Twins star Byron Buxton misses $3M bonus by 2 points in MVP voting

In what was another awful season that prompted a coaching change, center fielder Byron Buxton was one of the only bright spots for the Minnesota Twins in 2025.

The 32-year-old slugged a career-high 35 home runs and drove in a team-high 83 runs while slashing .264/.327/.551 for a Twins-best .878 OPS. Unsurprisingly, he led the Twins in many offensive categories and was valued at 5 wins above replacement (WAR) by FanGraphs.

While the team’s collective performance all but guaranteed that Buxton wouldn’t be considered a top-of-the-ballot MVP candidate, the results were still important for Minnesota’s star, as his contract includes a $3 million bonus if he finished sixth through 10th in MVP voting.

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When the results were revealed Thursday night, Buxton finished 11th, just behind Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, and missed out on his bonus by two points.

That is right in line with FanGraphs’ rankings, which put Buxton as the 11th-most valuable player in the AL in 2025 and ninth-most valuable position player.

Still, it’s a brutal finish for Buxton, who finally stayed healthy and demonstrated his immense talent throughout a full season while remaining loyal to a team that was torn apart by midseason trades and continued to sink in the standings.

The full list of ballots shows Buxton ranked as high as seventh on three ballots — higher than Peña — but was left entirely off the lists of 16 voters, which ended up costing him his $3 million bonus.

If the Twins can rebound next year and Buxton repeats his performance under a new coaching staff, maybe he’ll fare better in 2026 voting.

Watch: 1-on-1 with Twins manager Derek Shelton, Alison Shelton, Derek Falvey, and Tom Kelly
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