Will Venable and Pat Murphy were named the 2026 Managers of the Year, with Venable taking the American League honor and Murphy winning in the National League.
Venable, in his second season guiding the White Sox, collected 15 first-place votes, 11 second-place votes and three third-place votes. He finished just ahead of Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays, who picked up 12 first-place votes, 12 second-place votes and two third-place votes.
Chad Tracy, the former Ranger minor leaguer who stepped in for Alex Cora as manager of the Boston Red Sox early in the season, came in third. Tracy received three first-place votes, five second-place votes and 17 third-place votes. Stephen Vogt, Aaron Boone and Joe Espada also showed up on ballots.
Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker did not appear on any ballots.
The award often goes to a manager who has pushed a team beyond expectations, with an extra nod usually going to a low-payroll club. Venable was omitted from one ballot, that of Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, one of the two New York chapter voters for the AL award.
Kuty’s ballot went Cash, Boone and Tracy. The other Boone vote came from Chris McCosky of the Detroit News, who had Boone third.
Espada’s only vote, as expected, came from Houston chapter voter Angel Cantu.
Murphy, meanwhile, is in his third year managing the Milwaukee Brewers and has now won the National League Manager of the Year Award for the third straight time. He received 20 first-place votes, seven second-place votes and three third-place votes.
Walt Weiss of the Atlanta Braves finished second, appearing on 26 of 30 ballots and earning seven first-place votes. Don Mattingly edged Craig Stammen of the Padres by one point for third. Dave Roberts, Craig Counsell and Don Kelly also received votes.
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For Texas, the chatter naturally circles back to a few players who would draw attention if the Rangers decided to listen. Nathan Eovaldi remains the sort of established arm that could interest contenders, while Sebastian Walcott gives the organization a premium young piece whose value is easy to imagine in bigger conversations. Nothing is settled, and these are still just possible frameworks rather than actual deals, but the fact that both veterans and prospects could enter the discussion is enough to make Las Vegas a place worth watching for Rangers fans. [Read more 🡒]
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Seagers appeal is obvious enough for a club trying to stabilize the position, but any pursuit would have to clear two hurdles: the price and the fit. He is under contract for five more years, and after a down season, Boston would have to decide whether the upside of adding a proven shortstop outweighs the risk of taking on a major commitment for a player coming off a rough year. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Be Heading Toward A Corey Seager Crossroads
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Seagers full no-trade rights give him control over where this goes, and the financial commitment attached to him means any conversation will be about more than just baseball value. If the Rangers do decide to explore moving him, it could open a path for Sebastian Walcott, the prospect many around the organization see as a possible long-term answer at shortstop, but the first step is simply finding out whether there is real interest at all. [Read more 🡒]