2026 Cy Young Odds: Skubal Undergoes Elbow Surgery

Robert Criscola - Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Robert Criscola • Betting Analyst 11+ years betting experience
Updated: May 4, 2026 , 02:43 PM ET • 5 min read

Tarik Skubal will undergo surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. While his season isn't over, his chances at winning a third straight Cy Young are up in smoke.

Tarik Skubal Detroit Tigers MLB
Photo By - Reuters Connect. Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves

Tarik Skubal's chances at winning a third straight AL Cy Young are up in smoke after news came out that he will undergo surgery to remove loose bodies in his throwing elbow.

Let's look at the latest MLB odds to win the Cy Young Awards, and make some Cy Young predictions.

Odds to win AL Cy Young award 2026

Player FanDuel
Yankees Cam Schlittler  +250
Yankees Max Fried   +350
Blue Jays Dylan Cease  +500
Angels Jose Soriano  +500
Rangers Jacob deGrom  +1200
Guardians Gavin Williams +2500
Mariners Bryan Woo  +2500
Blue Jays Kevin Gausman +2500
Mariners George Kirby +3000
Rays Drew Rasmussen +3500
Tigers Framber Valdez +3500
Mariners Logan Gilbert +4500
Guardians Parker Messick +4500
Twins Taj Bradley +4500

Odds from FanDuel, one of our best betting sites, as of 5-4.

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Odds to win NL Cy Young award 2026

Player FanDuel
Pirates Paul Skenes +210
Dodgers Yoshinobu Yamamoto +400
Braves Chris Sale  +550
Phillies Cristopher Sanchez +700
Dodgers Shohei Ohtani  +700
Brewers Jacob Misiorowski   +2000
Mets Nolan McLean   +2000
Reds Chase Burns  +2500
Dodgers Tyler Glasnow   +3000
Cubs Shota Imanaga +4000
Padres Mason Miller +4000
Mets Freddy Peralta +4000
Padres Michael King +5000

Odds as of 5-4.

MLB Cy Young news

Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal was scratched from Monday's start and is being placed on the injured list. The reigning two-time AL Cy Young winner will undergo surgery to remove loose bodies in his throwing elbow.

While this doesn't mean his season is over, as it's not Tommy John surgery, it almost certainly means he won't be in the running to win a third consecutive trophy.

New York Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler is now the betting favorite in the American League, and other top names have all seen their odds shorten in the wake of this news.

A full timeline should be available in the near future, but Hunter Greene and Edwin Diaz both had similar procedures done. Greene has yet to pitch this year, and Diaz was only recently placed on the IL with a lengthy stint looming.

Before the injury designation, Skubal was 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 43 1/3 innings. 

MLB Cy Young futures bets

Bet Odds Bet date Units
Blue Jays Kevin Gausman +4000 April 20 0.25
Marlins Eury Perez +3500 March 25 0.25
Blue Jays Dylan Cease +3000 March 25 0.25
Reds Hunter Greene +1400 February 24 0.25
Royals Cole Ragans +1300 February 24 0.25

Well, the Cole Ragans dream may be dead. Through five starts, the Kansas City Royals left-hander has a 6.00 ERA (and the peripherals aren't any better) while issuing 18 walks and surrendering six home runs in just 21 innings.

For context, he allowed seven long balls and gave out 20 free passes in 61 2/3 innings last season. He's not quite right.

I'm adding a sprinkle on Kevin Gausman, who is barely shorter than Ragans while drawing the same odds as Garrett Crochet at +4000.

Gausman may be a bit older, but he's kicked off his season pitching better than he arguably ever has. He's got a 2.54 ERA (2.42 xERA) with 35 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings. The price is just way off. He's historically durable, having thrown at least 174 innings in five straight seasons, and doesn't hurt himself with walks or the gopher ball. 


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Previous Cy Young Award winners

Here are the last 10 winners of the AL and NL Cy Young Award, with Detroit, Cleveland, Houston, Washington, and the New York Mets each leading the way with two. Overall, the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have the most Cy Youngs all time (12), followed by the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves with eight and the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and Mets with seven apiece.

Previous AL Cy Young winners

Year American League Winner
2025 Tigers Tarik Skubal
2024 Tigers Tarik Skubal
2023 Yankees Gerrit Cole
2022 Astros Justin Verlander
2021 Blue Jays Robbie Ray
2020 Guardians Shane Bieber
2019 Astros Justin Verlander
2018 Rays Blake Snell
2017 Guardians Corey Kluber
2016 Red Sox Rick Porcello

Previous NL Cy Young winners

Year National League Winner
2025 Pirates Paul Skenes
2024 Braves Chris Sale
2023 Padres Blake Snell
2022 MarlinsSandy Alcantara
2021 Brewers Corbin Burnes
2020 Reds Trevor Bauer
2019 Mets Jacob deGrom
2018 Mets Jacob deGrom 
2017 Nationals Max Scherzer
2016 Nationals Max Scherzer

Pitchers with multiple Cy Young awards

Twenty-two pitchers have won multiple Cy Young Awards, led by Roger Clemens' seven trophies. Of those 22 winners, five are still active in the majors.

Pitcher Number of Cy Young Awards (Years)
Roger Clemens 7 (1986, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004)
Randy Johnson 5 (1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)
Steve Carlton 4 (1972, 1977, 1980, 1982
Greg Maddux 4 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995)
Seven different pitchers 3
12 different pitchers 2


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MLB Cy Young Odds

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Robert Criscola - Covers.com
Betting Analyst

Robert M. Criscola’s road to becoming a Covers publishing editor began with an internship at Metro New York, which eventually turned into a freelance job at MetroBet covering many sports from a wagering angle, including horse racing. He continued to focus on “The Sport of Kings” by writing for shapperdacapper.com, danonymousracing.com, and informer.fanxt.com before joining the team at the TwinSpires Edge in 2019 as a regular contributor and weekend editor. “Crisco” began writing game previews for Covers in 2022 and joined the editing team in 2023.

His best advice for sports bettors? Bet with your head, not over it.

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