Category: Baseball

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Milwaukee Brewers, October 23, 2026, 8:00 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are back on the couch once again for the start of the World Series, featuring two teams searching for their first title in franchise history.

The Tampa Bay Rays will travel to American Family Field to take on the Milwaukee Brewers in a Fall Classic that will celebrate the small market.

Both teams finished atop their respective leagues and made it through the first two rounds of the postseason. The Brewers took care of the San Diego Padres in four games before sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS to get payback for last year.

Meanwhile, the Rays swept their division rival, the New York Yankees, before dismantling the Cleveland Guardians in six games in the ALCS.

Both teams have slight connections to the Pirates, as the Brewers are a division rival of theirs. The Pirates won the season series against the Brewers 7-6, so that should say something about Pittsburgh and their slow, meteoric rise in the NL Central.

The Rays made a big trade with the Pirates in the offseason, where Tampa sent relief pitcher Mason Montgomery to the Bucs.

Be sure to check out our sister sites for coverage of the World Series: DRaysBay and Brew Crew Ball.

Location: American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI

Broadcast: FOX, FOX One app

Pitching Matchup: Nick Marinez vs. Jacob Misiorowski

BD community, this is your gameday thread for Game 1 of the 2026 World Series. Chime off in the comments section below.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays met during the opening week of the 2026 season. Now, nearly seven months later, they’ll meet again with both franchises chasing their first World Series championship.

Milwaukee hosts its first Fall Classic game since 1982 after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. The Brewers have won seven of their eight postseason games, powered by a roster assembled through shrewd acquisitions and player development.

Tampa Bay, meanwhile, returns to the World Series for the third time in franchise history after defeating Cleveland in the ALCS. The Rays have relied on a mix of star power and complementary players, with Chandler Simpson bringing elite speed and Junior Caminero supplying top-shelf power.

Taking the mound for Milwaukee in Game 1 is Jacob Misiorowski, the presumptive National League Cy Young Award winner. The 24-year-old posted a 1.80 ERA with 252 strikeouts in 174.2 innings during the regular season, relying heavily on a four-seam fastball that averaged 100.6 mph. Misiorowski faced Tampa Bay on April 1, allowing two runs over six innings while striking out seven.

Misiorowski’s four-seam fastball has seen its whiff rate drop from roughly 40% during the regular season to just 16% this postseason, leaving his breaking pitches to do more of the work. Still, he has recorded 11 strikeouts in 8.1 innings across two starts.

The Rays counter with veteran right-hander Nick Martinez, who posted a 3.10 ERA over 180 regular-season innings while walking just 3.6% of opposing hitters. Martinez relies on a six-pitch mix and exceptional command. He also faced the Brewers during the opening week, allowing two runs over six innings on March 30.

Martinez has leaned more heavily on his cutter this postseason, his most effective pitch by run value during the regular season. Unfortunately for him, it’s also a pitch that two of Milwaukee’s most dangerous hitters, Brice Turang and William Contreras, have handled especially well.

Neither starter has pitched particularly deep into games this postseason, and both offenses have a way of making pitchers work. That means the two teams’ very different bullpens could play a major role in the series.

Tampa Bay Rays (0-0) at Milwaukee Brewers (0-0) – 6:00 PM MDT

Pitching Matchup: RHP Nick Martinez (1-0, 3.00 postseason ERA) vs. RHP Jacob Misiorowski (0-0, 3.24 postseason ERA)

SB Nation sites:DRaysBay | Brew Crew Ball

Radio: ESPN Radio

TV: FOX

Lineups:

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A game 44 years in the making. At long last, Game 1 of the World Series is finally here. The Milwaukee Brewers will face the Tampa Bay Rays to determine who will be the champion in 2026.

Both teams are seeking their first World Series title. The Rays have been here twice before, in 2008 and again in 2020. The Brewers have been just once before, all the way back in 1982.

