The 2026 BBWAA award finalists were revealed on Monday evening, November 2, 2026, during a live broadcast on MLB Network, setting up a week of announcements that will crown baseball's best players, rookies, managers and relievers. Shohei Ohtani and Pete Crow-Armstrong headline a star-studded National League Most Valuable Player race, while Yordan Alvarez leads the American League field, and for the first time the Baseball Writers' Association of America will also vote for a Reliever of the Year.

Key Points

• The BBWAA revealed the 2026 award finalists on Monday, November 2, 2026, during a live MLB Network broadcast.
• Winners will be announced November 9 (Rookie of the Year), November 10 (Manager of the Year), November 11 (Cy Young and Reliever of the Year) and November 12 (MVP).
• NL MVP finalists: Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) and Brice Turang (Brewers). AL MVP finalists: Yordan Alvarez (Astros), Junior Caminero (Rays) and Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals).
• For the first time, BBWAA voters will choose a Reliever of the Year in both leagues, alongside the traditional MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year awards.
• The finalists are the top three vote-getters in each award in each league, announced in alphabetical order by NBC Sports and USA Today.

What Happened

Awards season officially began on Monday night when the BBWAA unveiled its finalist slates for the 2026 season. NBC Sports published its list at 6:38 p.m. Eastern time on November 2, and USA Today's live awards page then carried the complete set of finalists, including the American League Rookie of the Year and National League Manager of the Year slates that were still being revealed when the first reports went out.

The announcement covers five awards in each league: Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year and the new Reliever of the Year. Each slate contains three names, meaning 30 finalists in total across the two leagues. The winners will be revealed one award at a time during the week of November 9, beginning with Rookie of the Year and ending with the MVP announcement on November 12.

The timing matters because the 2026 season has only just ended. The World Series matched the Tampa Bay Rays against the Milwaukee Brewers, according to the NBC Sports report, and both clubs are heavily represented among the finalists. Rays manager Kevin Cash and Brewers manager Pat Murphy are both Manager of the Year finalists after leading their teams to their league pennants, while Rays third baseman Junior Caminero and Brewers second baseman Brice Turang are MVP finalists.

Background: How the BBWAA Awards Work

The Baseball Writers' Association of America has voted on baseball's major awards for decades, with ballots cast by its members before the postseason and winners announced in November. Finalists are the three highest vote-getters in each category, which is why a strong regular season, rather than a postseason run, decides who makes the shortlist.

The 2026 announcement adds a new honour to that tradition. Relievers have long been eligible for the Cy Young Award and the MVP, but they have never had a dedicated BBWAA award of their own. The new Reliever of the Year award changes that, recognising the closers and high-leverage arms whose seasons are measured in saves, earned run average and WHIP rather than wins and innings.

The awards calendar also frames the start of the offseason. With free agency, roster deadlines and, as NBC Sports notes, a potential MLB lockout among the key questions facing the sport this winter, the November 9-12 announcements will be the last set-piece moments of the 2026 season before attention turns fully to player movement.

2026 BBWAA Award Finalists: The MVP Races

The National League MVP race is the headline act. Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs hit .280 with a .372 on-base percentage and a .570 slugging percentage, with 45 home runs, 107 runs batted in, 41 stolen bases and 119 runs scored in 161 games, and he was also a Gold Glove winner. His 10.6 fWAR, as listed by NBC Sports, is the highest mark among any of the six MVP finalists.

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers remains the sport's great two-way case. He went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts on the mound while hitting .275 with a .377 on-base percentage and a .512 slugging percentage, 30 home runs and 81 runs batted in across 139 games. Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers completes the National League trio after hitting .268 with a .366 on-base percentage and a .450 slugging percentage, with 21 home runs, 100 runs batted in, 102 runs scored and 19 steals in 151 games, also as a Gold Glove winner.

In the American League, Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros led the league in all slash categories on his way to a .316 batting average, .432 on-base percentage and .601 slugging percentage, with 42 home runs, 106 runs batted in and 105 runs scored in 158 games. Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays matched Alvarez with 42 home runs while hitting .276 with a .360 on-base percentage and a .524 slugging percentage, driving in 101 runs and scoring 100 in 162 games. Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals hit .281 with a .359 on-base percentage and a .441 slugging percentage, with 18 home runs, 54 runs batted in, 45 stolen bases and 94 runs scored in 143 games, and was a Gold Glove finalist.

2026 BBWAA Award Finalists: Cy Young, Rookies, Managers and Relievers

The Cy Young races are dominated by low earned run averages. In the American League, Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees posted a 1.95 ERA with 239 strikeouts in 193 and two-thirds innings across 33 starts, going 14-6. Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays went 11-6 with a 2.40 ERA and 239 strikeouts in 169 innings over 29 starts. Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians, who is also a Rookie of the Year finalist, went 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA and 193 strikeouts in 186 and one-third innings across 32 starts.

In the National League, Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers went 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 174 and two-thirds innings over 30 starts. Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves went 14-9 with a 2.16 ERA and 200 strikeouts in 162 and two-thirds innings across 27 starts, and was a Gold Glove finalist. Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies went 18-7 with a 2.91 ERA and 231 strikeouts in 207 innings over 33 starts.

