It can be argued that making the MLB Cy Young Picks in 2020 will be a very difficult award to handicap. In a shortened MLB 60-game season, starting pitchers are unlikely to toe the rubber more than 12 times, and that type of small sample size can have a serious impact on the outcome of this award.

That could lead to a reliever winning the Cy Young Award for the first time since Eric Gagne accomplished the feat in 2003.

Handicapping the AL Contenders

Cole signed a record-breaking contract with the New York Yankees this offseason. That deal comes with expectations and he’s the MLB Cy Young Pick favorite in the AL to win in 2020. Although he was beaten out by Houston teammate Justin Verlander for the honor last season, there was no doubt who the ace in the playoffs.

Cole was unhittable in both the ALDS and ALCS, allowing just one run in 22.2 innings of work. He led the majors in K/9 in both seasons he was in Houston, and he will have even more run support than he did with the Astros.

Problem in Houston?

Verlander won the second Cy Young of his career last season, but you have to wonder how much he has left in the tank. Although he posted dizzying numbers in 2019, leading the AL in WHIP for the second straight season. However, he is 37-years-old.

The shortened season will definitely help his chances as he won’t have the long-term strain he would in normal season, but there is another concern. Given what we know of baseball writers, how many voters will select any Houston player for postseason honors after the Astros’ cheating scandal?

Tampa Bay Two-Step?

Pitching has defined Tampa Bay for the last few seasons, and the Rays have three AL Cy Young contenders. Per odds at BetMGM — Blake Snell, Charlie Morton, and Tyler Glasnow make up the trio. Snell earned this honor in 2018, while Morton finished third in the voting last year. Glasnow has the potential to be better than either player though, as he just started to figure out his control issues last season.

American League Cy Young Contenders Odds

Handicapping the NL Contenders

Can Jacob deGrom make it three straight NL Cy Youngs? New York Mets’ fans are certainly hoping so and the oddsmakers have made him the favorite again. The Mets once figured to have an incredible rotation with Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, and Matt Harvey in the mix, but only deGrom has panned out.

He earned 29 of 30 first-place votes in each of the last two seasons, as he makes batters consistently miss with his excellent mixing of pitches. You can’t discount deGrom, but only two pitchers have won three straight Cy Young Awards. While deGrom has been great, he is not in the same class as Randy Johnson or Greg Maddux.

Can anybody unseat Jacob?

Max Scherzer learned from Verlander in Detroit, and he has been the best arm in baseball since 2013. Scherzer has been voted to seven straight All-Star Games, and he has won three Cy Young Awards in the past seven years. Few pitchers have the raw power of Scherzer, and he has struck out at least 230 batters for eight straight seasons. Since he has had more time to rest after Washington’s postseason run, that makes his price very enticing given his consistency.

There is a lot of buzz surrounding Jack Flaherty. St. Louis’ ace is entering his third full season in the league, and the 24-year-old figured out a lot of things in 2019. He led the NL in WHIP and H/9 last season, so he doesn’t need to take too big of a step to be a major factor in the Cy Young race.

Close the deal with the Closer!

The best reliever in baseball for the last two seasons has been Josh Hader. Hader has posted a WHIP just over 0.8 in 157 innings of work, and his strikeout numbers are through the roof. He’s listed at 33/1 odds, and that could be a great long shot pick.

Cy Young Picks and Predictions

• AL Best Bets: Mike Clevinger, Shane Bieber
• NL Best Bets: Jack Flaherty, Clayton Kershaw