Both teams were the best in their league this year. The Brewers ran through the National League with a 103-59 record, winning the NL Central by 14 games. The Rays won the AL East by 4.5 games. In the LDS, the Brewers dispatched the San Diego Padres in four games, while the Rays swept the New York Yankees in three. Then in the LCS, the Brewers swept the Dodgers in four games while the Rays fell behind to the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 through three games, but then rattled off three wins in a row to beat Cleveland in six.

The Rays have had three full days off since their last game. The Brewers have had a week off. Finally, after all the anticipation, we are back to baseball.

Also back to baseball is Brewers veteran ace Brandon Woodruff. Woodruff hasn’t pitched in a game since the 4th of July, but he has recovered from a shoulder injury and after throwing live BP to the Brewers top hitters during the week, Woodruff was put on the 26 man roster for the World Series.

“I expressed how I felt about things and kind of where I was and I was very truthful and very open. It came down to I want one thing, whether I was on the roster or not, and that’s to win. So whatever was decided, I was good with.” Woodruff said.

“We feel like there’s a window where he can help us. That was the whole decision. This isn’t a wow, we love Woody, he’s great for the organization, because he already said to us, I don’t want to be a sympathy pick. I want to be a pick because I can help the team. Then you go through all the things and say, can he help us? The answer is yes, he can definitely help us.” Pat Murphy said.

The Brewers removed Chad Patrick to make room for Woodruff. Patrick had not pitched in either the NLDS or NLCS.

Woodruff will not be starting Game 1, however. That honor, unsurprisingly, belongs to Jacob Misiorowski. Misiorowski has started each Game 1 of the postseason for the Brewers. He hasn’t been his usual sharp self that he was during the regular season, which can partially be attributed to fatigue after a long year with more innings than he’s ever thrown in his life. Even though he hasn’t pitched as deep into games or been as sharp, he’s still kept the Brewers in those games and the Brewers have won both of his starts.

On the flip side, the Rays will have Nick Martinez on the mound, allowing an extra day of rest for Tampa’s aces Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta. Martinez had a 3.10 ERA in the regular season. In his two starts in the postseason, Martinez went 3.2 IP and allowed two earned runs in his start against the Yankees. Then in the ALCS, Martinez went 5.1 IP, allowing just two hits and one run.

The Brewers are shaking things up a little with their lineup. Jackson Chourio remains in the leadoff spot, that’s unchanged. But following him is Jake Bauers batting second and Christian Yelich batting third. Then William Contreras is batting cleanup, followed by Brice Turang and Garrett Mitchell. Cooper Pratt is at shortstop batting seventh while Sal Frelick and David Hamilton round out the bottom of the order. That’s three righties in the lineup each with two lefties in between them.

The Rays lineup is also intriguing. Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda are batting 1-2 atop the order. That’s not new. But Chandler Simpson, the speedster, with a whopping zero career home runs in his two years in the league, is batting 3rd, a traditional power spot. His role is to get on base for the real power hitter batting cleanup, Junior Caminero. Liam Hicks and Jonny Deluca fill out the rest of the middle of the order. Then Victor Mesa Jr, Ben Williamson, and Taylor Walls round out the bottom of the lineup.

It’s the Brewers and the Rays in the 122nd World Series. Here we go.

Here we go everyone! The moment all baseball fans have been waiting for. The World Series! It all begins tonight as the Tampa Bay Rays arrive in Milwaukee for the first game of the Fall Classic. One of these teams is going to win their first World Series. Who wants it more?

Rays at Brewers (5:00 PST)

The Rays have right-hander Nick Martinez (15-6, 3.10 ERA) on the mound tonight for Game 1. The one-year deal they dished out to him last offseason has more than paid off, but now they’ll up the stakes asking him to help the squad go up 1-0 in the World Series. It’s easily the biggest start of his career. How will the veteran do on the biggest stage in the sport?

Here’s how the Rays are lining up for this one:

The Brew Crew meanwhile have ace right-hander Jacob Misiorowski (16-5, 1.80 ERA) getting the call for this epic contest. Considered the overwhelming favorite to win this year’s NL Cy Young, Misiorowski is the best pitcher in the sport today and you literally can not ask for a better starter to take the ball for the first game of the World Series. The Brewers have to feel confident with their starter today.

