The 2023 MLB campaign is getting very close to the All-Star break. With that being said, the trade deadline should be a busy time, but the MVP and Cy Young races will begin to tighten. As it turns out, Houston Astros star Framber Valdez has jumped Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan in the latest American League Cy Young odds, per FanDuel.

  • Framber Valdez: +200
  • Kevin Gausman: +350
  • Gerrit Cole: +450
  • Nathan Eovaldi: +850
  • Shane McClanahan: +950
  • Shohei Ohtani: +1100

McClanahan passed Valdez recently despite the Astro star passing him before that. However, with McClanahan now on the IL, he has dropped far down the list and Valdez now is in a comfortable lead with a couple of months left to play. Valdez was recently at No. 2 behind McClanahan, so there has been quite a big shift.

Valdez has a 7-6 record with a 2.49 ERA and 110 strikeouts and is on top of the AL leaders for ERA. However, McClanahan had been dominating before the injury, posting an 11-1 record with a 2.53 ERA, but the injury woes have made him slide. Moreover, Seattle Mariners pitcher George Kirby took his spot on the American League All-Star team, and if McClanhan returns to forms after the injury, he could make a late push to regain the lead in the Cy Young race.

Toronto Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman is second to Valdez, and he has a 7-4 mark with a 3.04 ERA in his second season with the club. There is a lot of baseball left to play, and the Cy Young favorites have flip-flopped quite a bit lately, so there are surely more shifts coming to this race.