MLB Lockout 2026: Why We Think Half the Season Is Lost

The World Series is over, and awards season starts almost immediately. Here is the schedule so you know when to tune in, followed by where each race stands and where Nick and I think the voters will land.

The calendar

• November 1: Gold Glove Awards (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET)

• November 6: Platinum Glove Award and the Heart and Hustle Award

• November 9: Rookie of the Year, American and National League

• November 10: Manager of the Year, both leagues

• November 11: Cy Young Awards, Reliever of the Year, and the MLB Awards show, including the Hank Aaron Award, Comeback Player of the Year, Edgar Martinez Award, Executive of the Year and All-MLB Teams

• November 12: Most Valuable Player, both leagues

• November 17: Silver Slugger Awards

These dates come from Yahoo Sports, and it is worth rechecking them against MLB.com as each one approaches.

Already decided: Francisco Lindor wins the Clemente Award

The Mets' Francisco Lindor was honored during Game 3 of the World Series as this year's Roberto Clemente Award winner. It is one of my favorite awards because it is the one where you have to be a good human being, not only a good baseball player, to win it. Representatives from all 30 teams deserve credit, and many of these players do their community work quietly, but this is the award that recognizes the ones who use their platform and influence to rally people around a cause.

Where the experts landed, and where we landed

I could not find official finalists yet, so the first column below is based on a September 24 panel of four CBS Sports writers, who voted before the regular season ended. The second is where Nick and I stand after Thursday's show.

The races I care about most

NL MVP: if Shohei wins, there will be a riot

Our feeling on Thursday was that the winners should all be clear and that the MVPs are pretty cut and dry. Crow-Armstrong was near a 40-40 season and a 10-WAR season in September, and the CBS panel noted he might lead the majors in home runs. Ohtani is a freak, and he will get votes. But from mid-August on he was not the same, while Crow-Armstrong turned it up a notch. The playoffs do not count toward MVP, so Ohtani's October does not help him either.

Here is the uncomfortable part. We both said we do not trust the voting. I trust MVP voting about as much as I trust Hall of Fame voting, and the media loves to wash Ohtani's name onto everything. Do I think Crow-Armstrong should win? A thousand percent. Do I believe the voters will see it that way? I hedge my bets.

AL MVP: the closest race, and it is still not that close

Nick and I both lean Yordan Alvarez, who has the "overwhelming" offensive case and carried an Astros team that arguably does not contend without him. Junior Caminero's case rests on how much the Rays depended on him, and we agreed it is the closest race of the group while still not being close. Schlittler is the wild card. By the numbers cited by the panel he had a sub-2.00 ERA, a 217 ERA+, 190⅔ innings and a 31.3 percent strikeout rate. He is a lock for the Cy Young, and the voters have traditionally treated that as the pitcher's award. A three-way split could surprise people.

NL Cy Young: Misiorowski, and the workload question

Misiorowski was a unanimous pick on the panel, citing a sub-2.00 ERA, an FIP nearly as low and close to 250 strikeouts. On Sunday's trivia we learned he fell 12 short of Ben Sheets's franchise record of 264, so he finished around 252, which passed Corbin Burnes for second on the team's all-time list. Neither of us can see how it goes to anyone else.

The wrinkle is innings. Milwaukee managed his workload to around 170, far below what Cy Young winners used to throw. If this wins, it tells you dominance per inning is being weighted over volume, and Chris Sale and Cristopher Sanchez, who pitched more, will be the counterargument.

Rookies and managers

Kevin McGonigle is the American League favorite at -3500, and the panel was unanimous. He is 21, a primary shortstop with a 125 OPS+ and top-10 WAR among position players. Parker Messick, as one writer put it, would win in most years. The National League is where it gets interesting: Nick and I think Sal Stewart is the leader, with Stewart carrying a historic power and RBI case, while JJ Wetherholt got a lot of consideration but missed the last chunk of the year, which we think knocks him out.

For managers, Venable is our American League pick after turning the White Sox from a joke into a playoff team. In the National League we asked whether Pat Murphy three-peats, and the answer is that we do not see how you do not give it to him. The Brewers traded Freddy Peralta away and got better, and every time something good seemed ready to happen for them, a player got hurt or left, and they kept rolling.

Gold Gloves, early

The first announcement is November 1, and we think Gold Gloves will be the closest votes of the entire awards season. Tigers Zach McKinstry and Dillon Dingler are nominated. If you want your say, tell us in the community.

Why the timing matters

Awards week sits right before the winter gets complicated. The collective bargaining agreement expires December 1, and a lockout would freeze most offseason business. Nick and I think there is no realistic chance of a big flurry of signings before then: awards week gives you one window, then the GM meetings, where little happens, then Thanksgiving, then December 1. These awards are likely the last normal baseball news for a long time.

We will break each one down on Sunday and Thursday as the winners are announced. Come argue your ballot on the live show, in the community, or follow our Facebook page for awards news as it happens. For the full lineup, visit the network shows page.