And the Brewers’ starting nine:

One of these teams is going to be a game closer to their first championship. Who takes Game 1 of the World Series tonight?

For the first time since 1980, two teams who have never won the World Series are about to face off in the fall classic. The winner gets to celebrate the greatest moment in franchise history, and the loser gets stuck on a shrinking and increasingly ignominious list with the Rockies, Padres and Mariners.

Despite these teams not being associated with historical success, they were clearly the class of the field this year, with the Rays winning an AL leading 98 games, and the Brewers winning an MLB leading 103. This, along with the brand of baseball typically displayed whenever these squads take the field, gives us hope that the World Series will produce something far more compelling than anything else we’ve seen to this point in a postseason that’s lacked the top shelf drama we often see in October.

Out of the gate, the flame throwing Jacob Misiorowski will be the big topic of conversation, but as it always the case in the World Series, many other storylines we can’t even imagine are about to unfold. So let’s get to the lineups and the game thread where we can watch them unfold together below.

⚾️ First Pitch: 8:00pm — American Family Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

📺 TV: FOX

📻 Radio: ESPN Radio, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio

Join us in the game thread below!

It begins tonight. Game 1 is in Milwaukee and both teams are ready.

Let’s talk about it.

The 2026 World Series commences on Friday night in Milwaukee as the Brewers play host to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 at American Family Field. It’s still Miller Park, but you get it.

The hosts will turn again to fireballing Jacob Misiorowski as their starter for the evening, so be prepared for the adrenaline to push over some 105 mph heaters to begin the Top of the 1st. Tampa, meanwhile, will counter with former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Martinez, who’s fresh off a year that would’ve been very, very nice to still have on the Reds roster.

The roof will apparently be closed for this one. First pitch is set for shortly after 8:00 PM ET, as it will be for each and every game of the series. FOX will be doing the broadcasting, unfortunately, meaning you’ll be forced to listen to John Smoltz throughout.

One of these generations it would be nice to see the Reds again on this stage. Alas.

Here’s how both clubs will line up to start Game 1:

Earlier in the week, I went through the pure free agents coming up this offseason. Now, why didn’t I speculate about those with opt-outs and options? Well, it’s because with a potential salary cap I think maybe some of these club options become more valuable, and maybe some of the player options, too. A salary cap is likely to suppress salaries going forward, but these recent market rate deals might help teams make a floor or fit into under a cap, especially if the deal is from 2-3 free agent markets ago — inflation counts! The Giants can, of course, afford every free agent, but they can easily afford any of these options, too. They even have the trade capital!

So, this is another long list of obvious targets. I don’t know what names Zack Minasian has on his pro scouting ledger who might prove just as valuable (your Anthony Molinas and Cesar Perdomos) or who the Giants might be considering to plug into the rotation next year at some point (Jackson Flora? Jacob Bresnahan?) but, this is a little bit different from that list of pure free agents.

Rather than looking at 2 or even 3 starters who could provide a minimum of 100 quality innings (again, think like the Justin Verlander deal in 2025), I think a trade would necessarily involve a pitcher who could be projected to provide more than that and over a longer term, not only to pair with Logan Webb — as the team has done or at least tried to do since 2022 — but also to possibly succeed him when they let him walk after 2028. I also think a combination of a pure free agent and a trade would be the most effective way to build up the rotation again, and a stronger rotation ought to make it easier to make the bullpen better in a hurry.

So, let’s look at some guys who are plausibly available via trade and, therefore, starting pitchers the Giants could acquire who could stick around for more than a season. But! Some of these players are likely to simply have options declined or opt out, making them free agents.

Opt-outs

Corbin Burnes

Arizona’s final payroll rankings for the past three seasons (per Cot’s MLB Contracts):

• 2024: $223.74 million (13th in MLB)
• 2025: $216.10 million (14th in MLB)
• 2026: $230.00 million (12th in MLB)

So, they’re no slouches on the payroll tip, but in each of those three seasons they’ve carried, effectively, dead money thanks to starting pitching injuries. In 2024 & 2025 it was the injured corpse of Jordan Montgomery (~$40 million), and in 2025 & 2026, it was the TJ’d husk of Corbin Burnes (~$62 million).

