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Yes, the 2025 MLB season began in March, but now that we're turning the page from April to May, we've had our first full month of the MLB calendar to see how things look. With all but one team having played at least 30 games, here's a closer look at the biggest risers and fallers in terms of futures betting odds for the World Series, MVP and Cy Young in both the American and National Leagues. All odds, both preseason and current, are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

World Series odds

Last year's World Series combatants, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, lead their respective divisions and have the shortest odds to win the World Series in their respective leagues. But some teams have seen their odds improve and plummet as we head to May. 

Risers

In the words of former LSU football head coach Ed Orgeron, "How 'bout them Tigers?" Well, these Tigers are in Detroit and play a different sport, and they have been dominant to start the year after making the playoffs last year. Detroit sits atop the AL Central at 19-12 thanks in large part to a 13-3 home record. The Tigers' odds at DraftKings have gone from +3500 to win the World Series to +1300, a shift from 16th to fourth. Former No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson has been great, slugging eight home runs with an OPS just under .900. Zach McKinstry also has an OPS just under .900, and Kerry Carpenter has slugged seven homers. On the pitching side, shocker, 2024 AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is still that dude with a 2.34 ERA. Jack Flaherty, Reese Olson and Casey Mize all have ERAs under 3.55, with Mize's coming in at a lowly 2.12. Tommy Kahnle has been stellar coming over from New York, as the changeup wizard has allowed just a single earned run in 11 appearances. 

All offseason, the conversation with the Mariners would be centered around whether they could hit enough to supplement their stellar pitching staff. So far, the bats have been on fire while the rotation has been just OK and is battling injuries to both George Kirby and Logan Gilbert. Seattle started slow with a 3-7 record but has since gone 15-5 thanks to the bats, namely Cal Raleigh, who has slugged 10 homers, and a resurgent Jorge Polanco, who has a slugging percentage over .800 and OPS over 1.200 despite a side injury limiting him to only taking at-bats against right-handed pitching. Kirby is expected back at some point in May, while Gilbert's timeline is unclear. The good news for the Mariners on the pitching side, though, is when games are close late, Andres Munoz has been the best reliever in baseball, as he's yet to allow a run this year. Seattle's odds have shifted from +2800 (12th) to +1800 (ninth). 

The Cubs have jumped out to an early 18-13 start at April's end and lead the NL Central. Their World Series odds have improved from +3000 before the season (14th) to +1700 (seventh) entering May. The Cubs were seen as a top contender for the Central crown after a stellar offseason that saw them notably add Kyle Tucker to the outfield. Tucker has been stellar in his first season in Chicago with seven homers and an OPS of .935. Pete Crow-Armstrong has been dominant to start the year, supplying power at the plate, speed on the bases and flashing the leather in center field. The Cubs were dealt a big blow with Justin Steele needing Tommy John, so how that rotation looks after Shota Imanga will be something key to watch moving forward. 

Fallers

It was a nightmare start to 2025 for the Braves, who lost their first seven games and 11 of their first 15. They've righted the ship since then, winning 10 of their last 15 games, but they're still two games under .500. They opened the year at +750 to win the World Series, which was the second-lowest price in baseball. That's doubled to +1500, which is still sixth-best. With Ronald Acuna Jr. expected back at some point in May, the Braves may continue their winning ways and then some. But for now, they've seen their odds balloon a bit. 

The Orioles have made the playoffs each of the last two years, including winning over 100 games in 2023, but find themselves at the bottom of the AL East standings as we enter May. As a result, the Orioles' World Series odds have gone from +1600 (seventh-best) to +3500 (15th). Little has gone right offensively for Baltimore besides strong starts from Cedric Mullins and Ryan O'Hearn. Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson are both off to slow starts at the plate, while Dean Kremer, Charlie Morton and Cade Povich have not pitched well in the rotation. The bullpen duo of Felix Bautista and Yennier Cano has been dominant for Baltimore with Bautista back from injury, but those two have not had many leads to protect late in games thus far. 

- Minnesota Twins: +5000

The good news for the Twins is they're not in last place in the AL Central. That's largely thanks to the Chicago White Sox fighting with the Colorado Rockies for the distinction of being MLB's worst team. Important pieces like Carlos Correa and Edouard Julien are off to cold starts at the plate, while much of the rest of the lineup is filled with fringe-league-average numbers to date. Minnesota has one of the better team ERAs in baseball at 3.54, so perhaps improvement from the bats will help the Twins rise up the standings and compete—maybe not for the AL Central, but for a Wild Card berth. Minnesota opened the year at +2500 (11th) to win it all and is now +5000 (19th).

