Baseball's award week runs Nov. 9 through Nov. 12, and this year it has five awards instead of four. The Baseball Writers' Association of America added a Relief Pitcher of the Year award for 2026, and its winners will be announced on Nov. 11, the same night as the Cy Young. Each winner is revealed live on MLB Network, with every announcement show starting at 7 p.m. Eastern, which is 4 p.m. Pacific, according to the writers' association schedule.
The finalists were named Monday. Writers cast their ballots before the postseason began, so October games played no part in the results.
When each award is announced
| Date | Award | AL finalists | NL finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 9 | Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year | Kevin McGonigle (Tigers), Parker Messick (Guardians), Payton Tolle (Red Sox) | Carson Benge (Mets), Sal Stewart (Reds), JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals) |
| Tue., Nov. 10 | Manager of the Year | Kevin Cash (Rays), Chad Tracy (Red Sox), Will Venable (White Sox) | Don Mattingly (Phillies), Pat Murphy (Brewers), Walt Weiss (Braves) |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Relief Pitcher of the Year | Bryan Baker (Rays), Cade Smith (Guardians), Louis Varland (Blue Jays) | Jhoan Duran (Phillies), Trevor Megill (Brewers), Mason Miller (Padres) |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Cy Young | Dylan Cease (Blue Jays), Parker Messick (Guardians), Cam Schlittler (Yankees) | Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers), Cristopher Sánchez (Phillies), Chris Sale (Braves) |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Most Valuable Player | Yordan Alvarez (Astros), Junior Caminero (Rays), Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals) | Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers), Brice Turang (Brewers) |
Finalists are the top three vote-getters in each league, listed alphabetically, so the order says nothing about who won. MLB Network carries all four nights. Viewers without it can find each winner on the writers' association site, which posted last year's MVP and Cy Young winners on the nights they were announced.
Names to watch
Parker Messick of Cleveland is the only player up for two awards. The Guardians left-hander is a finalist for both AL Rookie of the Year and the AL Cy Young after a season with a 2.56 ERA over 32 starts, MLB's finalist rundown shows.
Shohei Ohtani is trying for a fourth straight MVP and the fifth of his career. Only Barry Bonds, with seven, has won more. Injuries to his left knee and right biceps held him to half a season of pitching, and he still posted a 1.79 ERA on the mound alongside his sixth consecutive 30-homer season.
MLB's rundown calls Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs the NL favorite after he hit 45 home runs and stole 41 bases, joining the 40-40 club. On the AL side, Houston's Yordan Alvarez led all qualifying hitters in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, but fell short of the Triple Crown.
The new relief award puts closers on their own ballot. Baker and Smith tied for the major league lead with 41 saves apiece, and Miller struck out 129 batters in 70 innings for San Diego.