Following a successful run as a Brewer (45-27, 3.26 ERA in 709.1 IP from 2018-2023) and Oriole (15-9, 2.92 ERA in 194.1 IP in 2024), he’s thrown just 74.2 IP for the Diamomdbacks across two seasons and 14 starts.

His post-surgery rehab schedule made him available by this season’s end, and Arizona tried him out to see if he might be able to give them some innings and possibly get them into the postseason. It didn’t pan out. After a solid start (0 runs, 2 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts; 57 pitches in a 3-inning appearance on September 8th), he came apart, allowing 9 runs (all earned) in 7.1 IP in just two more appearances. Five home runs allowed. His season ended on the IL with shoulder inflammation.

He will not opt out of the final four years on his deal ($32.91 million AAV, $24 million in real money annually with $11 million a year deferred to 2033-2036). It’s likely that Arizona will seek some salary relief if only to move some of that money around to help other areas of their roster. The Giants kicked the tires (briefly) when he was last available.

So, look at this as a 4-year, $96 million deal for the age 32-35 seasons of a guy who hasn’t yet cracked 1,000 innings — although, that’s because he’s run into the injury bug as he’s approached that threshold. Still, before he landed in Arizona, he had five straight seasons of receiving Cy Young votes and even won it back in 2021. Of course, the Giants are coming off a terrible year of arm injuries for their pitchers and might not be interested in taking on another patient.

Michael King

Now, I’m going to say that I think the chances of there being a salary cap are still probably well below 50%, but he’s the exact type of player likely to be impacted by it in the short-term. He has a very interesting pair of opt outs he can exercise after this or next season. If he doesn’t opt out this offseason, he’ll make $28 million in 2027. If he opts out this offseason, the Padres will pay him $5 million as a buyout. And if he opts in, he can opt out again or stick around for 2028 and earn $30 million (no buyout if he opts out). A very tricky decision. Less because of the potential salary cap and more because he’s, essentially, contracted for his age 32 and 33 seasons for $58 million — if he wants that. Is he going to be able to get a 4-5 year deal, cap or no cap? If we just double it, does he get a 4-year, $116 million from somebody?

King has been good for San Diego (they got him in the Juan Soto trade with the Yankees) with a 3.15 ERA (3.86 FIP) in 78 games (77 starts) and 432 IP. Left knee inflammation ate into his 2025 season (just 73.1 IP), but he has been their ace. It’s unclear if he’ll opt out (though, admittedly, likely) and, despite the Robbie Ray deal, it’s unlikely the Padres would trade their current ace to the Giants. The Padres have new, young owners who spent a lot of money to get the team. They might want to keep the stadium full, but they also might want AJ Preller to curtail spending a bit. He could be on the trade block even if he does opt in.

Clay Holmes (technically, a player option)

He made $13 million this season but his player option is for $12 million, which might be reason enough for him to decline it. But, heading into his age-34 season and coming off a post-acquisition performance (the Mets traded him to the Cubs for their playoff push) that was simply not good (4.25 ERA /4.09 FIP in 48.2 IP, 6.1 K/9, 4.4 BB/9), it’s plausible that he uses it and becomes a trade chit for Chicago. He is, basically, a lesser version of Logan Webb. He has a higher career groundball rate than Webb (62.3% vs. 56.3%) but he walks way more (3.89 BB/9 vs. Webb’s 2.14 career). But, he has the 93 mph sinker-sweeper combo that’s similar. He has three inches and 20 pounds on Webb, too, and has only gone back to starting pitching recently (he was a reliever from 2018-2024) so his innings count is low. It’s unclear if he will opt out.

