Shohei Ohtani entered the season as the clear favorite to win National League MVP, but some clear challengers are emerging in the early going.
That contrasts heavily with the American League race, which has Aaron Judge listed at -175 in the MLB odds.
Let's break down the races in this week's AL & NL MVP odds.
Odds to win AL MVP 2025
| Player |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Aaron Judge |
-140 | -175 | -150 |
 Bobby Witt Jr. |
+400 | +500 | +500 |
 Gunnar Henderson |
+1300 | +1400 | +1200 |
 Corey Seager |
+1800 | +3000 | +2500 |
 Yordan Alvarez |
+1800 | +3500 | +2800 |
 Jose Ramirez |
+2000 | +3000 | +2500 |
 Mike Trout |
+2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. |
+2000 | +2800 | +2500 |
 Julio Rodriguez |
+2200 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Adley Rutschman |
+3000 | +4500 | +3500 |
 Jarren Duran |
+5000 | +8000 | +6000 |
| Wyatt Langford |
+5000 | +5500 | +5500 |
| Jordan Westburg |
+5000 | +6500 | +5500 |
 Riley Greene |
+5000 | +5500 | +6000 |
| Wilyer Abreu |
+5000 | +10000 | OTB |
Odds as of 4-7.
AL MVP odds analysis
Aaron Judge is -175 to win AL MVP. The New York Yankees have played nine games. Judge has already clobbered six home runs while batting .324/.419/.892. The strikeout rate is up a little from last season, and he isn't drawing walks as frequently. But like I said, it's early.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu has climbed onto the board after slashing .483/.595/.897 (yes, a higher slugging percentage than Judge) with three homers and 12 RBI in 10 games. The thing standing in Abreu's way is Boston may still limit his exposure to left-handed pitching. However, if he keeps hitting like this, he may just find himself in the lineup, regardless of who's on the mound.
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Odds to win NL MVP 2025
| Player | |
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
 Shohei Ohtani |
+150 | +125 | +130 |
 Juan Soto |
+600 | +600 | +600 |
 Fernando Tatis Jr. |
+750 | +850 | +750 |
 Kyle Tucker |
+900 | +1100 | +1000 |
 Elly De La Cruz |
+1000 | +2000 | +1400 |
| Mookie Betts |
+1200 | +1600 | +1400 |
 Bryce Harper |
+2000 | +2000 | +1800 |
| Francisco Lindor |
+2200 | +4500 | +3300 |
 Ronald Acuna Jr. |
+2500 | +5500 | +3500 |
| Jackson Merrill |
+2800 | +3000 | +2800 |
 Corbin Carroll |
+3500 | +3500 | +3500 |
| Freddie Freeman |
+3500 | +5500 | +4500 |
| Ketel Marte |
+4000 | +4500 | +4000 |
| Trea Turner |
+4500 | +5500 | +5000 |
| Austin Riley |
+5000 | +7500 | +6000 |
| Pete Alonso |
+5000 | +5500 | +5000 |
| Matt Olson |
+5000 | +6000 | +5500 |
 Jackson Chourio |
+5000 | +3500 | +5000 |
Odds as of 4-7.
NL MVP odds analysis
The biggest riser on the board since our last update is San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill. He was between 50/1 and 55/1 after Opening Weekend and has shot up the board to 30/1 or better. After finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2024, Merrill is batting .378/.415/.676 with three home runs through the Padres' first 10 games. He's walking more and striking out at about the same rate as he was a year ago.
Kyle Tucker continues to make his presence felt for the Chicago Cubs, too. After a bit of a rough spring, Tucker is batting .319/.458/.745 with five home runs and three stolen bases, while leading MLB with 1.1 fWAR. He's struck out in just 10.2% of his plate appearances while walking north of 20% of the time. Both marks would represent career-bests over the course of a season. Tucker can still be had at +1100, but books are trending shorter.
