American League MVP Odds for 2023: Ohtani, Trout Could Battle Each Other for the Award

The candidates to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 2023 include the premier players in baseball. If the oddsmakers are correct, a pair of teammates may battle each other this summer for the honor. Or maybe a longshot will emerge. Either way, baseball bettors have many options for one of the most popular futures bets in the sport.

As we continue our 2023 MLB Preview series, this time we examine the American League MVP odds.

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Odds for American League Most Valuable Player 2023

Favorites to Win AL MVP in 2023

Shohei Ohtani, Angels (+220 FanDuel)

Ohtani has not one, but two ways to earn credit for the AL MVP, an award he captured in 2021. That season, the Japanese-born superstar hit 46 homers, stole 26 bases, and slugged nearly 600. He also, of course, had a 3.18 ERA and had 14 quality starts for the Halos. He should be the favorite: he’s a freak who could be a 40/40 guy on offense and lead the league in Ks per game as a pitcher.

Betting Tip: A winning $100 bet on Ohtani for MVP would pay off $220 from FanDuel, which is the longest odds. Other sportsbooks have him as low as +200.

Aaron Judge, Yankees (+600 FanDuel)

This is the most temptation-driven odds on the board. There’s no way Judge will approach the numbers he put up last season. We’re not talking home runs either; Judge has been healthy the last two seasons, but he’s only managed to play as many as 140 games three times in his career. He is a one-trick pony: long flies. If he doesn’t get in a groove (and we witnessed that in the postseason last year), Judge is just a tall slugger. If he stays healthy, he can reach 40 jacks, but with the Yankees’ all-or-nothing offense, don’t expect a lot of run production from him.

Mike Trout, Angels (+800 FanDuel)

There are two parts to being a professional athlete: suiting up and showing off. How long are we going to keep placing Trout into the elite status of the sport, when he can only do one of those things? Trout doesn’t suit up enough to be an MVP-caliber player. He’ll turn 32 in August, and the last time he even had 150 hits in a season was when Barack Obama was president. Trout has played as many as 140 games once since 2016. While he did grab his third MVP in 2019, he had to swing for the fences to do it. Now entering his mid-30s, Trout is thick and injury-prone. He’s likely to transition into slugger mode. Forget the stolen bases, the walks, and the high batting average. He’s basically going to be Nelson Cruz the rest of the way.

Julio Rodríguez, Mariners (+900 FanDuel)

How about we pump the brakes a little? I get that the sportsbooks want to entice betting on the MVP award, but Rodríguez is still learning his way around the league. Still, the Mariners outfielder, who won Rookie of the Year in 2022, is a dynamic, five-tooler. He went 28/25 in homers/steals last season, and could also win a Gold Glove. If he gets enough RBI opps and the Mariners make another playoff run, he has a chance to become the third Seattle player to earn the MVP, following Ken Griffey Jr. and Ichiro Suzuki.

Other Notable Contenders for AL Most Valuable Player Award

Byron Buxton, Twins (+4000 from Caesars)

Twins fans are overjoyed to have Carlos Correa back in a Minnesota uniform. But probably not as delighted as Buxton, who will benefit from Correa’s presence in the lineup. Buxton hasn’t been healthy, I get it. But the man smacked 28 homers in half a season in 2022. He’s basically a more mature Julio Rodríguez, but a little more of a free swinger. If he stays off the injured list, he can do historic things.

Alex Bregman, Astros (+5000 Caesars)

Observers have been waiting for Bregman to have “that big year” for a while now. But, the Houston third baseman won’t turn 29 until the last week of spring training. He has the unique ability to hit for power, hit for contact, and draw walks. A 300/400/600 season would vault him into MVP territory.

José Abreu, Astros (+8000 BetMGM)

Yes, we aren’t really sure how old Abreu is, but don’t count the Cuban slugger out. He’s now on a great team, and there will be oodles of runner2 on the bags when he comes to the plate. 100 RBI? Pffftt! He’s going to be aiming for 140 RBI in Houston. The man who is quietly making a case for the Hall of Fame (when you consider his international career, he should be a shoo-in), may have a monster year in a new uniform. A winning $50 bet would get you $4,000 from BetMGM, woohoo.

Matt Chapman, Blue Jays (+10000 BetMGM)

Like bears with honey, those rascally MVP voters love the RBI. Chapman will be hitting behind George Springer, Bo Bichette, and Vlad Guerrero Jr. That means lots of RBI opps for the man they call Pegasus. Oh, and Chapman is also a Gold Glove third baseman. At +10000, Chapman is a nice longshot option for the AL MVP.

Also read: 2023 World Series odds | 2023 NL MVP odds