Luis Severino (technically, a player option)

I’m sure he wants to get far away from West Sacramento — 4.43 ERA in 225.1 IP overall in his two seasons with the Athletics, but a 5.85 / 3.14 Home/Road ERA split — and there’s still plenty of stuff in his arsenal (96-98 with two fastballs, a great sweeper and an effective-ish cutter), but he might find it difficult to match or beat the $22 million he’ll be owed in 2027 ($22.333 CBT figure) even in his age-33 season. He’s another guy who’s running into the injury bug as he crosses into his 30s and exceeds 1,000 innings, and his 2026 season ended in a somewhat alarming way with a right shoulder strain impacting the shoulder capsule and subscapularis muscle. In terms of a Giants-Athletics trade, I think at this point, neither organization gives a heck about optics. He is unlikely to opt out, but the Athletics will almost certainly be willing to trade him.

José Berríos

He will not be opting out because he’ll be recovering from Tommy John surgery throughout 2027 for $24 million. He’ll also be owed $24 million the following season. I’m sure Toronto would love to move the salary.

Tatsuya Imai

Not that long ago, he was a highly sought after starting pitcher. He did not finish the season in Houston’s rotation and hit the IL in April due to arm fatigue. Another foreign league transfer to flop or first year jitters combined with misuse and poor development from a franchise that’s very much at a crossroads? I’m inclined to go with the latter. First, though, he will not opt out of his 2 years and $36 million remaining. He is unlikely to improve upon that in free agency, cap or no cap.

Would the Astros trade him is the question? After all, he did get a lot better once they stuck him in the bullpen (2.00 ERA in 18 IP with 25 K against 11 strikeouts and only two extra base hits allowed — a pair of doubles). I’ve got to believe they’d be open to it, in which case there’s a case to be made that he’d be an intriguing addition to the Giants’ rotation. That’s not a terrible AAV ($18 million) for just two seasons and a guy’s age-29 and age-30 seasons. It’d sync up with Logan Webb’s remaining time, too. They have some similarities: a sinker-slider combo (though, Imai has more velocity).

Just looking at Statcast, he seems to use his four-seamer to try to get a strikeout, but his two most effective pitches are his sinker (.182 batting average against) and slider (.167, 39.7% Whiff rate). But, he also threw a splitter, a changeup, and curveball. He stopped throwing his sinker mid-season, too, and that was after he came off the IL. Could that be because the Astros had one of the worst defenses in the sport and wanted to limit balls in play? Unclear. So, there’s an effective pitch mix in here. And, it’s worth noting that Statcast, based on his velocity and movement, compares him to these Giants-y pitchers: Luis Castillo, Cal Quantrill, and Adrian Houser.

Club options

Drew Rasmussen

Because he managed to stay healthy, the 30-year old righty has increased the Rays’ 2027 option to $20 million. The Rays recently declined options on some players we figured they’d trade so maybe there is a change in their decision-making giving revenue streams and the risk of an increased budget if they can’t find a trade partner or whatever, and I doubt this World Series appearance will meaningfully impact that, but it’s worth pointing out that Rasmussen was the seventh-most valuable starting pitcher in MLB this season. His 5 fWAR trailed The Miz (6.6), Cristopher Sanchez (6.2), Cam Schlittler (6.2), Chris Sale (5.8), Jesus Luzardo (5.5), and Dylan Cease (5.5). The Rays will be picking up this option. It’s also only for 1 year, and the Giants will (and should) want to trade for players who’ll be around for multiple years.

Nick Pivetta

Because he spent more than 130 consecutive days on the IL (right elbow flexor strain), his opt out converted into a $14 million team option! I could envision the Padres trading King or Pivetta, but not both, and then it comes down to the risk appetite for a 34-year old coming off elbow problems that persisted into his rehab. The Padres will pick up his option, but the Giants shouldn’t be interested. They had their chance to sign him last offseason (he was one of the last free agents standing).

Sandy Alcantara

It’s a reasonable $21 million option for a former ace who has returned from Tommy John as a #2 or #3 type. He pitched an MLB-leading 214 innings in 2026, averaged 97.6 mph with his fastball, but struck out just 6.4 per 9 (though walked just 2.5 per 9). A 3.87 ERA (4.08 FIP) and 3.2 fWAR. Slightly undervalued by that contract by a few million, but otherwise, a good trade candidate, since the Marlins will pick up his option and try to move him. But with just one year on the deal, the Giants ought to be out.

Maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss these one-year deals, though. There’s certainly utility in trading for them if they’re a part of a larger haul or a three-team deal, or even if another team is just wanting to do a bit of a salary dump/reconfiguration. The Giants, who have no expectations, are in a great position to explore every avenue for acquisition. Speaking of…

Colin Rea

The Cubs have a $7.5 million club option on the righty (with a $1 million buyout), who will play his age-36 season in 2027, both of which seems not terrible for an innings-eater type; but, fellow SB Nation site Bleed Cubbie Blue readers said “No” to that option in this poll and so I’ll go with the wisdom of the crowd here to say he’ll be available. Plus, the Cubs need to improve their pitching significantly if they’re going to be meaningfully competitive in the next couple of seasons and, despite printing money, they’ll likely prefer moving some of their current budget around to achieve their goals rather than increase it.

But the Giants? They’re just marking time until they win the talent lottery and all of the usual competition gets worse. He might be a perfect back-end starter for a team that’ll need starting pitching innings. Since returning from Japan in 2023: 124.2 IP, 167.2 IP, 159.1 IP, and 137 IP. The Cubs probably won’t pick up his option, which means the Giants wouldn’t have to trade for him — so, why is he on this list at all? Well, what, you’d rather I put him as a free agent? What if I’m wrong?

Mutual options

Now, most mutual options are not picked up. They are almost always sops to the player from the front office to show that they’re interested in the player to a degree but are hoping that the player can see the writing on the wall by the time the mutual decision must be made. So, these are most likely just pure free agents who have to go through one extra step to get there, but I’m including them in this post because you never know! The threat of a lockout and the short-term nature of these options might just compel players and teams alike to seek a bit more certainty.

Sonny Gray

It’s a $30 million mutual option with a $10 million buyout, which I assume only comes into play if Boston declines it. If that’s the case, then Gray has to pick up the option on his end, right? He would have the chance to get $10 million plus whatever free agent deal might be out there. Even a 1-year, $25 million deal puts him ahead for the season. He made a ton of sense for the Giants back when I wouldn’t shut upabouthim, but I think that ship has sailed. He’ll be 37 and as good as he was in 2026 (18-5, 2.72 ERA, 3.4 fWAR), he missed time with a hamstring injury (just 169 IP) and his fastball velocity dipped for the third consecutive season.

Matthew Boyd

The Cubs are likely to decline this $15 million mutual option ($2 million buyout), but if they do pick it up, he’s already been a Giant and he seems like he’d cost a lot for the type of pitcher they don’t really want in the starting rotation: a low strikeout (6.8 K/9 in 2026), low groundball guy (42.2 GB%). Even from the left side, it doesn’t seem like there’s a worthwhile trade here.

Nick Martinez

Another $20 million mutual option that seems the Rays would decline. I could see them keeping Rasmussen or Martinez, but not both, and Martinez is an interloper. He’s wound up being a great free agent pickup, but it’s unlikely they’d have an easy time of finding a trade partner for a soft-tossing righty and so might want to avoid burdening the payroll with such uncertainty. 2027 will be his age-36 season, too. And, I failed to mention above, but it’s tough to trade with the Rays. Even in a salary relief situation, they are likely to extract a player the Giants might actually need more in the near-term.

Dustin May

Another $20 million mutual option ($500,000 buyout) that I feel certain the Brewers will decline. Whether or not they win this World Series, he wasn’t good for them after they acquired him from St. Louis (5.65 ERA in 36.2 IP) and he hasn’t been in the postseason (6.43 ERA in 7 IP).

As a pure free agent addition, he’s not particularly intriguin,g either. Since returning from Tommy John, he has a 4.82 ERA in 278 IP for four teams (Dodgers, Red Sox, Cardinals, and Brewers). He’ll be just 29, though, and has a live fastball (96+), still gets strikeouts and doesn’t walk too many batters.

