Yordan Alvarez doesn’t have to wait much longer, but the final stretch before Thursday’s AL MVP announcement is clearly wearing on him a bit.
The Astros slugger is one of three finalists for the award, joined by Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. The winner will be announced Thursday at 7 p.m.
ET/4 p.m. PT on MLB Network.
Alvarez is headed into a busy awards week in Las Vegas, and he’ll fly there Wednesday for the MLB Awards show at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan. That event could bring even more hardware his way, with Alvarez also in line for the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award and Comeback Player of the Year honors.
For now, though, the MVP reveal is the one hanging in the air. MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart shared Alvarez’s comments Monday night on X, formerly Twitter, and the Astros star made it clear the suspense is real.
“The last couple of days I've been a little nervous. The day is getting close and it's very exciting and a little nervous for me.”
The numbers behind Alvarez’s case are strong. He hit .316 with a .432 on-base percentage and a .601 slugging percentage, finishing with a 1.033 OPS. He also put together a season of 42 home runs and 106 RBIs across 158 games, production that put him among the American League’s top offensive threats all year.
That performance also earned him Players Choice recognition as the AL Outstanding Player.
As of Monday night, the award is still waiting to be handed out. Alvarez, Caminero and Witt are all left to see whose name gets called Thursday.
In Other News...
Astros Could Make A Jeremy Pea Decision Fans Wont Ignore
The Astros offseason already has the feel of a roster reset, and Jeremy Pea has emerged as one of the more intriguing names to watch. With a thin free-agent market at shortstop and a front office that has changed shape, new general manager Randy Flores could have more incentive to explore a deal than the club might have had in past winters.
Pea is still the kind of player who draws attention around the league, which is exactly why the possibility matters in Houston. The decision would sit at the intersection of roster need, timing and ownership influence, with Jim Cranes preferences likely part of the backdrop as the Astros weigh whether to keep building around Pea or use his value to reshape the roster in a different direction. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Bullpen Search Now Hinges On A Risky Lefty Option
The Astros are still sorting through the left side of their bullpen after Steven Okert hit free agency, and the search has naturally turned toward pitchers who can handle meaningful late-inning work without forcing the staff to reshuffle too much. Among the names drawing attention is a familiar type of target for a contender: a left-handed reliever with enough track record to inspire interest, but enough volatility to make the fit less than straightforward.
Alex Vesia fits that description well. The Dodgers lefty has been effective enough to stand out in projection models, and there is reason to believe he could sustain a similar workload in 2027, which matters for a Houston club trying to plan beyond a one-year patch job. The question is whether the Astros would be buying steady leverage help or betting on command gains that have not fully arrived yet, because his value could swing a lot depending on how much cleaner his control becomes. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Offseason Pressure Will Reveal Plenty About Their New Decision-Maker
The Astros are handing Randy Flores a major offseason test almost immediately after elevating him into the general manager chair, and the timing could hardly be more demanding. He is stepping into the role for the first time with a long to-do list, a compressed window before the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires and the usual pressure that comes with working for an organization that expects to stay in contention.
Flores also inherits a front office dynamic that will be watched closely around the league, especially with ownership and team executives still part of the broader baseball conversation. On top of roster planning, he has to help steer the search for a new manager to replace Joe Espada, which makes this winter less about settling in and more about showing how much control he really has when the decisions start piling up. [Read more 🡒]