Byron Buxton came painfully close to a major payday. The Minnesota Twins outfielder has contract bonuses tied to where he finishes in MVP voting, and this season he ended up just shy of the cutoff.
When the American League MVP results were released on Thursday, Aaron Judge won the award and Cal Raleigh finished second. The league then revealed the full voting results. Buxton landed in 11th place. His contract bonuses only extend through a top ten finish.
If Buxton had finished one spot higher, he would have earned an additional three million dollars. Because of how narrowly he missed it, many Twins fans have taken to X asking ownership to pay him the bonus anyway as a gesture of support.
Buxton finally had a mostly healthy season and showed the full range of what he can do when he is on the field consistently. The Twins drafted him, and he has never shown much interest in leaving. There has been loyalty on both sides for years, something that has become rare in modern sports.
That makes his season even more meaningful for Minnesota. The Twins did not make the playoffs and Buxton missed his bonus, but watching him play at this level again was rewarding for the franchise and for fans.
Bonus or no bonus, Buxton delivered a season that reminded everyone of his talent and importance to the team.