Michael Soroka

I presume that Soroka will decline this $10 million mutual option, because he had a good season to reestablish his value. He really broke out there in 2019 at the age of 21 when he went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 29 starts, was an All-Star, got Cy Young votes, and came in second for Rookie of the Year. But then he was hurt for all of 2021 and 2022 and before this season he pitched for four teams (Atlanta, both Chicago teams, and the Nats) and was 5-21 with a 4.85 ERA in 215.1 IP, primarily as a reliever. He’ll be 29 to start next season (unless the season begins mid-August, which, gulp). The real problem is that he did miss time with arm troubles: right arm inflammation in August.

Lucas Giolito

The Padres are not so desperate for SP help that they’ll pick up their end of the mutual option and the Giants are not so desperate for veteran depth that they’ll sign another after-30 starter with arm troubles who has been in a steep decline since the start of the 2022 season (4.49 ERA / 4.63 FIP in 520.2 IP).

Griffin Canning

He is another starter the Padres signed in the offseason to provide warm bodies for their rotation, along with Giolito, German Marquez, and Walker Buehler. They needed numbers which is why they opted to spread the money around. Canning was used as either a starter or bulk reliever through his first 16 appearances, but after that, he was firmly a reliever who came in during blowouts in either direction. Over his final 14 appearances, he had a 3.04 ERA in 23.2 IP (3.90 FIP).

In 2025, he was exclusively a starter for the Mets but his season was cut short (just 16 GS) by a left Achilles rupture. If you jump back to those numbers, he seems a little Giants-y: a 94 mph fastball (four-seam) with a high-spin slider (2,736 rpm). The option is for just $5 million so, I don’t know, maybe San Diego picks it up as a depth piece just because there’s a little bit of positive projection in the profile. I would think maybe it becomes tradeable if AJ Preller is able to get into some big transaction and the Giants have decided to keep their powder dry for most of the offseason.

Zack Littell

I’m sure the organization doesn’t like Gabe Kapler any more than it likes Farhan Zaidi, but Littell’s public protest has to be a sticking point, right? Also, it’s not difficult to improve upon Littell in trade or free agency. Technically, he’s a pure free agent now, as ARizona released him back in August, but MLB.com still has that mutual option attached, so, my mistake.

Zach Eflin

Rehabbing from Tommy John for most of next season. Baltimore will decline the option, too, as it’s for $25 million.

Getting creative

Okay, after exhausting all of those option options, let’s just take a look at who’s left: players we can imagine being available just because of arbitration. Now, the entire point of arbitration is to make the cost of players still under team control predictable/projectable, but what usually happens is that teams find out they have other needs that can’t be addressed through draft & development or even cost too much in free agency and so trades become important. To be clear, I don’t think all of these players are on the trade block, I’m just noting that arbitration-eligible players tend to be the more tradeable types out there for execs trying to take a big swing.

For example, the Mariners have fifteen arbitration-eligible players, including:

Logan Gilbert ($15.4 million arbitration projection)

Most likely to be traded given that he (1) makes the most of the group (2) will be in his age-30 season (3) has already crossed 1,000 MLB innings — and had the accompanying injury: a flexor strain of his right elbow in 2025 and (4) is trending upwards in walk and home run rates (a career-high 3.83 FIP).

Now, would the Giants go, “Yessir, Mr. Dipoto. Drop your castoff directly into my spreadsheet!” Probably not, and mainly because it’s his final year of arbitration. Plus, as with a lot of these trades, where’s the requisite value? Gilbert is in decline, but a 3-WAR player for a 1.5-WAR player (Jung Hoo Lee, let’s say) doesn’t make a lot of sense for Seattle. But then, is a Harrison Bader’s un-voidable contract, a top 20 prospect, and another prospect for Gilbert a worthwhile investment for the Giants? Even if they had it in mind that they could trade him at the deadline when the season drives into a ditch again?

