Betting Odds Released for Next Team Name of Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are the latest professional sports team to announce plans to ditch its longtime nickname and undergo a name change in the near future. After the announcement by the Major League Baseball franchise, online sportsbooks suggest that “Baseball Team” could be the top choice in Cleveland name change odds in 2022.

The best baseball betting sites are projecting Cleveland to take the approach of the NFL’s Washington Football Team and simply call themselves the “Cleveland Baseball Team” or “Baseball Club” by the first pitch of the 2022 MLB season, with odds at +125. For the 2021 season, the franchise is still expected to have its original colors and imaging even if the “Indians” moniker is dropped from its branding material.

“Spiders” at +250 in Cleveland name change odds is another option that had some momentum when this idea was initially broached as it was the nickname for one of the two pro teams in Cleveland in the late 1800s. It also made for a great logo.

Cleveland Indians' Name Change Betting Odds

Odds as of December 15 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]

Why ‘Baseball Team’ or ‘Baseball Club’ Is The Favorite

Although there are a lot of great potential nicknames on this list, “Baseball Team” or “Baseball Club” has to be the favorite in Cleveland name change odds for two reasons. One is that it at least does the dirty work by getting rid of the heavily criticized “Indians” name off the imaging of Cleveland’s team. The franchise has also already started the process of phasing out the cartoon mascot “Wahoo Joe” that was deemed insensitive to Native Americans.

The second reason why “Baseball Team” or “Baseball Club” is gaining momentum is the positive reaction to how Washington has handled its own logo situation by going with Washington Football Team for the time being. The recent success of Washington in the NFL standings along with the general support of its fans and the public could make it a good PR move by Cleveland to follow suit, at least for the 2021 season and potentially beyond.

Nickname Suggestion for Cleveland Name Change Odds

Not saying “Baseball Team” and “Baseball Club” aren’t good options for the MLB team but why not embrace what Cleveland is known for and that’s Cleveland Rocks! The betting option of “Rocks or Rockers“ is currently +1200 at online sportsbooks and while it has a bit of a “Dad joke” vibe to it, it could really take off in the Cleveland market.

The expression “Cleveland Rocks” comes from the song of the same name by Ian Hunter in 1979, which has been a fixture in the city since its release and was used as a victory song for the city’s sports teams. It had a revitalization in 1997 when “The Drew Carey Show,” based in Cleveland, used a cover version of the track for its theme song.

With some of the questionable nicknames in professional team sports that have nothing to do with the team’s region (cough, Los Angeles Lakers, cough), to quote Larry David, Cleveland Rocks is "prettaayyyy, prettayyyy, good.”

Understanding Cleveland Name Change Prop Odds

When you check out your sportsbook of choice for NFL betting props like what Cleveland will change its team name to, you’ll see prop odds that look something like this:

Spiders +300

Naps +400

Guardians +500

Buckeyes +600

To bet on these odds, you would be making a prop bet. In this case, there isn’t a clear favorite, similar to a moneyline or spread bet. When you don’t see odds with a minus sign (-) beside them, then the option with the lowest odds is the fave. The rest are considered underdogs.

If you think Cleveland will rename its team the Spiders, and you bet $100 on it, you’d get a payout of $400 – you get your $100 back along with your winnings of $300. 

Our Odds Calculator will show you how much you’d win based on the odds and amount bet.