2026 Cy Young Odds: Historic NL Race Brewing Between Star Aces
With the 2026 MLB season now roughly a third of the way complete, both Cy Young races are beginning to take shape.
Specifically, the National League is quickly emerging as the headlining race, with an absurd collection of superstar arms turning the race into one of the most fascinating pitching battles baseball has seen in years.
Just how loaded is the race right now? Shohei Ohtani currently owns a 0.82 ERA through nine starts and still only has the fourth-best odds to win the National League Cy Young Award.
With that being said, let’s check out the odds for this season’s winners at DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 28.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
American League Cy Young
Cam Schlittler: +100 (bet $10 to win $20 total)
Dylan Cease: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Jacob deGrom: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Gavin Williams: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Shane McClanahan: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Drew Rasmussen: +2700 (bet $10 to win $280 total)
Jose Soriano: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
What to know: When the season began, Detroit’s Tarik Skubal was favored to win a third straight Cy Young. That’s how dominant he’s been. However, he was forced to have surgery to remove loose bodies in his throwing elbow, and is now sidelined for months, opening the door for a new winner.
The Yankees’ young star, Cam Schlittler, who is 7-2 with a 1.50 ERA and 81 strikeouts through 12 starts, continues to rise up the oddsboard and is now the clear favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award at +100, after being at +220 two weeks ago. The 25-year-old owns the second-lowest ERA ever recorded by a Yankees pitcher through his first 12 starts of a season since ERA became an official statistic in 1913.
Behind Schlittler, Toronto’s Dylan Cease (3-3, 3.05 ERA, 92 Ks) and Texas’ Jacob deGrom (3-4, 3.77 ERA, 70 Ks) remain in the mix as they look to make up significant ground over the summer.
Cam Schlittler of the Yankees is currently the +100 favorite to win the AL Cy Young (Getty Images).
National League Cy Young
Cristopher Sanchez: +145 (bet $10 to win $24.50 total)
Jacob Misiorowski: +340 (bet $10 to win $44 total)
Paul Skenes: +450 (bet $10 to win $55 total)
Shohei Ohtani: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Chris Sale: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Chase Burns: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
What to know: The NL Cy Young race is completely stacked right now.
Five of the top six pitchers on the oddsboard currently have an ERA below 1.96. Cristopher Sánchez tops the list and is the current favorite at +145 after his brilliant outing on Wednesday against the Padres. Sánchez currently has a scoreless innings streak that now sits at 44 ⅔ innings, as he did not allow a single run during the entire month of May.
With that performance, he officially surpassed Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander’s 115-year-old Philadelphia Phillies franchise record of 41 consecutive scoreless innings, which had stood since 1911.
Sánchez owns a league-best 1.46 ERA and is second in the MLB in strikeouts with 95.
Cristopher Sánchez of the Phillies is currently the +145 favorite to win the National League Cy Young (Getty Images).
Behind him, is Brewers second-year phenom Jacob Misiorowski, who owns a 1.83 ERA and has a league-leading 100 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched.
Next comes reigning 2025 NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, who entered the season as the preseason favorite and somehow owns the highest ERA among the group despite still very solid numbers. Through 11 starts, Skenes is 6-4 with a 3.00 ERA, 65 strikeouts and a 0.82 WHIP.
Behind Skenes is Ohtani and Sale at +750 each.
Ohtani has an absurd 0.82 ERA through nine starts, though the mark does not qualify for the official MLB leaderboard because he has not yet pitched enough innings. Ohtani’s dominance continued Wednesday night against the Rockies, as he tossed six hitless innings in the Dodgers win.
Sale’s numbers also stand out, as he owns a 7-3 record with a 1.89 ERA, 72 strikeouts and an impressive 38% chase rate.
<
