On Tuesday night, Major League Baseball will announce the winners of the Manager of the Year awards in both the American and National Leagues. In the American League, Boston Red Sox manager Chad Tracy was named a finalist alongside Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash and Chicago White Sox skipper Will Venable. While Cash and Venable are both deserving nominees, Tracy should be the clear frontrunner to take home the award after turning the tide on what initially looked to be one of the worst seasons in franchise history.

When Tracy took over as interim manager of the Red Sox, the team was 11-17 and on pace to win only 63 games, which would have been the worst Red Sox season by winning percentage since 1965. Not only did Tracy take over a team that was in total disarray, but he also had to implement a new system with six new coaches, many of whom were elevated from deep in the minor league system and had never worked in a major league dugout before. 

With so many faces totally new to the major leagues, including the manager, it likely wasn't easy to sell veterans like Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez on the new program. 

Things didn't turn around overnight, the Red Sox hit a low point in late June, dropping a series to the Colorado Rockies and falling 14 games under .500 to 32-46, the worst record in the American League. At that point, the Red Sox playoff odds sat at just 9.4 percent. 

Whatever happened on that plane ride back from Colorado, it saved the Red Sox season. Boston returned home and swept the New York Yankees, kicking off a historic 37-game stretch in which the team went 32-5, including an incredible 27-4 mark in July that set a franchise record for the highest winning percentage in a single month and the longest winning streak in franchise history, 15 games. 

From that rock bottom in Colorado through the end of the season, Tracy led the Red Sox to a league-best 55-29 and became the first American League team to lose 46 of its first 81 games and reach the postseason, joining the 1973 Mets as the only two teams to accomplish the feat.

Overall, Tracy went 77-58 in his first 135 games as manager, giving the Red Sox the second-best record in the American League, powering them to an improbable playoff appearance. 

It was undoubtedly a fantastic 12th year at the helm for Cash. Tampa Bay entered the season with their lowest expectations in years. According to Fangraphs, the Rays were projected to win only 79 games, with a 29.5 percent chance to make the playoffs, a 6.8 percent chance to win the American League East, and a 3.4 percent chance to win the American League. 

By the time Tracy took over the Red Sox, Tampa was off to a 16-11 start and in second place in the AL East, raising their playoff odds to 45 percent. By the time the Red Sox season reached that low point in Colorado, the Rays were 44-33 with an 84.3 percent chance to make the playoffs.

Tampa exceeded all expectations and, with 98 wins, was the best team in the American League. However, unlike Tracy, Cash had 12 years of experience and a clubhouse full of veterans who were integrated into the system and culture of the room. Tracy took over a team in total turmoil, with a blend of veterans who were in their first season in Boston and a group of young players still trying to establish themselves at the big-league level. 

The former Red Sox bench coach-turned-White Sox manager entered the 2026 season with little to no expectation. After winning only 60 games in 2025, Chicago was expected to take a small step forward with their young group, with Fangraphs projecting a 67-win season and only a 1.2 percent chance of making the postseason. 

Instead, Chicago took a major step forward, powered by a breakout season from All-Star third baseman Miguel Vargas, rookie first baseman Munetaka Murakami, and one of baseball's most fun young cores.

Like the Red Sox, Chicago was just 11-17 when Boston named Tracy the interim manager. However, by the time the Red Sox hit rock bottom, the White Sox were 41-38 and tied with the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the American League Central. 

While Venable and the White Sox arrived well ahead of schedule in 2026, he, like Cash, had the benefit of working with the team throughout the prior season, spring training, and the first month of the regular season. 

While both Cash and Venable are more than deserving finalists for well exceeding expectations, what Tracy did to turn the Red Sox season around while turning over nearly his entire offensive staff is unprecedented, and he should join his father, Jim, as one of what should be three interim managers to win Manager of the Year. 

The winners of the Manager of the Year awards will be announced at 7:00 p.m. ET. on MLB Network.