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Tampa Bay Rays' Shane McClanahan Given AL Cy Young Odds Coming Off Tommy John Surgery

FanDuel Sportsbook has given Shane McClanahan the ninth-best odds to win AL Cy Young in 2025, despite the fact that the Tampa Bay Rays ace hasn't pitched since undergoing elbow surgery in 2023.

Sam Connon

Jun 5, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan (18) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park.
Jun 5, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan (18) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park. / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
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Shane McClanahan may not have pitched in 17 months, but the hype around him is still real.

The Tampa Bay Rays left-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2023, costing him the entire 2024 season as well. The 27-year-old is expected to be back in time for Spring Training, barring any setbacks.

McClanahan was consistently dominant before he went down, so it makes sense that his return is much-anticipated across the league. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, McClanahan is entering 2025 with the ninth-best odds to win AL Cy Young at +2000.

Reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is the favorite to run it back at +400. The next few contenders are Boston Red Sox lefty Garrett Crochet, Kansas City Royals lefty Cole Ragans, Texas Rangers righty Jacob deGrom, Seattle Mariners righty Logan Gilbert, New York Yankees righty Gerrit Cole, Minnesota Twins righty Pablo López and Houston Astros lefty Framber Valdez.

McClanahan and Mariners righty George Kirby round out the top 10.

McClanahan might have been even higher on the list if he didn't have to work through an innings cap this season. Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said in December that McClanahan was expected to pitch around 150.0 innings, while most Cy Young contenders typically clear 175.0.

The procedure McClanahan underwent in 2023 marked his second time getting Tommy John, but his first since reaching the big leagues in 2021. Through 74 career starts, McClanahan is 33-16 with a 3.02 ERA, 1.105 WHIP, 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings and an 8.7 WAR.

McClanahan finished seventh in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2021, then sixth in AL Cy Young voting in 2022. He was on pace to fare even better in the 2023 AL Cy Young race before he got hurt, considering he had a 2.23 ERA, 1.118 WHIP, 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.1 WAR midway through the season.

The two-time All-Star is expected to serve as the Rays' Opening Day starting pitcher. Tampa Bay has two other starting pitchers who FanDuel has given long odds to win Cy Young – Ryan Pepiot and Taj Bradley, who rank No. 24 and No. 27 with +5500 and +8000 odds, respectively.

Two Rays pitchers have won Cy Young before: Blake Snell in 2018 and David Price in 2012.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

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