LAS VEGAS – Tampa Bay Rays President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander, whose Club set the pace in the American League with a 98-64 regular season en route to their third AL Pennant in franchise history, has been named the recipient of MLB’s 2026 Executive of the Year Presented by Sage, a company that champions confident leadership, smart decision-making and sustainable growth. Tonight marked the second straight year that the Executive of the Year was presented in front of a live audience, as Neander was honored at the MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards.
This marks the second career official Executive of the Year Award for Neander, who previously won in 2019, the second year of this honor’s current iteration. The selection of Neander resulted from voting among the 30 Clubs, which made their choices at the conclusion of the regular season. The 2026 runner-up was Milwaukee Brewers President of Baseball Operations & General Manager Matt Arnold, who last year became this Award’s first back-to-back recipient, while Chris Getz, Executive Vice President/General Manager of the Chicago White Sox, finished third.
In 2026, Tampa Bay assembled the top record in the American League and was the only AL Club to eclipse a .600 winning percentage (.605). The Rays had the third-best record in all of Major League Baseball behind only the Milwaukee Brewers (.636) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (.617). Offensively, Tampa Bay led the AL in batting average (.258, tied for MLB-best), hits (1,405), on-base percentage (.326) and stolen bases (164), while their batters struck out less than any team in Major League Baseball. The Rays also set an alltime Major League record with a 51-2 mark (.962) when outhomering their opponents (since 1900; minimum 20 games; and including Postseason) . Tampa Bay pitching was the sport’s stingiest at issuing free passes, with their 6.9% walk rate not only being the lowest of 2026, but the lowest compared to league average by any team in the last three seasons. With their typically strong bullpen, the Rays became one of five teams since 1900 (including the Postseason) to go at least 92-0 when leading after eight innings. Defensively, Tampa Bay featured the best outfield of the Statcast era (since 2015) at turning baseballs into outs, reflecting their clean jumps off the bat and routes to fly balls.
The 2026 Rays featured five All-Stars, four of whom were acquired via trades during Neander’s tenure (third baseman Junior Caminero, designated hitter Yandy Díaz, pitcher Drew Rasmussen and closer Bryan Baker) and one who joined via free agency (pitcher Nick Martinez). Tampa Bay players also claimed an ALbest three All-MLB honors tonight (trailing only the four by the Brewers), while Baker was named the recipient of the 2026 Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year Award. Homegrown Rays like Jonathan Aranda, Chandler Simpson, Shane McClanahan and Ian Seymour were part of the team’s core, as were past trade acquisitions Jonny DeLuca, Richie Palacios, Griffin Jax and Kevin Kelly. In addition to Martinez, Neander acquired contributors like Cedric Mullins, Victor Mesa Jr., Ben Williamson, Ryan Vilade and Cam Booser ahead of the 2026 campaign. Prior to the Trade Deadline, he made swaps for starting pitcher Freddy Peralta, who went on to earn Most Valuable Player honors of the 2026 American League Championship Series, as well as catcher Liam Hicks and reliever Tyler Wells.
Neander just completed his 20th season with the Rays, having joined the Club as a baseball operations intern in January 2007. In his nine years as the Club’s top-ranking baseball official, the Rays have made the Postseason in six seasons, including a club-record five consecutive berths from 2019-23. The Rays captured the American League pennant in 2020 and followed up in 2021 by setting a club-record for wins with a 100-62 season. Neander was promoted to serve as the Club’s President of Baseball Operations in September of 2021. The Oneonta, New York native is a graduate of Virginia Tech.
The Executive of the Year presented by Sage recognizes an executive who demonstrates the vision, judgement and discipline to make the right decisions when they matter most, setting their organization up for sustained success. MLB began its official Executive of the Year Award at the conclusion of the 2018 season, with Billy Beane (Athletics) earning the inaugural honors, followed by Neander in 2019; Andrew Friedman (Los Angeles Dodgers) in 2020; Farhan Zaidi (San Francisco Giants) in 2021; Chris Antonetti (Cleveland Guardians) in 2022; Mike Elias (Baltimore Orioles) in 2023; and Matt Arnold (Milwaukee Brewers) in both 2024 and 2025.