Javan Shouey
The 2025 MLB season is underway with the Dodgers defeating the Cubs in both games of the Tokyo Series. The rest of the league is set to get their season started on the 27th of the month, but there are several interesting futures markets worth diving into before then.
This article will focus on the awards markets, primarily the MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards. Let’s dive in!
2025 MLB MVP Odds
We will be using the odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook for the purpose of continuity in this article. As always, shop around for the best price in market before placing your wager.
American League MVP odds
- Aaron Judge (+300)
- Bobby Witt Jr. (+310)
- Gunnar Henderson (+650)
- Corey Seager (+1100)
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (+1400)
- Yordan Alvarez (+1600)
- Mike Trout (+1800)
- Julio Rodriguez (+2000)
- Jose Ramirez (+2200)
- Rafael Devers (+3000)
National League MVP odds
- Shohei Ohtani (+145)
- Juan Soto (+550)
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (+850)
- Mookie Betts (+1000)
- Bryce Harper (+1400)
- Kyle Tucker (+1700)
- Elly De La Cruz (+2000)
- Francisco Lindor (+2200)
- Ronald Acuna Jr. (+3000)
- Ketel Marte (+3500)
2025 MLB MVP Best Bet: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (+1400)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reportedly wants $500 million once his contract is up following this season, and what better way to get paid than to earn your first MVP award. The right-handed slugger finished 2nd in the 2021 MVP race and is looking to improve on his 6th-place finish from last season in 2025. Guerrero Jr. finished 2024 with 30 home runs and 103 RBI while recording a wRC+ of 165, the 2nd best mark of his career. His 2nd half of the season propelled his numbers with a .376 AVG and 16 home runs across his final 63 games. He recorded a wRC+ of 212 in that final stretch, the 2nd highest mark in that span behind only Aaron Judge. Across the entire season the 1st baseman ranked 100th percentile with a .321 xBA. His ability to hit the ball in the 97th percentile of exit velocity while striking out just 13.8% of the time leads to a ton of quality chances for damage. Toronto is facing an uphill battle as a team this season with the AL East projecting as the toughest division in MLB, but the addition of Anthony Santander and likely positive regression from Bo Bichette and George Springer should help support Guerrero Jr’s numbers. We should see a motivated Vlad Jr. this season and I believe he has a strong chance of competing for his first MVP award.
2025 MLB Cy Young Odds
Last season saw 35-year-old Chris Sale regain form after several injury-riddled seasons. Can Jacob deGrom perform similarly in his age-36 season?
American League Cy Young odds
- Tarik Skubal (+350)
- Garrett Crochet (+370)
- Cole Ragans (+900)
- Logan Gilbert (+1200)
- Jacob deGrom (+1400)
- Pablo Lopez (+1600)
- Shane McClanahan (+2000)
- Hunter Brown (+2200)
- Framber Valdez (+2200)
- Max Fried (+2500)
National League Cy Young odds
- Paul Skenes (+200)
- Zack Wheeler (+600)
- Blake Snell (+1000)
- Corbin Burnes (+1500)
- Chris Sale (+1800)
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto (+1800)
- Michael King (+2000)
- Sandy Alcantara (+2000)
- Dylan Cease (+2200)
- Spencer Strider (+2200)
2025 MLB Cy Young Best Bet: Jacob deGrom (+1400)
Talent is never the question when it comes to Jacob deGrom, as the right-hander has been one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers when healthy. His career ERA of 2.52 across 1367.0 innings has resulted in a Rookie of the Year award and 2 Cy Young awards, but he has not been able to throw more than 92 innings in any season since 2019. To be fair, the 2020 season had a lockout that prevented a full season for anyone, and deGrom did finish 3rd in Cy Young voting that season with a 2.38 ERA. Last season we saw 35-year-old Chris Sale win the National League Cy Young after posting more than 102 innings for the first time since 2019, and I have hope that deGrom can finally stay healthy in his age-36 season. When deGrom won back-to-back Cy Young awards in 2018 and 2019, he had an average fastball velocity of 95.9 and 96.9 MPH respectively. He then tried to maximize his stuff and saw his average velocity sit between 98.6 and 99.2 MPH from 2020-2023. This spring deGrom has been sitting closer to 96 MPH and has openly discussed his mindset when it comes to maxing out on every pitch vs ramping up when needed in certain situations. He enters 2025 after a healthy offseason, and at +1400 I will willingly take a stab on a talent like Jacob deGrom.
2025 MLB Rookie of the Year Odds
2024 introduced several young stars into the major leagues. Can Matt Shaw step into the spotlight for the Chicago Cubs in the 2025 season?
American League Rookie of the Year odds
- Jasson Dominguez (+350)
- Kristian Campbell (+550)
- Roman Anthony (+750)
- Jackson Jobe (+850)
- Will Warren (+1200)
- Cam Smith (+1300)
- Kumar Rocker (+1600)
- Christian Moore (+1600)
- Jacob Wilson (+1800)
- Tomoyuki Sugano (+3000)
National League Rookie of the Year odds
- Dylan Crews (+300)
- Roki Sasaki (+320)
- Matt Shaw +(+380)
- Bubba Chandler (+700)
- Tirso Ornelas (+1600)
- Jordan Lawler (+1800)
- Drake Baldwin (+2100)
- Rhett Lowder (+3000)
- Andrew Painter (+3000)
- Quinn Matthews (+3000)
2025 MLB Rookie of the Year Best Bet: Matt Shaw (+380)
The Rookie of the Year award tends to be hard for pitchers to win, just as it is hard for pitchers to win the MVP. When comparing an everyday position player to a pitcher that takes the mound every 5th or 6th day, voters tend to favor the position player. Paul Skenes and Luis Gil each won the award in their respective league last season, but just one pitcher (Devin Williams) had won the award in either league since 2016. In 2025 I believe Matt Shaw has a very good chance of winning the NL Rookie of the Year for the Chicago Cubs. Shaw enters the season as the 19th ranked prospect in MLB according to the league’s own website, and 13th according to FanGraphs rankings. The 23-year-old right-handed infielder was drafted 13th overall in the 2023 draft out of Maryland and then played at 3 levels in the minor league organization, posting a wRC+ of 170 across 170 plate appearances in 2023. In 2024 Shaw saw 523 combined plate appearances between AA and AAA, posting a 146 wRC+ with 21 home runs and 31 stolen bases. He provides the potentially deep Cubs lineup with a power/speed combination and an insertion of youth that could help propel them forward in the NL Central. With Isaac Paredes in Houston, Shaw figures to mainly play at 3rd base while also finding time at 2nd. Given enough plate appearances he could be a dark horse candidate for 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases as a rookie for a club with postseason hopes.
