While fans and bettors wait patiently for MLB to release the official 2020 schedule, we found out some exciting news on Saturday as it pertains to Opening Day matchups. According to the New York Post, the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals will host the New York Yankees on Thursday July 23 in primetime. The Yankees will no doubt start free-agent addition Gerrit Cole (20-5, 2.50 ERA last season) while the Nats are expected to counter with either Max Scherzer (11-7, 2.92 ERA) or Stephen Strasburg (18-6, 3.32 ERA).
The betting odds won't be posted until the schedule is unveiled. But with a pair of studs toeing the rubber and so many elite position players occupying the batter's box, bettors can't help but wonder if a potential Cy Young or MVP winner will be taking the field.
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Over the past few days, ever since the MLB return to play announcement became official, oddsmakers have slowly unveiled more offerings to baseball bettors. First it was props, followed by futures and win totals. Now we have the Cy Young and MVP odds.
Before we delve into the odds, let's take a look at the last 5 award winners since 2015.
MVP
2019: Mike Trout (AL), Cody Bellinger (NL)
2018: Mookie Betts (AL), Christian Yelich (NL)
2017: Jose Altuve (AL), Giancarlo Stanton (NL)
2016: Mike Trout (AL), Kris Bryant (NL)
2015: Josh Donaldson (AL), Byrce Harper (NL)
Cy Young
2019: Justin Verlander (AL), Jacob DeGrom (NL)
2018: Blake Snell (AL), Jacob DeGrom (NL)
2017: Corey Kluber (AL), Max Scherzer (NL)
2016: Rick Porcello (AL), Max Scherzer (NL)
2015: Dallas Keuchel (AL), Jake Arrieta (NL)
Now let's dive into the 2020 MVP and Cy Young odds at DraftKings for the shortened 60-game season.
AL MVP
Mike Trout %plussign% 200
Aaron Judge %plussign% 800
Francisco Lindor %plussign% 1000
Anthony Rendon %plussign% 1400
Alex Bregman, Matt Chapman, Josh Donaldson, Gleyber Torres %plussign% 2000
Jose Ramirez, George Springer %plussign% 2500
Xander Bogaerts, Shohei Ohtani %plussign% 3000
Giancarlo Stanton %plussign% 3300
Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Rafael Devers, DJ Lemahieu, JD Martinez, Yoan Moncada, Marcus Semien %plussign% 4000
Just as in years past, all MVP talk begins and ends with Trout. It's hard not to lay the chalk on a player who has won three of the last six awards. Plus he enjoys extra protection in the lineup as he's expected to hit 2nd in front of free agent pickup Anthony Rendon. Judge and Stanton are coming off injuries. Bregman and Springer have value at longer-shot odds but will the anti-Astros bias hurt them post-cheating scandal? One dark horse to keep an eye out for: Devers. The young Red Sox third baseman is entering his 4th season and coming off a breakout campaign where he hit .311 with 32 homers and 115 RBIs.
NL MVP
Mookie Betts %plussign% 550
Cody Bellinger %plussign% 700
Christian Yelich %plussign% 700
Ronald Acura Jr %plussign% 900
Juan Soto %plussign% 1000
Nolan Arenado, Javier Baez, Bryce Harper %plussign% 1800
Fernando Tatis Jr %plussign% 2000
Kris Bryant, Freddie Freeman, Manny Machado, Ketel Marte %plussign% 2500
Pete Alonso %plussign% 3000
Anthony Rizzo, Jacob DeGrom %plussign% 3300
Paul Goldschmidt, Max Scherzer, Corey Seager, Trevor Story %plussign% 4000
Betts is the favorite and won the award in 2018 but now he must switch leagues and acclimate to a new team during an unconventional offseason. That's a tall task. Bellinger and Yelich have better payouts and have won the last two NL MVPs. The real value may rest with a couple young pups in 22-year-old Ronald Acuna Jr (.280, 41 homers, 101 RBIs) and 21-year-old Juan Soto (.282, 34 homers, 110 RBIs). Freeman is intriguing based on the price. Harper seems to be flying under the radar and you would expect him to be more comfortable in Philadelphia in Year 2.
AL Cy Young
Gerrit Cole %plussign% 275
Justin Verlander %plussign% 700
Blake Snell %plussign% 900
Mike Clevinger %plussign% 1000
Shane Bieber, Tyler Glasnow, Charlie Morton %plussign% 1200
Lucas Giolito %plussign% 1800
Carlos Carrasco, Corey Kluber %plussign% 2200
Jose Berrios, Zack Greinke, Lance Lynn %plussign% 2500
Eduardo Rodriguez %plussign% 2800
Hyun Jin-Ryu %plussign% 3500
Cole, who missed out on the Cy last year to teammate Verlander, opens as the favorite. He is entering Year 1 with the Yankees after signing a 10-year, $360 million deal. Run support shouldn't be an issue, however Cole will have to play half of his games in hitter friendly Yankee Stadium. Verlander is a perennial contender but is coming off groin surgery in March, although he should be ready for the season. Berrios is entering his prime at age 26 and has improved his won-loss record and ERA all four years in the major (14-8, 3.68 ERA last year).
NL Cy Young
Jacob DeGrom %plussign% 350
Max Scherzer %plussign% 400
Walker Buehler, Jack Flaherty %plussign% 800
Stephen Strasburg %plussign% 1200
Clayton Kershaw %plussign% 1500
Luis Castillo %plussign% 1800
Yu Darvish %plussign% 2000
Trevor Bauer, Patrick Corbin, Aaron Nola %plussign% 2200
Max Fried, Dinelson Lamet %plussign% 2800
Mike Soroka %plussign% 3000
Chris Paddack %plussign% 3300
Sonny Gray %plussign% 4000
Can anyone dethrone DeGrom? The Mets ace has won the Cy two years in a row and doesn't seem to be slowing down. Scherzer has won it three times but has a lot of miles on his arm at age 35. Buehler (14-4, 3.26 ERA) is a rising star at 25-years-old and pitches for the best team in baseball. Strasburg has great value at %plussign% 1200, especially with extra rest coming off a postseason where he was nearly unhittable. Three-time winner Kershaw is entering his age 32 season and continues to produce, coming off a 16-5, 3.03 ERA season. Soroka is an interesting longshot after posting a 13-4, 2.68 ERA campaign as a 21-year-old rookie.