The Rookie of the Year fields mix power and pitching. In the National League, Carson Benge of the New York Mets hit .282 with a .346 on-base percentage and a .430 slugging percentage, with 20 home runs, 22 stolen bases and 86 runs scored in 156 games. Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds hit .263 with a .330 on-base percentage and a .457 slugging percentage, with 32 home runs and 87 runs scored in all 162 games. JJ Wetherholt of the St. Louis Cardinals hit .242 with a .339 on-base percentage and a .365 slugging percentage, with 17 home runs, 14 stolen bases and 89 runs scored in 139 games. In the American League, Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers hit .278 with a .376 on-base percentage and a .430 slugging percentage, with 18 home runs, 72 runs batted in and 97 runs scored, while Messick and Payton Tolle of the Boston Red Sox, who went 9-6 with a 3.03 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 148 and two-thirds innings over 26 starts, complete the slate.

For Manager of the Year, Kevin Cash led the Rays to a 98-64 record, the American League East title and the American League pennant. Chad Tracy led the Boston Red Sox to an 87-75 record and a wild-card berth after taking over from Alex Cora, a run that included a 15-game winning streak in July. Will Venable led the Chicago White Sox to an 84-78 record and a division series appearance, becoming, as NBC Sports notes, the first manager to reach the playoffs after back-to-back 100-loss seasons; the White Sox had gone 60-102 in 2025. In the National League, Don Mattingly led the Phillies to an 88-74 record and a wild-card berth, Pat Murphy led the Brewers to a 103-59 record, the National League Central title, the National League pennant and the World Series title, and Walt Weiss led the Braves to a 94-68 record and the National League East title.

The first Reliever of the Year slates are headed by some of the game's most dominant closers. In the American League, Bryan Baker of the Rays saved 41 games with a 1.44 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP in 62 and one-third innings, Cade Smith of the Guardians saved 41 games with a 1.95 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in 74 innings, and Louis Varland of the Blue Jays saved 35 games with a 1.27 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in 78 innings. In the National League, Jhoan Duran of the Phillies saved 33 games with a 1.82 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 59 and one-third innings, Trevor Megill of the Brewers saved 30 games with a 2.63 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP in 61 and two-thirds innings, and Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres saved 38 games with a 1.67 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP in 70 innings.

Reactions and Analysis

No formal reaction statements from the finalists were included in the NBC Sports or USA Today reports read for this article, which published the lists as they were revealed on the MLB Network broadcast. The early analysis therefore comes from the numbers themselves, and they point to two genuinely open MVP races rather than runaway winners.

In the National League, Crow-Armstrong's combination of power, speed and defence gives him the strongest all-round case, with the highest fWAR of any finalist. Ohtani's case rests on something no other finalist can offer: an 8-2 pitching record with a sub-2.00 ERA alongside 30 home runs as a hitter. Turang, the Brewers' table-setter on a World Series-winning team, is the candidate whose team success may carry the most weight with voters who reward winning.

In the American League, Alvarez's batting title and league-leading slash line make him the traditional favourite, but Caminero matched his 42 home runs on a pennant-winning Rays team, and Witt's speed and defence at shortstop give the Royals' star a different kind of all-round argument. The Cy Young races look similarly close: Schlittler's 1.95 ERA and Misiorowski's 1.80 ERA are the lowest marks in their leagues, but Sanchez's 18 wins and 207 innings give the Phillies left-hander a workload argument neither rival can match.

Why It Matters

The BBWAA awards are the sport's official record of a season. Long after the standings fade, the MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year winners define how a year is remembered, and they shape Hall of Fame cases, contract negotiations and the way teams market their stars. A first Reliever of the Year award adds a new line to that record, giving closers a dedicated honour for the first time.

The 2026 lists also capture a changing game. Ohtani's two-way candidacy, Messick's dual Cy Young and Rookie of the Year nominations, and Venable's turnaround of the White Sox all reflect a season in which young players and unconventional paths to contention mattered as much as payroll. The Brewers and Rays, two smaller-market clubs, dominate the managerial and MVP lists after meeting in the World Series, which is a reminder that the sport's biggest prizes are not reserved for its biggest spenders.

What Happens Next

The winners will be announced in order: Rookie of the Year on Monday, November 9, Manager of the Year on Tuesday, November 10, Cy Young and Reliever of the Year on Wednesday, November 11, and Most Valuable Player on Thursday, November 12. Each announcement will be covered as a separate story, with the full voting results and the winners' reactions.

After the awards week, attention turns to the offseason. Free agency, roster deadlines and the looming question of a potential MLB lockout, flagged by NBC Sports in its awards coverage, will dominate the winter, with several of these finalists either entering contract years or anchoring the teams that will shape the market.

Frequently Asked Questions

When were the 2026 BBWAA award finalists announced?

On Monday evening, November 2, 2026, during a live broadcast on MLB Network, with NBC Sports publishing its list at 6:38 p.m. Eastern time.

When will the winners be announced?

Rookie of the Year on November 9, Manager of the Year on November 10, Cy Young and Reliever of the Year on November 11, and Most Valuable Player on November 12.

Who are the MVP finalists?

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

What is new about the 2026 awards?

For the first time, BBWAA voters will choose a Reliever of the Year in both leagues, alongside MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year.

Who are the Cy Young finalists?

American League: Dylan Cease (Blue Jays), Parker Messick (Guardians) and Cam Schlittler (Yankees). National League: Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers), Chris Sale (Braves) and Cristopher Sanchez (Phillies).

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