Updated August 19, 2026
Player | Current Odds | Last Week's Odds | BetMGM Ticket % | BetMGM Handle % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cam Schlittler | -165 | -130 | 9.5% | 26.4% |
Dylan Cease | +130 | +100 | 7.6% | 18.1% |
Sonny Gray | +3500 | +3000 | 4.6% | 3.2% |
Drew Rasmussen | +3500 | +3000 | 1.8% | 3.2% |
Parker Messick | +5000 | +4000 | 3.6% | 2.2% |
Logan Gilbert | +8000 | +8000 | 1.9% | 1.2% |
Gavin Williams | +8000 | +3500 | 5.7% | 3.7% |
Sean Burke | +10000 | +10000 | 0.1% | 0.0% |
Betting odds via BetMGM Sportsbook on August 18, 2026 and are subject to change.
A two-horse race has emerged between two pitchers from the AL East in this year's battle for the Cy Young award. Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees is the odds-on favorite to win this award, while Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays is the only pitcher within shouting distance according to the odds.
Schlittler and Cease are first and second in the American League in ERA among qualifying pitchers this season, and are the only two pitchers in the AL whose ERAs are under 2.50 on the year. That could certainly change, either due to some regression from those two starters or with some strong performances by Sonny Gray and Parker Messick. But for now, Schlittler and Cease have been by far the best arms in the AL.
The ability of Schlittler and Cease to miss bats has helped them separate themselves from their competition. Cease leads the American League with 201 strikeouts on the year, while Schlittler is third with 189 strikeouts. If they can continue to pile up the strikeouts, it would be hard to see one fo them not winning this year's top honor for pitchers in this league.
Last week, Schlittler was -130 to grab the AL Cy Young. Since then, he has thrown two strong starts, despite the fact that the Yankees lost both of those games. He has allowed a total of two earned runs over his last two starts, lasting a combined 12.1 innings against the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. That has moved his odds to -165, while everyone else's odds got longer.
Meanwhile, Schlittler should be the beneficiary of Tarik Skubal being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline. Skubal was a +350 favorite to win this award at BetMGM before the start of the season. But he isn't going to finish this season as an American League pitcher, removing a competitor from this race who has an ERA under 3.00 for the year.
The question now is whether anyone besides Cease can mount a serious challenge for Schlittler. Pitchers like Drew Rasmussen of the Rays and Parker Messick of the Guardians have impressive numbers this season. But they are just about out of time to bridge the gap between their impressive numbers and the Cy Young-caliber stats of Schlittler and Cease.
The oddsmakers at BetMGM certainly hope that someone catches Schlittler. According to the sportsbook, Schlittler has the highest percentage of tickets and the money wagered on this market, making him their biggest liability in this futures betting pool.
At this point in the season, it's hard to pick against Cam Schlittler of the Yankees, especially with his team having more success than Cease's Blue Jays. Still, I'm going to take Cease to win this award at a plus price. His numbers are very competitive with those of Schlittler, and a strong final six weeks could see Cease leapfrog Schlittler, while Cease's current price represents a nice value play.
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