MLB Cy Young Picks for 2025 – Best Early Bets in AL and NL
By Chris Amberley in MLB Baseball
Published:
- Garrett Crochet and Paul Skenes are the favorites in the AL and NL Cy Young Odds
- Hunter Brown is an intriguing target, after ranking third in AL Pitching WAR post All-Star Game
- Keep reading for the Best Early AL and NL Cy Young Bets
The MLB season is officially a week old, meaning we’ve had at least one chance to see all of the best pitchers in baseball. The National League Cy Young Award race has a clear favorite in Paul Skenes, but the same cannot be said about the American League.
In oddsmakers eyes, the AL Cy Young Award market is wide open, and that presents a favorable situation for futures bettors.
American League Cy Young Award Odds
As it stands, Boston’s Garrett Crochet is the favorite in the AL Cy Young odds. That’s a change from the preseason, when last year’s winner Tarik Skubal was the number one choice. Crochet currently boasts +410 odds to win the award, just ahead of Skubal’s +430 price tag.
Three other hurlers are +1200 or shorter, with some intriguing candidates priced north of 20-1.
Odds as of April 2nd. Claim the BetMGM promo code before making any MLB futures bets.
Best AL Cy Young Picks
- Hunter Brown (+2200), Joe Ryan (+4500)
My favorite target of the bunch is Hunter Brown at +2200. The 26-year-old was 150-1 in the AL Cy Young odds last season, but vaulted up the odds board with a brilliant final five months of the season. Brown added a sinker to his arsenal in May, and morphed into one of the best pitchers in baseball.
From the middle of May on, Brown had a 2.31 ERA over 132+ innings. He limited enemy hitters to a .215 average over his final 22 starts, finishing with 179 strikeouts. Those numbers mirror what Skubal did over the same time frame, as the Tigers ace posted a slightly higher ERA (2.39), but a lower opponent average (.201).
Brown was third in AL pitching WAR post All-Star Break, and does an exceptional job of limiting hard contact. He looked the part of an ace in his first 2025 start against the Mets, limiting the big spenders to just four hits over 6 innings, while striking out 7.
Since the American League race is so wide open, I’m going to give out my second favorite pick as well. Given the price, Minnesota’s Joe Ryan is a strong value. Much like last year’s winners Tarik Skbual and Chris Sale in the NL, Ryan strikes out a ton of batters and doesn’t issue walks. His 6.4 K/BB rate was one of the best marks among qualified candidates. He finished last season with the highest WAR of his career, and is only a season removed from a 200 K season.
Ryan’s bread and butter is his four seamer, a pitch that limited enemy bats to a .191 average last season. He started 2025 just the way finished 2024, with an impressive effort. Ryan scattered five hits over 5 innings of 1 run ball against the Cardinals, striking out five while walking none. At +4500, he’s definitely worth a sprinkle.
Best NL Young Young Picks
- Blake Snell (+1500)
As far as the National League goes, Skenes is the only contender priced shorter than +600. He’s listed at +170, after 7 innings of scoreless ball in his second start versus the Rays. Skenes projects as the best pitcher in baseball by most advanced models, but his current odds are unbettable. There’s no value in tying up your money for six months in a +170 wager, especially when there are worthy candidates at a more favorable price.
National League Cy Young Award Odds
My favorite NL Cy Young pick is Blake Snell. The lefty has exceeded 150 innings twice in his career, and both times, he took home the Cy Young Award. Snell has elite strikeout and WAR upside. Twice he’s cleared 220 K’s in a season, and in both years his War was 6.0 or higher.
Now, he pitches for the Dodgers, the best team in baseball. With an elite defense behind him, he can be more aggressive, which raises his strikeout ceiling. Wins will never be an issue when playing for a juggernaut, and he’s proven when healthy, few southpaws are better. Over the final three months of last season, Snell posted a 1.23 ERA and 114 strikeouts in only 80 innings, including a no-hitter.
Extrapolate those numbers over an entire season, and he’ll earn some more hardware for his trophy case. Snell will be an innings eater for LA this season, and could become just the 12th player in history to win three Cy Young Awards.
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Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
