Major League Baseball and the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) have revealed the finalists for the 2026 regular-season awards. Voting concluded before the playoffs began, and the league is unveiling the top three vote-getters in each category ahead of the official announcements scheduled for November 9–12. This year marks the first time the BBWAA has added a Relief Pitcher of the Year award for each league.
American League MVP
Yordan Alvarez (Astros) led the majors with a .316/.432/.601 slash line, 42 home runs, 106 RBI and 105 runs. Junior Caminero (Rays) played all 162 games, hitting .276/.360/.524 with 42 homers, 101 RBI and a 5.7 WAR. Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals) posted a .281/.359/.441 line, 18 home runs, 45 steals and a 6.7 WAR in his fourth straight top-seven finish.
American League Cy Young
Dylan Cease (Blue Jays) went 11-6 with a 2.40 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 239 strikeouts in 169 innings. Parker Messick (Guardians) was 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 193 strikeouts in 186⅓ innings. Cam Schlittler (Yankees) led the AL in WAR and ERA, going 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 239 strikeouts in 193⅔ innings.
American League Rookie of the Year
Kevin McGonigle (Tigers) topped AL rookies with 7.1 WAR, hitting .278/.376/.420 with 18 home runs and 12 steals. Parker Messick (Guardians) retained rookie eligibility and excelled with a 2.56 ERA in 32 starts. Payton Tolle (Red Sox) posted a 3.03 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 148⅔ innings.
American League Relief Pitcher of the Year
Bryan Baker (Rays) led the majors with 41 saves and a 1.44 ERA. Cade Smith (Guardians) matched Baker with 41 saves and a 1.95 ERA. Louis Varland (Blue Jays) recorded a 1.27 ERA and 35 saves in 37 chances.
American League Manager of the Year
Kevin Cash (Rays) guided Tampa Bay to 98 wins and the AL's best record after two playoff-less seasons. Chad Tracy (Red Sox) went 77-58 after a 10-17 start, including a 32-5 surge. Will Venable (White Sox) improved Chicago by 24 wins to reach the playoffs.
National League MVP
Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs) led the majors in WAR (9.8), runs (119) and home runs (45), joining the 40-40 club. Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) hit .275/.377/.512 with 30 homers and also went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA on the mound. Brice Turang (Brewers) posted a .268/.366/.450 line with 21 homers, 100 RBI and 7.3 WAR.
National League Cy Young
Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers) led the majors in ERA (1.80), WHIP (0.80) and strikeouts (252) in 174⅔ innings. Chris Sale (Braves) posted a 2.16 ERA with 200 strikeouts and only 31 walks in 162⅔ innings. Cristopher Sánchez (Phillies) led all pitchers with 8.1 WAR, going 18-7 with a 2.91 ERA in 207 innings.
National League Rookie of the Year
Carson Benge (Mets) hit .282/.346/.430 with 20 home runs and 22 steals. Sal Stewart (Reds) became the 15th rookie ever with 30+ homers and 100+ RBI. JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals) accumulated 4.5 WAR with strong defensive metrics.
National League Relief Pitcher of the Year
Jhoan Duran (Phillies) converted 33 of 35 saves with a 1.82 ERA. Mason Miller (Padres) struck out 129 in 70 innings with a 1.67 ERA. Trevor Megill (Brewers) secured 30 saves in 33 chances with a 2.63 ERA.
National League Manager of the Year
Don Mattingly (Phillies) took over a 9-19 team and went 79-55 to reach the playoffs. Pat Murphy (Brewers) seeks a third straight award after 97 and 103-win seasons. Walt Weiss (Braves) led Atlanta from 76-86 to 94-68 and an NL East title.
