The American League Cy Young race has been turned on its head by injuries, and the betting board now looks nothing like it did before the season began. Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet have vanished from the odds entirely, while the names that opened as longshots have climbed to the front.
At the break, the market has settled into a clear two-man fight. Cam Schlittler and Dylan Cease sit atop the board, and the rest of the field is trying to keep pace.
Schlittler has wasted no time making his case. The Yankees ace burst onto the scene late last season and has only sharpened his edge since then. He’s 9-5 with a 2.05 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 118.2 innings, a line that makes a strong argument for him to be the favorite right now.
Cease is right there with him. The All-Star Game starter has put together a 6-4 record with a 2.56 ERA and 148 strikeouts in 98.1 innings in his first year in Toronto. The stuff has been there all season, even if the record doesn’t fully reflect it, and that uneven win-loss mark could leave some voters cold.
Behind the top two, Drew Rasmussen had been building a real case before his last pair of outings knocked him back a step. He gave up 11 runs in 7.1 innings across those two starts and now stands at 7-5 with a 3.26 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 99.1 innings.
Gavin Williams brings a different kind of argument to the table. His 10-4 record could put him in position to lead the AL in wins, but his 3.81 ERA in Cleveland is less convincing. Even so, his strikeout total keeps him in the conversation: he’s third in the league with 134 strikeouts in 113.1 innings.
Then there’s Sonny Gray, who leads the league with an 11-1 record. The strikeout total isn’t as eye-catching - he has 85 in 95.2 innings - but if he can push all the way to 20 wins, he’d make himself impossible to ignore. He’d be the first pitcher to reach that mark since 2023, and the first in the AL since 2019.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
In Other News...
Ernie Clement Just Revealed How Close Toronto Came To Losing Him
Ernie Clements rise in Toronto has been one of the quieter success stories on the roster, but it turns out the path almost went another way. In an interview, Clement said he had a chance to sign with the Yankees before choosing the Blue Jays, a decision shaped by the opportunity to get back to the majors and the appeal of being closer to home.
For Toronto, it is another reminder of how much value can come from the right fit at the right time. Clement has gone from a player searching for stability to the clubs everyday second baseman, and his breakout has only grown louder with his postseason production and a spot among the Blue Jays four representatives at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Fans Still Cant Believe How Yordan Alvarez Ended Up In Houston
All-Star Week has a way of turning baseball into a reminder that the sport rarely follows a straight line. For Toronto, the spotlight included a right-hander taking the ball for the American League, but the broader theme around the game was how many of the biggest names on the roster arrived at their current homes by way of detours, mistakes, or second chances. It is the kind of showcase that puts career arcs front and center, especially when a teams own newest centerpiece is part of that conversation.
The most striking example is still the one Houston fans cannot quite get over, because the path that brought Yordan Alvarez there was so unlikely it has become part of baseball lore. Elsewhere in the All-Star mix, players like Clement and Griffin were reminders that a stalled career can still be revived, whether through a change of scenery or a long route back to relevance. For Toronto, it all serves as a useful backdrop to the kind of pitching and roster-building the club is betting on now, even if one of the nights biggest stories was how thin the line can be between a forgotten transaction and a franchise-changing one. [Read more 🡒]