Wednesday, October 28

Shohei Ohtani was the undisputed Most Valuable Player in the National League in each of his first two seasons with the Dodgers, but that run appears over after his third year in Los Angeles.

Coming off his fourth unanimous MVP nod in 2025 -- which was also his third in a row -- Ohtani will likely have to wait another year to vie for his fifth career honor. Ongoing right biceps and left knee injuries diminished what he had hoped would be his first full two-way season since '23.

The injuries contributed to an extended season-ending slump for Ohtani, who also missed time to a minimum-length stint on the 15-day IL in September. At the same time, Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs -- the presumptive NL MVP winner -- did not lose steam down the stretch, putting the finishing touches on a 40-40 campaign.

Even while limited, Ohtani put together quite the season, hitting 30 homers with an .889 OPS while recording a 1.79 ERA through 14 starts on the mound. 

"Through mid-August, he was still, I think, the consensus MVP," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said at the Dodgers' season-ending press conference last week.

While the MVP Award appears out of Ohtani's grasp, he could still take home some other hardware this November. He should garner some consideration for the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, which he won in each of the previous five seasons (although the Astros' Yordan Alvarez is likely to unseat him). He is also a finalist for the All-MLB Teams, which he has made five times as a DH and three times as a starting pitcher.

Here's an overview of the dates to know this awards season, as well as which Dodgers are in the running for each:

Sunday: Gold Glove winners announced

The Dodgers have two finalists: Andy Pages at center field and Max Muncy at third base. Pages had an impressive defensive season, leading MLB with 14 outfield assists, but his competition is Crow-Armstrong -- who was essentially the best defender in the Majors this year. Muncy made noticeable defensive improvements, but he was not considered a plus defender by any metrics this season.

Monday: BBWAA award finalists and Silver Slugger finalists announced

We'll break down the potential finalists for the BBWAA awards and Silver Sluggers in their respective sections. 

Nov. 6: Heart & Hustle Award winner and Platinum Glove winners announced

Miguel Rojas was named the Dodgers' team winner for the MLB Players Alumni Association's Heart & Hustle Award.

Nov. 9: BBWAA Jackie Robinson Rookies of the Year announced

None of the Dodgers' 2026 rookies were standouts, although in September, they got a brief look at someone who could very well contend for the award in '27: Josue De Paula, MLB Pipeline's No. 4 overall prospect.

Nov. 10: BBWAA Managers of the Year announced

Manager Dave Roberts led the Dodgers to a 100-win regular season for the sixth time in his managerial career, tying an MLB record. But whether or not it's fair, that kind of performance is expected from this team, making it unlikely that he receives serious consideration for this award.

Nov. 11: BBWAA Cy Young Awards and Relievers of the Year announced; MLB Awards (includes the Hank Aaron Award winners, the Comeback Players of the Year, the Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman Relievers of the Year, the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter, the All-MLB First and Second Teams and the MLB Executive of the Year Award)

No one is beating the Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski for the NL Cy Young Award, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto could be a finalist. Among qualified NL pitchers, his 2.53 ERA ranked third, his 185 innings were tied for fourth and his 0.87 WHIP ranked second.

The BBWAA's Reliever of the Year Award is new this year. Tanner Scott, who converted a team-leading 25 saves, could be the most likely Dodger to garner some votes for the honor.

The Dodgers also have eight nominees for the All-MLB Teams: Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Muncy, Ohtani, Pages, Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal and Scott.

Nov. 12: BBWAA MVP Awards announced

In addition to Ohtani, who should be a finalist, other Dodgers -- such as Pages and Muncy -- could receive some down-ballot votes.

Nov. 17: Silver Slugger winners announced

Freeman, Muncy, Pages and Ohtani are the top candidates to be finalists at their respective positions.

First day after World Series: Players become free agents; players may be traded between clubs

• The Dodgers' free agents (excluding Rojas, who has retired) are Skubal, Kiké Hernández, Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen, Eric Lauer, Kris Bubic and Brusdar Graterol.

Five days after World Series (2 p.m. PT): Deadline for teams to make a qualifying offer to players; players can begin signing with any club

• None of the Dodgers' free agents are candidates to receive a qualifying offer. Skubal is ineligible because he was traded during the season.

Nov. 10-12: General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas

Nov. 17 (1 p.m. PT): Deadline for players to accept a qualifying offer

Nov. 20: Tender deadline

• The Dodgers have six arbitration-eligible players this offseason: Alex Call, Jake Cousins, Pages, Emmet Sheehan, Brock Stewart and Gavin Stone. Call and Cousins are potential non-tender candidates.

To subscribe to Dodgers Beat, visit this page and mark "Dodgers Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Dodgers or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.