Two Unanimous Aces and One Open Mind: Misiorowski and Schlittler Sweep the Cy Young as Chris Young Says Texas Isn't Under 'Financial Duress'

By Hank Dalton, RF Sports Radio MLB voice

Baseball fans, Wednesday night was about two young flamethrowers, and Wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas was about the Rangers' boss choosing his words very carefully. Let's do both, because one of them tells you what kind of arm Texas is going to need, and the other tells you how they might pay for it.

The facts

Per MLB.com and ESPN, Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski and the Yankees' Cam Schlittler won the Cy Young Awards unanimously, each receiving all 30 first-place votes in their first full big-league seasons. It is only the third time both awards went unanimous in the same year, after 2022 and 1968, per MLB.com. Cristopher Sanchez finished second in the NL, one point ahead of Chris Sale, and Dylan Cease and Parker Messick were second and third in the AL. Misiorowski is 24, and Schlittler is 25.

ESPN reports Mason Miller and Louis Varland won the first BBWAA Reliever of the Year awards, and Yordan Alvarez won AL Comeback Player of the Year, the Hank Aaron Award and the Edgar Martinez Award. MVPs are announced Thursday, and MLB.com says Alvarez and Pete Crow-Armstrong are the favorites.

Meanwhile, at the GM Meetings, Chris Young said the Rangers are "very open-minded" about trades, per MLB.com as reported by RG. "It doesn't mean that we're going to make any significant deals. It doesn't mean that we're close-minded to those, either," he said. He added, "We're not under financial duress to say we've got to shed these contracts." Corey Seager, Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi all have full no-trade protection, per MLB Trade Rumors as cited by RG, and Young expects 2027 payroll in the $190 million range.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: the Cy Young results are a reminder of what wins in October now. Milwaukee won the World Series with a 24-year-old who throws gas, and the Yankees found one too. Texas has deGrom for one more guaranteed year and Eovaldi for one more. After that, who is the next homegrown ace? That is the question that should keep Chris Young up at night more than Seager does.

On Young's comments, I believe him. "Not under financial duress" is a front office telling the other 29 teams it does not have to sell. That is a negotiating posture, and it is the right one. If you want Seager, you will pay full price.

Prediction: Texas makes one meaningful trade before Christmas, and it is not Seager.

What to watch next

Watch MVP night Thursday, the end of the GM Meetings and any Rangers moves before the CBA expires Dec. 1. For yesterday's Seager report, read our Nov. 11 Seager trade report, and follow the winter on our MLB Playoffs page. Note: this beat keeps the MLB Playoffs label until the label switch is approved.

Radio question: should the Rangers trade a big contract to buy a young ace, or keep the band together for 2027?

Sources: MLB.com - Pair of flamethrowers are unanimous Cy Young winners; ESPN - Misiorowski, Schlittler unanimous Cy Young winners; MLB.com - 2026 Cy Young voting results; RG - Chris Young 'very open-minded' on trades involving Seager, other stars; MLB.com - Rangers could consider trading Corey Seager, other stars.