King Ohtani takes his throne every year that he walks onto a baseball diamond.
The clear favorite to win the NL MVP award each season, Shohei Ohtani is a massive -145 favorite to win the award on DraftKings and BetMGM, among many other sportsbooks.
It’s likely one of the first times we’ve seen this big of an MVP favorite in any sport, and certainly the largest since Barry Bonds was at the peak of his powers in the early 2000s. Since Las Vegas doesn’t allow awards betting, those odds are nearly impossible to find on the worldwide web.
Regardless of how you slice it, Ohtani is a massive favorite in this awards market for good reason – he is expected to pitch and hit this year at a full-time level.
Ohtani’s odds are the shortest we have seen since Mike Trout in 2019, when he was a +125 favorite to win the award.
It sure seems like the only chance Ohtani doesn’t win the NL MVP is if he winds up a disaster on the mound or misses substantial time due to injury.
That leaves us looking at some other options when betting on the NL MVP market and there are many interesting options to target if you’re feeling spicy ahead of the MLB regular season.
2026 NL MVP prediction
We’re not looking to tie up a wager on Ohtani to win NL MVP at this massive price, given the taxing 162-game schedule that Ohtani hasn’t done both ways since 2023.
There’s too much health risk at stake here, so let’s look further down the board at some other bats that could make some noise in 2026.
Juan Soto is one of the more interesting names on the list, especially given the running ability he showed in 2025.
Soto quickly became a 40/30 player and nearly eclipsed 40 steals last season thanks to his increased aggression on the base paths.
That’s a big addition to his repertoire, leaving his defense as the lone hole in his game.
Betting on Baseball?
Soto is largely considered the best hitter in baseball not named Ohtani, and while the Japanese sensation will likely win the award, thanks in large part to his ability to play two positions, there’s no better option than Soto at this price.
Soto has +900 odds at DraftKings, far better odds than the +700 offering at every other sportsbook.
He also plays at least 150 games in each season, so durability won’t really be a factor here.
Soto is the guy to bet on in this spot after a strong first year with the Mets.
PREDICTION: Soto to win NL MVP (+900, DraftKings)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.