A.L. Cy Young Betting Odds: Gerrit Cole Means Business

There are no surprises when it comes to picking a favorite to win the 2020 American League Cy Young Award per BetMGM. The New York Yankees signed Gerrit Cole to a record-setting nine-year contract worth up to $324 million. He’s the real deal and looking to win his first Cy Young after narrowly missing out on his first in 2019. In fact, his former teammate Justin Verlander was the one who edged him out.

But things have changed from 2019. Cole is in pinstripes and the season is going to be an all-out sprint in this year’s shortened 2020 format. That adds a new layer of intrigue for MLB bettors. One disastrous start could knock any one of these pitchers out of the running for the Cy Young.

Think about it. One bad outing where the starter gives up a handful of runs in the first couple of innings could send his ERA through the roof and crush any hopes of individual awards. There is little margin for error for pitchers this season, and as a result, bettors too.

Odds To Win A.L. Cy Young Award

Gerrit Cole +265
Justin Verlander +600
Chris Sale +650
Mike Clevinger +1000
Blake Snell +1100
Charlie Morton +1100
Shane Bieber +1100
Tyler Glasnow +1200
Lucas Giolito +1800
Carlos Carrasco +2000
Zack Grienke +2500
Corey Kluber +2500
Jose Berrios +2500
Hyun Jin Ryu +2500
Lance Lynn +3000
Lance McCullers Jr. +4000
Frankie Montas +4000
Matthew Boyd +5000
Shohei Ohtani +5000
Eduardo Rodriguez +5000
Jake Odorizzi +6000
Mike Minor +7000
James Paxton +8000
Nathan Eovaldi +8000

Cole, Verlander, and Chris Sale are the early favorites in the American League, but there is no shortage of enticing options lower on the board. Will Shohei Ohtani pitch enough to warrant real Cy Young consideration? Can Corey Kluber regain his Cy Young form and become one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball yet again? Will a young star like Jose Berrios or Lucas Giolito go from being an All-Star to a superstar?

It’s impossible to know what to expect from this season, and for that reason alone, it’s a good idea for bettors to avoid the favorites. Even if a guy like Cole doesn’t have that one disastrous start, even a minor injury that results in a few missed starts could be a dealbreaker for Cy Young voters.

If Berrios and Giolito can stay healthy, those two young studs make a ton of sense for bettors.

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