Trout should have won it last year. The MVP should go with a player of a team that makes it beyond the first round in the playoffs. Just a thought.
The MVP votes are due to be turned in before the playoffs start. They just hold off announcing it until long after the World Series is over. So it is based on regular season performance only, not post season.
MVP votes are submitted before the playoffs commence.
My opinion is that it should go to the best player, even if said player is on a cruddy under-.500 team.