2023 MLB Cy Young Award futures bets: Favorites and longshot picks, plus over $4,400 in bonuses

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The 2023 MLB season has just begun, but it’s never too early to start evaluating the futures markets for the prestigious Cy Young award in both the American and National League.

Let’s take a closer look at some favorites, contenders and one long shot to consider in both the AL and NL futures betting markets as of early April.

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Everyone has their local favorite to win major MLB awards like the Cy Young, but who are the true standouts? Who are looking to break from the pack? And who could possibly come out of nowhere to snatch the award?

Here are our Cy Young Award betting picks for both the American League and National League. Be sure to check out the table below for up-to-the-minute odds.

Jacob deGrom is the surprising frontrunner at Caesars despite a very rough Opening Day start where he gave up five earned runs on six hits over 3 ⅓ innings. However, the right-hander did offer a glimpse of his significant swing-and-miss upside with seven strikeouts, and redeemed himself with an 11-K win against the Orioles.

The expectation clearly is that deGrom’s skills will naturally lead to much better results over time. The Rangers bats appear highly capable of offering plenty of run support as well, not that deGrom has historically needed much to churn out excellent performances.

Cole already opened the season in Cy Young form, firing six scoreless, three-hit innings during which he recorded 11 strikeouts against the Giants back on Opening Day.

The veteran right-hander got swinging strikes on 17.9 percent of his offerings in that outing while averaging 97 mph on his fastball, implying there isn’t any drop-off in his arm at age 32.

Cease was outstanding on Opening Day in a difficult matchup against the Astros, allowing an earned run on two hits over 6 ⅓ innings while recording 10 strikeouts.

He followed it up with another one-run effort over five innings against the Giants on Wednesday during which he recorded eight strikeouts while feeling under the weather, making his performance all the more noteworthy.

The left-hander’s six-inning shutout of the Tigers on Opening Day was followed up by a second straight quality start against the Nationals where he allowed a pair of earned runs on five hits and four walks in six frames.

McClanahan already put together career bests in wins (12), ERA (2.54) and WHIP (0.93) in 2022, and another year of experience makes him a strong bet to turn in an even better 2023.

While McClanahan is rightfully the Cy Young frontrunner in the Rays rotation, don’t overlook Springs as a dark horse candidate.

The southpaw put together quite the body of work as a first-time starter last season, pitching to a 9-5 record, 2.46 ERA and 1.07 WHIP while also furnishing an impressive 26.2 percent strikeout rate over 25 starts.

Springs carried that momentum right into his first turn of the ‘23 regular season by firing six no-hit innings with 12 strikeouts against the Tigers. Given his pitcher-friendly home park and year of successful experience as a starter, Springs is an underdog candidate to put it all together in 2023.

The defending NL Cy Young champ got off to a somewhat shaky start Opening Day against the Mets by giving up three runs on three hits and four walks over 5 ⅔ innings. However, he turned back the clock in his second turn, firing a trademark complete-game shutout with five strikeouts against the Twins.

Alcantara displayed the stamina of an old-school workhorse starter a year ago, which certainly helped him rack up plenty of the counting stats that make an impression on Cy Young voters. At just 27 years old and having recorded a career-high 14 wins last season, Alcantara could take matters up another notch in 2023 after another year of seasoning.

Strider already demonstrated maturity beyond his years as a 23-year-old rookie in 2022, posting an 11-5 record, 2.67 ERA and 0.99 WHIP, along with an elite 38.3 percent strikeout rate, across 31 appearances (20 starts).

Strider then opened the new season with a six-inning, nine-strikeout shutout of the Nationals, lending credence to the notion he could be on yet another level in 2023.

Scherzer is a perennial Cy Young candidate, and although he’s been more hittable than usual through his first two starts of ‘23 (11.1 IP, 12 H, 8 ER, 4 BB), his extensive body of work implies he’s highly capable of bouncing back to churn out yet another upper-echelon season.

Scherzer still generated a 30.6 percent strikeout rate a season ago and has failed to produce a sub-3.00 ERA only once since 2015, supporting the notion he could certainly remain in contention for the award all season.

Burnes may never again be as dominant as he was during a large swath of the 2021 season, and he’s starting off the 2023 campaign with an ugly 9.64 ERA through two starts.

However, the right-hander has elite swing-and-miss upside (over 30.0 percent strikeout in each of the last three seasons), which always gives him a chance to rack up Cy Young-worthy numbers.

Senga arrived stateside this offseason after an 11-season career in Japan where he furnished a 104-51 record, 2.42 ERA, 0.6 HR/9 and 10.0 K/9. If his first MLB start is any indication, Senga may be ready to exert the same type of dominance over big-league hitters and therefore serve as an excellent dark horse Cy Young candidate to stake a claim on early.

Utilizing his infamous “ghost fork” pitch, Senga frequently baffled the Marlins in his debut while ringing up eight strikeouts over 5 ⅓ innings and allowing only one earned run. The combination of his experience and a powerful lineup behind him could be just the recipe to make Senga a serious contender all season.

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