ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays didn’t bring home all the hardware they were hoping for this month. After finishing a five-game World Series triumph over Tampa Bay on Wednesday, the Brewers got to parade around Milwaukee with the Commissioner’s Trophy on Friday.
Still, the Rays won’t find their trophy case empty at the end of the year. This magical 2026 season will still be represented well, from the William Harridge Trophy awarded to the American League champions to a number of individual honors.
Let’s look ahead to what could be a busy awards season for the AL champs.
Sunday: Rawlings Gold Glove Awards
Shortstop Taylor Walls and left fielder Chandler Simpson are finalists, and it just feels like Walls’ time to finally earn the honor the Rays have long believed he deserves. There’s plenty of competition, but Walls’ defensive numbers are unmatched. The Rays have never had a shortstop win a Gold Glove. Could he also take home the AL Platinum Glove on Nov. 6?
The fact that Simpson is a finalist says enough about his defensive development. Whether or not he shocks us by winning the award over Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger, it’s still quite an accomplishment.
Nov. 10: BBWAA Manager of the Year Award
Voters might favor the underdog story of White Sox manager Will Venable, or the dramatic turnaround led by Red Sox skipper Chad Tracy. But, uh, did anyone watch Kevin Cash lead a team picked to finish fifth in the AL East all the way to the World Series?
Cash is the longest-tenured manager in the Majors and the archetype for the modern dugout boss. He won the award in back-to-back seasons from 2020-21, and you could argue this year was actually his finest work. The Rays outperformed expectations, put together the best record in the AL and reached the Fall Classic.
Nov. 11: BBWAA Cy Young Award
Yankees ace Cam Schlittler can probably make plans for a victory speech here, since all the BBWAA awards are regular-season honors, but it’ll be interesting to see if Drew Rasmussen finishes in the top three or perhaps top five. Also, will Nick Martinez get any down-ballot votes?
Nov. 11: BBWAA Relief Pitcher of the Year Award / Mariano Rivera Reliever of the Year Award
This is a new award for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, so maybe closer Bryan Baker will be the first recipient in the AL. Guardians closer Cade Smith and Blue Jays Swiss Army knife Louis Varland have strong cases, too, but Baker tied for the lead in saves and didn’t blow one from mid-May through the end of the World Series. Thus, he has a good case for the MLB award named after Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.
Nov. 11: All-MLB Team
The Rays have eight nominees, and since there is both a First Team and Second Team, they should have a good chance to see a couple players honored.
The biggest and most obvious one is Junior Caminero, who has a strong chance to claim the First-Team honor at third base after making the Second Team last year. The Rays haven’t had an All-MLB First Team member since reliever Nick Anderson in 2020.
Among the other nominees with a good chance to make the squad are Rasmussen, Martinez and Baker. DH Yandy Díaz had a strong season, but he’s up against Astros DH Yordan Alvarez. It’ll also be tough competition for Jonathan Aranda at first base, Liam Hicks at catcher and Simpson in the outfield.
Nov. 11: Comeback Player of the Year Award
When the Rays shut down starter Shane McClanahan in the postseason, Cash mentioned the left-hander’s case for this award. The lefty was a two-time All-Star before Tommy John surgery cost him the end of the 2023 season and all of ’24. He also had to overcome a freak nerve issue in his left triceps, which kept him off the mound throughout the ’25 season, and the loss of his father shortly before Spring Training began.
McClanahan returned this year and posted a 3.36 ERA with 106 strikeouts in 118 innings over 24 starts.
Nov. 11: Executive of the Year Award
This annual award will be announced during the GM Meetings in Las Vegas. There are many worthy candidates, of course, but don’t sleep on Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander.
He made his usual array of savvy moves to make Tampa Bay into a contender, then he engineered arguably the boldest and most successful Trade Deadline of anybody to transform the Rays into a World Series team.
Nov. 12: BBWAA MVP Award
The Astros’ Alvarez is probably the favorite here over Caminero, who should at least take home a Silver Slugger Award on Nov. 17, but be sure to keep an eye on the results regardless. The Rays have never had a player finish higher than sixth in the AL MVP Award voting (Evan Longoria in 2010 and ’13, Díaz in 2023), and Caminero seems bound to rank well above that. Just how high will he go?