The 2026 MLB season is barely a half-week old, and the National League Cy Young futures board has already been flipped completely upside down.
Coming into the year, Paul Skenes was the undisputed, heavy favorite to take home back-to-back Cy Young Awards after a historically dominant 2025 campaign. But baseball is a highly unforgiving sport, and Skenes’ opening start was nothing short of a disaster. The flamethrower was chased after recording just two outs, surrendering five earned runs. That equates to an eye-watering 67.5 ERA. To put the mathematical hole he just dug into perspective: even if Skenes throws a complete-game shutout in his next outing, his ERA will still be sitting at an inflated 4.65.
The New Favorite: Cristopher Sanchez (3/1)
Skenes’ implosion instantly opened the door for last year’s runner-up, Cristopher Sanchez. And Sanchez didn’t just walk through the door; he kicked it down. Responding with a brilliant six-inning, shutout performance featuring 10 strikeouts and zero walks, Sanchez looked every bit the part of an ace. The oddsmakers immediately took notice, slashing his odds to 3/1 and crowning him the new presumptive favorite.
The Chasers
While Sanchez and Skenes (who dropped to 4/1) headline the board, there is serious value lurking just behind them. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11/2) is poised for a massive second year, and veteran Chris Sale (8/1) remains a perennial threat if he can stay healthy. If you are looking for a dark horse further down the slate, Jacob Misiorowski (10/1) has the pure stuff to make a rapid ascent up the leaderboard.
