MLB Cy Young Odds 2025: Back the Tigers Ace to Win His Second Straight Award

• The Detroit Tigers Tarik Skubal and Atlanta Braves Chris Sale won the 2024 Cy Young awards

• Paul Skenes finished third in the voting for the NL Cy Young award as a rookie

• The Tigers return a majority of their defense that finished last season ranked top-5 in Defensive Efficiency

After winning the 2024 AL Cy Young award, Tarik Skubal enters the new year listed as the betting favorite to win it again as he is surrounded by a defense who finished last season ranked top-5 in Defensive Efficiency. In the other league, Chris Sale is expected to battle it out with Paul Skenes after the Pittsburgh Pirates star pitcher placed third in the voting for the NL Cy Young award as a rookie.

MLB Cy Young Award Odds

MLB Cy Young Award Predictions and Favorites to Win

NL - Paul Skenes +260 at FanDuel

After nearly winning the NL Cy Young award in his rookie year, oddsmakers believe Paul Skenes will build on his momentum and win the award this season. Skenes' chances of winning the award last year were handicapped due to him getting a late start in the season while Chris Sale managed to sustain a high level of play in more appearances.

Unfortunately for the NL Rookie of the Year award winner, Skenes will still be surrounded by one of the more underwhelming back ends in the league after a lackluster offseason. A shocking lack of aggressiveness as the Pirates defense finished last year ranked 24th overall in Defensive Efficiency. This leaves Skenes prone to high variance outings, hurting his chances of sustaining a high level of play throughout the season.

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AL - Garrett Crochet +600 at Caesars

For a team who struggled to play at a competitive level at every area of the field, the Chicago White Sox Garrett Crochet managed to put together a productive season by finishing the year with a 1.068 WHIP and 2.69 FIP. An impressive performance while surrounded by a defense who ranked 25th in Defensive Efficiency.

After being traded to the Boston Red Sox, oddsmakers believe Crochet will build on last year’s momentum and contend for the AL Cy Young award. An odd belief as Crochet will still be surrounded by an underwhelming supporting cast as the Red Sox failed to make any impactful additions to a defense who finished the year ranked below league average in Defensive Efficiency. Pass on Crochet at his short odds to win the award.

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NL - Zack Wheeler +800 at BetMGM

It was a valiant effort from the Philadelphia Phillies ace as Zack Wheeler rivaled Chris Sale for the NL Cy Young award for as long as he could before eventually finishing in second. While Wheeler did possess a lower WHIP, he never managed to surpass Sale in other key pitching metrics.

Like Crochet and Skenes, Wheeler’s chances to win the award are handicapped as he is surrounded by a supporting cast who ranks below league average in Defensive Efficiency. After making minimal additions to their defense throughout the offseason, the Phillies back end are expected to underwhelm again which makes Wheeler a pass at his current odds to win the NL Cy Young award.

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NL - Chris Sale +1100 at BetMGM

Since the start of the regular season, Chris Sale wasted no time in his efforts of building a strong case for the NL Cy Young award as he consistently made quick work of opposing batters. At the end of the year, Sale led the NL in ERA, FIP, Total Strikeouts, and Pitcher Wins enroute to his first career Cy Young award.

With the Atlanta Braves entering the year at full health, Sale should receive an uptick in defensive production from his back end to help him sustain his high marks on the mound. While it’s tempting to lay a wager at his current odds to win his second straight award, it’s worth waiting to see if the Braves defense can round back into dominant form.

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MLB Cy Young Award Winner - My Pick

AL - Tarik Skubal +400 at Caesars

Like Chris Sale, Tarik Skubal also left no doubt on who the best pitcher was in the AL as he led the league in ERA, FIP, Total Strikeouts, and Pitcher Wins. Skubal played a major role in the Tigers success last season as his individual production helped keep contests tight enough for their underwhelming offense to compete in.

Unlike the previously mentioned pitchers, Skubal gets the benefit of being surrounded by a defense who ranks fourth overall in Defensive Efficiency. Their production on the back end helps limit the amount of variance in Skubal’s starts, putting their ace in a great position to sustain his dominant level of play on the mound. Place a wager on Skubal to win the AL Cy Young award now before his odds continue to crash down.

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Cy Young Award History 

After winning the 2024 AL Cy Young award, Tarik Skubal will attempt to be the first player to win it for a second straight year since Jacob deGrom did it back in 2018-2019. With continuity on his side, oddsmakers believe he has a great chance to pull it off as he enters the season listed as the betting favorite to win the award. As for Chris Sale, the NL Cy Young award winner has his work cut out for him as he is expected to be locked into a battle with Paul Skenes who nearly won the award as a rookie.

AL Cy Young Award Winners

NL Cy Young Award Winners

How to Read MLB Cy Young Award Odds 

Like in every bet you make, it’s vital to understand how the listed odds work. With Tarik Skubal listed at +400, you would profit $400 on a $100 wager should he win the AL Cy Young award. If you wait to see if he gets out to a lead and is listed with a minus sign in front of his odds (-130 for example), then you would need to wager $130 to profit $100.

How to Choose the Best Sportsbook for Betting on the Cy Young Award

Odds vary between sportsbooks which makes it vital to have as many as you can get in order to line shop. When looking to wager on Tarik Skubal, you can see that his odds are listed as high as +400 at Caesars and as low as +380 at FanDuel. That is a difference of $20 in profit for a $100 bettor.

Each sportsbook also has a unique new user sign up offer that you can read in the table below. FanDuel sportsbook for example is giving new users $200 in bonus bets after creating an account and winning your first bet of at least $5.

*Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l terms.