MVP odds

The AL MVP odds are a bit wild right now as Aaron Judge looks like the best version of himself and actually is an odds-on favorite to win the award. Most players, such as the big faller in the AL we'll discuss later, have very long odds, while Shohei Ohtani leads the race in the NL for his second consecutive award. It's worth noting that for fallers here, we stayed away from players who have suffered injuries. 

Risers

A's first baseman Tyler Soderstrom wasn't listed on DraftKings' preseason MVP odds but is now +6000. The former catching prospect is one of the top sluggers in the game with nine homers and an OPS over .900. The A's are 16-15 and tied for third place in the AL West, and Soderstrom is a big reason why they're off to one of their best starts in years. 

NL: Kyle Tucker and Corbin Carroll: +350 and +500

We'll cheat here with two, as both Tucker and Carroll have seen their odds shift in very similar ways. Tucker was +1500 (sixth) and is now +350 (second), while Carroll was +2200 (11th) and is now +500 (fourth). Tucker has brought his well-rounded game to Chicago and helped the Cubs get off to a great start in the NL Central, while Carroll has found his power stroke with a slugging percentage well of .625 and a league-leading four triples. His Diamondbacks are two games over .500, and he's a big reason why they're in that position. 

Fallers

AL: Yordan Alvarez: +5000 

As noted above, Judge's ridiculous start to 2025 has impacted the odds for this race dramatically, but Yordan Alvarez is off to a very slow start. The slugging outfielder/DH has an OPS under .700 at .670 and just three home runs and seven total extra-base hits. His strikeout-to-walk rate is still in line with his career numbers, so he should break out of this slump at some point. His odds started at +600 (third) and now are +5000 (fifth). 

NL: Bryce Harper: +5000

The Phillies are off to a solid start at 17-13, but Bryce Harper is still looking to find his groove. He's not off to a horrid start by any means, but a .234/.370/.423 slash line hardly screams "MVP." Harper is taking his walks and has nearly as many free passes as he does strikeouts, so the rest of the numbers should catch up at some point. In the meantime, his MVP odds have gone from +1400 (fifth) to +5000 (14th). 

Cy Young odds

Paul Skenes is still the heavy favorite to win the Cy Young in the National League, and Tarik Skubal's off to a pretty good defense of his 2024 hardware. Some big names and maybe some more surprising players make up our risers and fallers for the Cy Young so far. And like with the MVP fallers, we stayed away from pitchers who have suffered injuries when looking at Cy Young odds. 

Risers

AL: Max Fried: +600

Fried was already going to be a key piece for the Yankees, but his importance increased dramatically when it was revealed Gerrit Cole needed Tommy John. Fried has been exactly what the Yankees needed in Cole's absence, spinning a 1.19 ERA and 5-0 record in 37.2 innings in six starts while striking out 33. Fried has the third-best ERA in baseball among qualified starters, and the Yankees are 6-0 when he takes the mound. His Cy Young odds have improved from +2500 (10th) to +600 (third). 

NL: Spencer Schwellenbach: +1300

Schwellenbach is another case of showing why pitcher wins and losses don't tell the whole tale. His ERA is sub-3 at 2.87, and he has a sub-1.000 WHIP. He's picked up 33 strikeouts in 37.2 innings and has an elite chase rate while walking very few batters. Schwellenbach dazzled as a rookie last year and has thus far taken a big step forward in Year 2. Chris Sale is still trying to find his footing after his Cy Young season last year, and Schwellenbach has more than picked up the slack to anchor the Braves' rotation. He's seen his odds shift from +4000 (20th) to +1300 (sixth). 

Fallers

AL: Tanner Houck: +20000

The Red Sox are 17-15 entering May, but Tanner has not helped them very much. The talented right-hander began the year with high expectations and at +3000, had the 15th-shortest odds to win the AL Cy Young. But he's had a disastrous start to the 2025 season with a 7.58 ERA in six starts, thanks largely to allowing 11 earned runs to the Tampa Bay Rays on April 14. That outing has ballooned his numbers quite a bit, as he has two quality starts to his credit and has been alright in three of his other four outings besides the performance against Tampa. As of now, his odds are +20000, which comes in at 42nd in the AL. 

NL: Corbin Burnes +6000

Corbin Burnes' first month as a member of the Diamondbacks has been good but not great. The veteran right-hander has a 3.58 ERA and 1.378 WHIP through six starts, but his strikeouts per 9 innings (7.7), walks per 9 (4.7) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.65) are all on pace to be the worst marks of his career. He opened the year with the fifth-lowest odds at +1200 to win his second NL Cy Young, and as we head to May, those odds have quintupled to +6000, or 18th-shortest in the NL.