The American League MVP odds market at the BetMGM online sportsbook suddenly looks a lot different.
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is no longer the AL favorite in current MLB MVP odds for the first time all year. His odds are off the board after landing on the injured list with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side.
Taking Judge’s place as the new favorite is Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, who is now +140 to win his first MVP trophy. Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is +145, followed by Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (+850) and Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz (+850).
Before Judge’s MRI results, he was trading as a +105 favorite to claim a fourth career MVP award. Barry Bonds (seven) and Shohei Ohtani (four) are the only players ever to claim four or more MVP trophies in MLB history.
Alvarez (+375 earlier this week) and Witt (+280) have been the primary challengers for much of the season, but, interestingly, the former jumped ahead of the latter when the market adjusted on Friday.
As of this writing, Alvarez has a fWAR of 3.1 while hitting .316 with 21 home runs and 44 RBIs. Witt leads all MLB players with a fWAR of 3.8, posting a .281 average with nine homers, 26 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases.
Both Alvarez and Witt are on teams currently outside of the playoff picture, so team success is unlikely to be a factor. However, Witt’s defensive impact as the best shortstop in baseball could give him an edge.
Alvarez has an uphill battle as a full-time DH, as Ohtani is the only designated hitter to win an MVP award. If Alvarez’s impact at the plate slips at all, Witt will overtake him as the favorite in the AL MVP market.
Either way, get ready for a much more interesting AL MVP race in 2026.
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