I'm curious about how voters will approach Shohei Ohtani this year. The Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player has yet to start pitching again, and while his offensive numbers are solid, they aren't as good as Merrill's or Tucker's (there is a big ol' "yet" implied here). However, with the Dodgers as stacked as they are with expectations through the roof, it could also open the door for a player on a team that isn't quite so star-powered if voters decide their impact was more important to their team's overall success compared to Ohtani.
If Ohtani gets a decent run on the mound and looks no worse for wear, it likely won't matter. But if offensive numbers remain close and he is limited as a pitcher, he's not a lock.
AfterCovers MLB betting tools
MVP betting splits
American League MVP
Highest Ticket%
- Bobby Witt Jr., Royals - 20.6%
- Julio Rodriguez, Mariners - 8.8%
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays - 7.9%
Highest Handle%
- Bobby Witt Jr., Royals - 25.7%
- Julio Rodriguez, Mariners - 12.9%
- Aaron Judge, Yankees - 8.7%
Biggest Liability
- Julio Rodriguez, Mariners
National League MVP
Highest Ticket%
- Elly De La Cruz, Reds - 20.8%
- Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers - 14.2%
- Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves - 8.4%
Highest Handle%
- Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers - 46.5%
- Elly De La Cruz, Reds - 12.6%
- Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks - 4.6%
Biggest Liability
- Elly De La Cruz, Reds
Data courtesy of BetMGM.
Previous MVP winners
Here are the last 10 winners of the AL and NL MVP Award, with Mike Trout leading the way as a three-time winner. Bryce Harper has won twice with two different teams and Miguel Cabrera was the last player to win back-to-back MVP awards (2012-13). Barry Bonds holds the record for most MVP awards (seven)
The New York Yankees have won the most MVPs in MLB history with 23 while the St. Louis Cardinals are second, leading all NL teams, with 21. No player for the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, or Tampa Bay Rays has ever won MVP.
Previous AL MVP winners
| Year | American League Winner |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Shohei Ohtani |
| 2022 | Aaron Judge |
| 2021 | Shohei Ohtani |
| 2020 |  Jose Abreu |
| 2019 | Mike Trout |
| 2018 | Mookie Betts |
| 2017 | Jose Altuve |
| 2016 | Mike Trout |
| 2015 | Josh Donaldson |
| 2014 | Mike Trout |
Previous NL MVP winners
| Year | National League Winner |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Ronald Acuna Jr. |
| 2022 |  Paul Goldschmidt |
| 2021 | Bryce Harper |
| 2020 | Freddie Freeman |
| 2019 | Cody Bellinger |
| 2018 |  Christian Yelich |
| 2017 |  Giancarlo Stanton |
| 2016 | Kris Bryant |
| 2015 |  Bryce Harper |
| 2014 | Clayton Kershaw |
Popular MLB futures markets
- MLB World Series odds
- MLB Cy Young odds
- MLB Rookie of the Year odds
- MLB playoff odds
- MLB HR title odds
MLB MVP odds explained
Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. When Goldschmidt ran away with the MVP award in 2022 his odds had a minus (-) sign ahead of the number for a large part of the season.
- Paul Goldschmidt -6,000
That means that a bettor in August had to wager $6,000 to win $100 by betting on Goldy to win MVP. Before the season starts, almost every player will have a plus (+) sign ahead of their odds.
- Shohei Ohtani +200
That means a bettor would have profited $200 for a $100 wager on Ohtani before the season started.
If American odds aren't your thing, simply use a tool like our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.
MLB MVP FAQ
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is favored by shorter than even money across the board.
Los Angeles Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani is the betting favorite to win NL MVP.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge won his second AL MVP trophy after hitting 58 home runs with a .322/.48/.701 slash line.
Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani became the first pure DH in MLB history to win an MVP.
Of the 33 players to have multiple MVP trophies, Barry Bonds is far and away the leader with seven. Ten other players have won three and no one besides Bonds has won more.
AL and NL MVP awards are typically announced in mid-November after the World Series has been played. The 2023 awards were announced on November 16.
Since 1931, members of the Baseball Writer's Association of America (BBWAA) have submitted ranked ballots. Two writers from each MLB city vote for the awards in their respective league.
