MLB Cy Young Odds: Cole and deGrom are the Aces

Starting pitchers in baseball are the linchpin of any successful MLB team and in 2021 MLB Cy Young odds, a pair of hurlers from the Big Apple are the favorites in the American and National Leagues.

According to the best baseball betting sites, the New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole and the New York Mets’ Jacob deGrom are the betting favorites to win the coveted Cy Young awards for the 2021 season. Cole is a slight favorite at +400 over reigning AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians at +425 and Chicago White Sox ace Lucas Giolito is right behind them at +550.

In the National League, deGrom has +400 MLB Cy Young odds and reigning NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer trails him at +600. Bauer won his award with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020 but joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent in the offseason, adding to their wealth of starting pitching.

If this is your first time betting on baseball, here are some key links to bookmark:

World Series Odds | MLB Futures | MLB Win Totals | Odds To Make Playoffs | AL/NL MVP Odds | How To Bet On Baseball

Let’s look at each MLB league and determine some betting value for the Cy Young awards:

Who is Favored in MLB American League Cy Young Odds?

Odds as of March 24 at BetOnline

Favored to win the award in the shortened 2020 season, and mostly living up to the very high expectations of being the ace of the New York Yankees, Gerrit Cole returns as the betting favorite in 2021 AL Cy Young odds.

The righty was just what the Yankees ordered when they signed him away from the Houston Astros, finishing 2020 with a 7-3 record, a 2.84 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. While those averages weren’t career bests, they were easily tops among Yankees starters and New York went 8-4 SU in the 12 games he started.

In the postseason, he pitched 18.1 innings over three games and held the Indians and Rays to seven runs (six earned). Let’s just say it wasn’t his fault the Bronx Bombers got bounced in the ALCS by the Rays.

One of the main reasons Cole needs to be heavily considered by bettors is the ridiculous offense behind him that will outscore most teams. The Yankees easily have the most feared batting order in the American League and while wins and losses may be the most overrated stat for a starting pitcher, the fact remains that if Cole pitches to his ability, he’ll win 20 games in pinstripes.

Dark-Horse Candidate in AL Cy Young Odds

My colleague Scott Hastings is typically raving about MLB Cy Young odds in the offseason and one American League pitcher that he thinks has a legit shot to win the award is Jesus Luzardo, an emerging starter for the Oakland Athletics.

The third-year southpaw didn’t exactly light the world on fire in his second season but his command and ability to get batters to swing and miss could put Luzardo in a breakout spot for the A’s. Out of all the franchises in MLB, the Athletics’ ability to find diamonds in the rough for starting pitching is top-notch. Just look at Frankie Montas (+4500). The A’s brass wouldn’t have started Luzardo in two playoff games if they didn’t believe in his ability to shut down a stout offense like the White Sox or Astros.

At +3000 odds, this is the type of bet that is boom-or-bust but with Cole/Bieber/Giolito likely getting most of the betting handle, the 23-year-old lefty could be the next big thing in the Bay Area.

Who is Favored in MLB National League Cy Young Odds?

Odds as of March 24 at BetOnline

Arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball, the New York Mets’ Jacob deGrom should be an overwhelming favorite in 2021 NL Cy Young odds. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it was criminal that he didn’t get more first-place votes in 2020.

DeGrom had another banner year with a 2.38 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 104 strikeouts in 68 innings of work. What’s sad is that in 12 starts, he had only four wins, victimized once again by lack of offensive support – basically the story of his career. In 2018 and 2019, he won the Cy Young both times despite a combined 21-17 win-loss record, furthering the notion about the most overrated stat in baseball.

The most appealing aspect of deGrom’s Cy Young candidacy in 2021 is that the Mets have actually managed to put together a somewhat competent batting order to provide him with some run support. If the 32-year-old does his job, not only will he likely win the Cy Young but he may actually get to pitch in the postseason again for the first time since 2015.

Dark-Horse Candidate in NL Cy Young Odds

Scott Hastings, again. You know, the guy from before? The long shot that bettors need to consider in National League Cy Young odds is Sixto Sanchez of the Miami Marlins. The second-year hurler from the Dominican Republic has filthy stuff and while he only started seven games last year, it was against some fairly tough competition in the NL and AL East.

In those seven games, he posted a 3.56 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, impressive numbers for a 22-year-old who can almost top 100 mph with his pitches. The Marlins may not be a sexy team to bank on but GM Derek Jeter has rebuilt this starting rotation from the ground up and Sixto may be the best of the bunch.

In the playoffs, his last outing vs the Braves was underwhelming but he did toss a gem in his first postseason start vs Chicago, limiting the Cubs to only four hits in five shutout innings.

The potential is there for Sanchez to be an elite starter in the National League and at +5500, he’s worth a stab if deGrom doesn’t have another dominant season.

Making a Cy Young Futures Bet

Betting on an MLB Cy Young Award is a form of futures betting because you are making a pick based on an outcome determined at the end of the MLB regular season. The trophy is usually given out in mid-December and if you want to get a bigger payout, it’s best to lock in your bets sooner rather than later so you can take advantage of better odds. The closer it gets to the end of the season, the more the odds will change.

How to Read MLB Cy Young Odds

The above chart features the odds for each top player in the American League and National League. At your sportsbook of choice, the betting lines for the American League would look something like this:

Shane Bieber +200

Gerrit Cole +225

Lance Lynn +450

This means that Bieber is the favorite since he has the lowest odds and the highest chance of winning the prop, according to oddsmakers. If you were to bet $100 on Bieber and he won, you would get a payout of $300 – your original $100 is returned along with your winnings of $200.

On the other hand, if you strongly believe that Lance Lynn is going to shine in Texas, a winning $100 bet on him would yield $550 – your $100 comes back along with your prize of $450.

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