Over: -108
• Under: -112

Why the Giants Could Win Over 82.5 Games (-108)

In contrast with previous campaigns, the Giants have made multiple splash signings this offseason (albeit, better late than never).

San Francisco is coming off a two-year stretch wherein they averaged 80 wins per season. Going forward, they will now be operating with the talents of newcomers Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler and Jung Hoo Lee. Additionally, the team is still in the running for last season's National League Cy Young winner, free-agent lefty Blake Snell.

Simply, San Francisco will look a bit different on the field in 2024. Still, the Giants are still featuring a few notable returners. Starting pitcher Logan Webb -- who paced all of MLB in innings pitched last year -- is the staff ace and clubhouse leader. To complete the battery, switch-hitting catcher Patrick Bailey is one of the top young backstops.

If the Giants are to actually improve on recent win totals, the names on paper will need to actually deliver. San Francisco had numerous struggles in 2023, but the most pressing issues were on offense. Of course, the Giants play home games at sea level, which can often deflate power numbers.

Last year, San Francisco produced a .695 team OPS: worst on the Senior Circuit. However, the Giants' respectable pitching staff (4.02 collective ERA in 2023) kept the team in many games. Seemingly, the "Boys from the Bay" will need to get back to small-ball, National League roots, scrapping out wins through the game's finer points.

Why the Giants Could Win Under 82.5 Games (-112)

For the win total market, recent history is not exactly on San Francisco's side here. Dating back to 2017, the Giants have won more than 82 games in a single campaign just once. Of course, that came in 2021 when the ball club set San Francisco's all-time win mark at 107. Still, quite a bit has changed between then and now.

Naturally, familiar faces Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford are no longer playing for San Francisco, severing the team's final ties to the most recent World Series title (2014). So, what will this next baseball chapter bring in Northern California?

Off the bat, the Giants are competing in a buzzsaw division. The NL West has boasted deep talent this decade, but in 2024, the bar has been set awfully high. Taking on rival sides like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres will certainly comes with its share of challenges.

Notably, the Dodgers added Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Teoscar Hernandez to a team that won 100 games last year. From there, the D-backs are fresh off winning the pennant in 2023. The Padres are returning from a down season, but San Diego's pitching staff will keep them in most games. Either way, in 52 divisional games, San Francisco will have a tough divisional slate.

Most importantly, the Giants will need to hit and field better in 2024. As two of the three main facets in baseball, San Francisco ranked near the bottom in both categories. Last year, the Giants' .695 team OPS was very worst in the NL, and to compound frustrations, San Francisco paced all of MLB with 117 errors.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, the juice is on under 82.5 games (-112 odds) for this market. That checks out with the projections at FanGraphs where San Francisco is predicted to win 81 games.

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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.