Trout, Kershaw close favorites to reclaim MVP, Cy Young
With Opening Day three weeks away, Westgate Superbook released its betting lines for the MVP and Cy Young awards, and some familiar names are at the top of each list.
Mike Trout faces 2-1 odds to win his third American League MVP after finishing outside the top three for the first time in his career in an injury-shortened campaign. Despite playing only 114 games in 2017, he finished fourth in MVP voting with a 1.071 OPS.
Incumbent AL MVP Jose Altuve is a close second with 4-1 odds, and Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Correa, and Francisco Lindor are tied for third at 10-1.
With the reigning National League MVP now playing for the New York Yankees, the Senior Circuit will have to crown someone other than Stanton next year, and Westgate is projecting a five-horse race, with 2015 MVP and pending free agent Bryce Harper leading narrowly:
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Bryce Harper | 3/1 |
| Kris Bryant | 4/1 |
| Nolan Arenado | 5/1 |
| Joey Votto | 7/1 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 8/1 |
Clayton Kershaw, meanwhile, is considered the favorite to win the NL Cy Young, but it's slated to be another close race with Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer. With both Kershaw and Scherzer looking for their fourth Cy Young awards, the Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander holds the slight edge at 3-2 odds compared to Scherzer's 2-1.
No other pitcher is even close to Kershaw and Scherzer, with Madison Bumgarner, Noah Syndergaard, Stephen Strasburg, and Carlos Martinez all tied for third at 15-1.
Meanwhile, Corey Kluber is coming off his second AL Cy Young win but isn't expected to get the best of Chris Sale for two years in a row. The Boston Red Sox left-hander is the favorite to dethrone Kluber at 9-4 odds, with the Cleveland Indians pitcher barely behind at 5-2.
Justin Verlander and Carlos Carrasco round out the favorites at 8-1.