The time has finally come.
The 2026 MLB season kicks off on Wednesday night with the Yankees traveling to Oracle Park for a matchup with the San Francisco Giants, followed by a full slate of baseball action on Thursday.
Below, I will highlight a player I feel holds substantial value in the futures market this season to win the National League MVP Award.
Read on for my 2026 MLB predictions and NL MVP Futures.
2026 MLB Predictions, Futures: NL MVP Odds
Here's the full odds list for the National League MVP market, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
| Player | NL MVP Odds |
|---|---|
| Shohei Ohtani | -140 |
| Juan Soto | +700 |
| Ronald Acuña Jr. | +1100 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | +1900 |
| Francisco Lindor | +2200 |
| Corbin Carroll | +2500 |
| Ketel Marte | +2500 |
| Mookie Betts | +3000 |
| Kyle Schwarber | +3000 |
| Elly De La Cruz | +3000 |
| Bryce Harper | +3500 |
| Paul Skenes | +3500 |
| Kyle Tucker | +3500 |
| Manny Machado | +4000 |
| Freddie Freeman | +4500 |
| Rafael Devers | +4500 |
| Jackson Chourio | +5000 |
| Austin Riley | +5000 |
| William Contreras | +5000 |
| James Wood | +5000 |
| Jackson Merrill | +5000 |
| Pete Crow-Armstrong | +5000 |
My NL MVP Pick: Ronald Acuña Jr. (+1100)
I’m all in on Ronald Acuña Jr. this season.
The 27-year-old superstar was limited in each of his past two seasons, dealing with several knee injuries that cost him nearly 180 games.
That said, Acuña is a top-five player when healthy, so this 11-to-1 price seems a little long.
In his last full season, Acuña blasted 41 homers, recorded 106 RBIs, scored 149 runs, and stole 73 bases. He was putting up video-game numbers.
He finished that season leading the league in OPS (1.012) and OBP (.416). He also led the MLB in hits, knocking 217 in just 159 games.
Post-surgery, Acuña played in just 95 games in 2025. He posted solid numbers, hitting over 20 homers with a .290 average — though it was clear the Braves’ star was not playing at 100%.
Now fully healthy, I expect a full-on bounce-back year from Acuña.
For anyone still holding out concern that he’s not at 100%, the Braves outfielder just shocked the world over the past few weeks, leading his Venezuelan national club to a World Baseball Classic title.
While most still favor Ohtani to win the 2026 NL MVP for obvious reasons, a fully healthy Acuña is arguably the league’s best player.
I think +1100 is a fair price for a player of Acuña’s caliber. He could very well put up another 40-70 season if he stays healthy.
At anything above 10-to-1, I’m backing Ronald to take home his second NL MVP award.
Pick: NL MVP Winner — Ronald Acuña Jr. (+1100, FanDuel)
