MLB awards week: every 2026 BBWAA finalist and the night-by-night reveal schedule

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America named its 2026 award finalists on Monday, Nov. 2, and the winners will be announced over four nights, Nov. 9 to 12, on MLB Network, with the Cy Young and Reliever of the Year awards both scheduled for Nov. 11, the BBWAA said. Finalists are the top three finishers in each league, listed alphabetically. One thing to keep in mind as you read the lists: the ballots were cast before the postseason started, so nothing that happened in October counts.

When each award is announced

MLB.com says the Cy Young and Relief Pitcher winners come “from 7-8 p.m. ET.” The BBWAA has not said whether the AL or NL winner is revealed first each night. MLB.com and CBS Sports call the BBWAA reliever honor Relief Pitcher of the Year; the BBWAA’s own schedule says Reliever of the Year.

The finalists

MVP

AL: Yordan Alvarez (Astros), Junior Caminero (Rays), Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals). NL: Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers), Brice Turang (Brewers).

Alvarez hit .316/.432/.601 with 42 home runs and 106 RBI, led qualified hitters in average, on-base and slugging, led MLB with 109 walks and the AL with 341 total bases, per MLB.com. Caminero hit .276/.360/.524 with 42 homers and 101 RBI and started all 162 games at third base, per MLB.com’s Rays report. In the NL, Crow-Armstrong posted 45 home runs and 41 stolen bases with a .280/.372/.570 line; Ohtani put up a 1.79 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings as a pitcher and hit .275/.377/.512 with 11 steals in his sixth straight 30-homer season; Turang hit .268 with 21 homers, 100 RBI and 19 steals. MLB.com’s Nov. 6 schedule page calls Alvarez and Crow-Armstrong “the heavy favorites” for MVP, which is that site’s assessment, not a result. Witt hit .281/.359/.441 with 18 home runs and 45 steals, per MLB.com and CBS Sports.

Cy Young

AL: Dylan Cease (Blue Jays), Parker Messick (Guardians), Cam Schlittler (Yankees). NL: Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers), Chris Sale (Braves), Cristopher Sánchez (Phillies).

Per MLB.com: Misiorowski struck out 252 with a 1.80 ERA and a .157 opponents’ average; Schlittler had a 1.95 ERA over 33 starts with 239 strikeouts; Cease a 2.40 ERA with 239 strikeouts in 169 innings; Messick a 2.56 ERA in 32 starts; Sale a 2.16 ERA with 200 strikeouts in 162 2/3 innings; and Sánchez a 2.91 ERA with 231 strikeouts in 207 innings. MLB.com calls Schlittler “the AL Cy Young favorite” and Misiorowski “the NL Cy Young favorite,” which are that site’s assessments.

Rookie of the Year

AL: Kevin McGonigle (Tigers), Parker Messick (Guardians), Payton Tolle (Red Sox). NL: Carson Benge (Mets), Sal Stewart (Reds), JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals).

Messick is a finalist for both awards; MLB.com calls him a Cy Young finalist “as a rookie.” MLB.com says McGonigle is “widely favored to win” and has won the Baseball America, Sporting News and Players Choice rookie honors. McGonigle led all AL players with 7.1 bWAR and hit .278/.376/.430 with 18 homers, 12 steals, 97 runs and 95 walks, per MLB.com.

Manager of the Year

AL: Kevin Cash (Rays), Chad Tracy (Red Sox), Will Venable (White Sox). NL: Don Mattingly (Phillies), Pat Murphy (Brewers), Walt Weiss (Braves).

The Rays went 98-64, the AL’s best record, with the sixth-lowest payroll in baseball; Cash won the award in 2020 and 2021, per MLB.com. MLB.com noted that a Murphy win would make him the first manager to win it three straight times, and that his Brewers won an MLB-best 103 games. Tracy’s Red Sox went 77-58 after a 10-17 start; Venable’s White Sox went 84-78 after 60-102 in 2025; Weiss’s Braves won 94 games in his first season.

Reliever of the Year (new in 2026)

AL: Bryan Baker (Rays), Cade Smith (Guardians), Louis Varland (Blue Jays). NL: Jhoan Duran (Phillies), Trevor Megill (Brewers), Mason Miller (Padres).

This is the BBWAA’s first year giving a reliever award; it is separate from MLB’s Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman awards, which are presented at the MLB Awards show. Baker and Smith tied for the MLB lead with 41 saves (Baker 1.44 ERA; Smith 1.95 ERA, 13.0 strikeouts per nine innings); Miller had 38 saves, a 1.67 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 70 innings, per MLB.com.

The rest of awards week

Per MLB.com’s schedule: Gold Gloves were announced Nov. 1. The Platinum Glove winners, announced Nov. 6, are the Yankees’ Cody Bellinger in the AL and the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong in the NL, SABR reported. MLB.com lists the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. as the Heart & Hustle winner for a third straight season. The MLB Awards show on Nov. 11 at 9 p.m. ET on MLB Network covers the All-MLB Teams, Hank Aaron Award, Comeback Player of the Year, the Rivera and Hoffman reliever awards, the Edgar Martinez DH award and MLB Executive of the Year; Silver Slugger winners follow on Nov. 17.

Part of our coverage of MLB's offseason.