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Best bets for 2019 AL and NL Cy Young winner

Justin K. Aller / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Earlier in the week, we gave out two players from each league who we believe offer value to win AL and NL MVP. Today, we're turning our attention to the mound to pick four Cy Young candidates.

Here are our best bets:

AL - Justin Verlander (15-1)

Verlander took home the AL Cy Young in 2011 with the Detroit Tigers and has finished second on three separate occasions, including last season when he fell by 15 points to Tampa Bay Rays southpaw Blake Snell. Despite being 36 years old, FanGraphs' projections still expect the Verlander to produce 15 or more wins, an ERA in the 3.00 range, and a double-digit K/9 clip.

Victories aren't a great metric to weigh pitching performance, but perhaps a couple more could have closed the gap between Verlander and Snell in the 2018 race. Four of the right-hander's nine losses in 2018 came when he allowed three or fewer earned runs. It would be difficult for him - or the offense, rather - to leave as many wins on the table in 2019, especially in a division the Houston Astros are expected to run away with.

AL - Trevor Bauer (20-1)

If Bauer was healthy for the entire 2018 season and had even a moderate bump on his 4.9 runs of support per game, we might be talking about the charismatic Cleveland Indians star as the reigning AL Cy Young winner.

He posted a solid 2.21 ERA, 5.8 WAR, and 11.3 K/9 to complement a 12-6 record, and that still wasn't enough to squeeze into the Top 5 of Cy Young candidates.

Fellow teammate Corey Kluber is currently the favorite to take home the award, as low as +250 in some shops. If you're looking to bank on a Cleveland ace taking home the award in what will be the weakest offensive division in baseball, pass on Kluber and take Bauer at 20-1.

NL - Walker Buehler (25-1)

Buehler's a trendy pick this year. As Clayton Kershaw enters his age-31 season, some think it's time for the torch to be passed to the 24-year-old righty as the next ace in the Los Angeles Dodgers' organization.

After Buehler's first true stint in the majors last season, it's easy to see why.

He posted an 8-5 record, 3.3 WAR, 2.62 ERA, and 9.9 K/9 over 23 starts with the reigning NL champs. FanGraphs is marking down Buehler for an additional 4-5 wins and a K/9 better than 10.0 in 2019. In a division with winnable games, we're buying the Buehler hype this season.

NL - Jameson Taillon (50-1)

Maybe we're too bullish on the Pittsburgh Pirates, or perhaps we're seeing dollar signs on a 50-1 long shot. Either way, Taillon is a player you should consider.

After coming up as a three-pitch starter, Taillon started finding success last season with a deadly slider, which helped him start missing more bats. It was a nice complement to a curveball that registered a 14.1 percent whiff rate.

Off a year in which he tied for fifth in the NL for starters with a 4.7 bWAR, Taillon has a chance to round into a true ace this year.

Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.

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