My first and most important piece of advice for betting on who wins the 2024 Cy Young Award in the American and National League: Wait until right before the regular season starts to place your wager in case of injury. 

For example, I might have thought about putting some money down on the Mets' Kodai Senga, but will not now that he's dealing with throwing shoulder trouble and won't throw again until near the end of the spring. The best-case scenario for Senga's regular-season debut is late April/early May. The right-hander is dealing with a posterior capsule strain, an issue that could lead to season-ending surgery. Senga was an All-Star and finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2023 after going 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts. DraftKings had Senga at a relatively cheap +1500 to win the NL Cy Young Award, but he's now +3000. 

Another piece of advice is to bet on a player in a contract year if possible because they have all the motivation in the world to have a big season and pitch through minor injury --  look at what Blake Snell did in 2023 in his walk year for the San Diego Padres, winning his second career Cy Young Award. Two notable former Cy Young winners entering their contract years are Baltimore's Corbin Burnes (+1000 for AL Cy Young), the 2021 NL winner with Milwaukee, and Cleveland's Shane Bieber (+3000), the 2020 AL winner. 

The Orioles' trade for Burnes from the Brewers looks even smarter with 2023 ace Kyle Bradish (was +3000 for AL award, now +7500) working his way back from an offseason UCL sprain in his right elbow that will delay the start of his season. Those types of injuries when not fixed surgically can also eventually lead to Tommy John surgery.

Before you make any bets on who wins the AL and NL Cy Young Awards, you need to see who SportsLine expert Matt Severance is backing. Severance is a well-connected writer and high-volume handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. After joining SportsLine, Matt quickly established himself as a top expert in multiple sports. He's up +1969 on his MLB plays on SportsLine. Anybody following him has seen HUGE returns!

Now Severance has shared his 2024 Cy Young Award picks. Be sure to see who he's backing before locking in any picks of your own.

Which pitchers are the best bets to win the Cy Young Awards? And which longshots offer excellent value? ... Join SportsLine right now to see AL and NL Cy Young Award picks from SportsLine's expert!