The trade deadline has come and gone and the MLB futures odds are rounding into shape as the season's home stretch is on the horizon.
After losing his top spot to Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge reclaimed his place back atop the AL MVP odds board and has done everything in his power to stay there. Meanwhile, despite not playing at his highest established level of late, no one has threatened Paul Goldschmidt's status as the betting favorite in the National League.
Here are the latest MVP odds.
Odds to win AL MVP
| Player (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Aaron Judge (Yankees) | -420 |
| Shohei Ohtani (Angels) | +350 |
| Yordan Alvarez (Astros) | +5,000 |
| Jose Ramirez (Guardians) | +6,000 |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays) | +10,000 |
| Rafael Devers (Red Sox) | +10,000 |
| Jose Altuve (Astros) | +20,000 |
| Kyle Tucker (Astros) | +20,000 |
| Xander Bogaerts (Red Sox) | +20,000 |
| Tim Anderson (White Sox) | +20,000 |
| Anthony Rizzo (Yankees) | +25,000 |
| Byron Buxton (Twins) | +25,000 |
| Julio Rodriguez (Mariners) | +25,000 |
| Shane McClanahan (Rays) | +25,000 |
Odds courtesy of FanDuel as of August 8, 2022.
AL MVP favorites
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (-420)
There was a run of 77 plate appearances from June 23 through July 13 where Judge hit a paltry .191 and added only three home runs to his total, allowing skepticism to creep in about his ability to hold off the likes of Shohei Ohtani and other MVP hopefuls. Well, so much for that.
In his ensuing 20 games, Judge is batting a ridiculous .395 with 13 home runs and 32 RBI while reaching base in more than half his 94 plate appearances (.511 OBP). As such, he's all but secured his first AL MVP award just before hitting free agency.
Judge is slashing .301/.389/.669 with an absurd 43 homers and is poised to continue to build upon his historic season.
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels (+350)
Ohtani is fascinating to watch every time he is in action. Whether it be him at the plate or toeing the rubber, there's always a chance for something special to happen. Ohtani currently sits at 9-7 on the year with 152 Ks in just 105 innings of work, arguably being the lone bright spot for the perennially disappointing Angels this year.
On the other side of the ball, he has a slash line of .253/.344/.492 with 24 home runs, 65 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.
But a relative rough patch on the mound while hitting worse than .225 since the beginning of July has softened the shine, especially as Judge has found another level on offense. If anyone could mount a comeback, it's Ohtani, but it's looking increasingly out of reach.
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros (+5,000)
The AL MVP award is officially a two-horse race, but that's no knock on the play of Yordan Alvarez. The Houston slugger has had a breakout year, slashing .300/.407/.638 with 30 homers in 93 games while battling a few injuries.
Odds to win NL MVP
| Player (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Paul Goldschmidt (Cardinals) | -140 |
| Austin Riley (Braves) | +600 |
| Freddie Freeman (Dodgers) | +750 |
| Pete Alonso (Mets) | +1,200 |
| Mookie Betts (Dodgers) | +2,000 |
| Nolan Arenado (Cardinals) | +2,000 |
| Manny Machado (Padres) | +2,500 |
| Trea Turner (Dodgers) | +2,500 |
| Juan Soto (Nationals) | +3,500 |
| Francisco Lindor (Mets) | +7,000 |
| Kyle Schwarber (Phillies) | +10,000 |
| Dansby Swanson (Braves) | +12,000 |
| Matt Olson (Braves) | +12,000 |
| C.J. Cron (Rockies) | +15,000 |
| Sandy Alcantara (Marlins) | +15,000 |
Odds courtesy of FanDuel as of August 8, 2022.
NL MVP favorites
Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals (-140)
Goldschmidt leads the majors with a .332 batting average and could ride a batting title all the way to MVP glory. After batting .286 in July, Goldy has been on fire in August, batting .389 with a pair of home runs in six games. As the Cardinals fight for playoff positioning, his solid play will remain integral to the team's success.
Goldschmidt finished second in MVP voting twice with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2013, 2015) and third another time (2017). He could finally break through during what is shaping up to clearly be his best season yet.
Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves (+600)
Building on his breakout season in 2021, Austin Riley officially finds himself second on the odds board for NL MVP at +600. Riley has played a huge part in Atlanta's success in avoiding a championship hangover, batting .296 with 29 dingers. If the Braves do end up winning their division this year, look no further than Riely for a big thank you.
Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers (+750)
Staying steady in third place is Freddie Freeman, who has handled the move to Hollywood with aplomb. The Dodger superstar leads the NL in hits with 136 and is also batting .324. With the Dodgers playing their best baseball of the season and Freeman continuing to dominate, expect him to be near the top of the board for the remainder of the year.
Understanding MLB MVP odds
Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. When Trout ran away with the MVP award in 2019 his odds had a minus (-) sign ahead of the number for a large part of the season.
- Mike Trout -1,000
That means that a bettor in August had to wager $1,000 to win $100 by betting on Trout to win MVP. Before the season starts, almost every player will have a plus (+) sign ahead of their odds.
- Jacob deGrom +3,300
That means a bettor would have profited $3,300 for a $100 wager on deGrom 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 the overwhelming favorite at -420 as of August 8.
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is the NL betting favorite at -140 as of August 8.
Los Angeles Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani won the 2021 AL MVP. Toronto Blue Jays teammates Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Marcus Semien finished second and third, respectively.
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper won the 2021 NL MVP. Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto finished second in voting.