George Kirby ($9.8 million)

With two years of arbitration, a Kirby trade feels a little more realistic. Looking at his Statcast and it looks like there’s a potential fix just with the pitch mix; but, his 7.6 K/9 is (1) really bad and (2) a huge decline from 2025 (9.8) and well below his career average in his first four seasons (8.8). He’s also at 812.1 career innings, which puts him right on the precipice of having his first big injury. Oh wait, he experienced that last season when he hit the IL before the start of the season with right shoulder inflammation. Is that injury plus this year’s steep decline a sign that he’s on the verge of a major injury?

Bryce Miller ($6.075 million club option or $3.9 million arb projection)

Miller also missed time in 2025 with right elbow inflammation and this season he missed time with a left oblique strain. In his first two MLB seasons (2023 and 2024), he had a 3.52 ERA in 311.2 IP, an 8.4 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. With his injury-shortened 2025 and 2026, he has a 4.82 ERA in 209 IP, an 8.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. He amassed 4.6 fWAR in those first two seasons and just 0.9 total the past two seasons. It seems likely that the Mariners will decline their option and negotiate with him with the arbitration pressure. Or, they could simply trade him and the three years of team control for prospects.

He’s got a great arsenal that has been quite effective in his MLB time, including this season.

Bryan Woo ($5.2 million)

Do I want the Giants to hoard as many Bryan with Ys and Cal Poly grads as possible? Absolutely. Woo would qualify. He’d be a great fit, along with the three years of team control. He’s already amassed 10.9 fWAR in his 3+ seasons of MLB. But if you look at his 2025 & 2026, well…

Top 10 pitchers by fWAR, 2025-2026

1. Cristopher Sanchez, PHI — 12.7 fWAR
2. Tarik Skubal, DET & LAD — 11.9
3. Jesus Luzardo, PHI — 10.9
4. Paul Skenes — 10.7
5. Yoshinobu Yamamoto — 9.6
6. Dylan Cease, SD & TOR — 8.9
7. Logan Webb, SF — 8.6
8. Bryan Woo, SEA — 7.7
9. Jacob deGrom, TEX — 7.7
10. Kevin Gausman — TOR & CHC — 7.2

To acquire a player who has already amassed 10.9 fWAR in 3+ seasons of MLB and has been the 8th-most valuable SP of the past two seasons (7.7 fWAR — trailing Logan Webband would be in his age 27-29 seasons would take a good amount of talent.

Jerry Dipoto’s seat should be white hot. He’s got to do something. The Mariners scored (5) fewer runs than literally the Giants and (2) fewer than literally the Reds. Only the Angels (655) and Blue Jays (648) scored fewer runs than the Mariners’ 664. They were also 16th in runs allowed (722) and value (14.2 fWAR). They allowed more runs than the White Sox? The Padres? The Marlins?? These were all teams they were expected to be better than; and, in the case of their pitching, far better.

Joe Ryan (MIN)

Susan Slusser suggested him a week and a half ago, citing that that he’ll be entering the final year of his deal in his age-30 season and that the hometown connection (grew up in San Anselmo as a Giants fan) would make it easier to get some sort of a discount on a long-term deal.

Injury hampered his season a bit (down to 144.2 IP versus 171 the year prior), but he’s still thrown just 786 MLB innings and his stuff was exactly the same as its been when he did pitch. He’s been, consistently, a 3-WAR player and he’s set to make around $9 million in 2027.

But Ryan isn’t the only Twins starter on the last year of a deal, which complicates matters: Pablo Lopez (30, a 3-WAR pitcher when healthy, $21.75MM), Stockton’s Dean Kremer (31, a 2-WAR pitcher when healthy, $7.75MM arb projection), and Bailey Ober (31, a ~2-WAR pitcher when healthy, $7.25MM arb projection) all figure to be on the trade market, and if Taj Bradley (26 and 3 years of team control) is also made available, then it would seem that the Giants would have to offer a lot for potentially not very much. At least in the offseason. Maybe a mid-season trade could materialize if, somehow, the Giants are competitive. Or they could just wait a year for him to become available.

Reid Detmers (LAA)

The Angels opted not to trade him at this past deadline, but with a new ownership group in place there might be a call for drastic measures to improve the club’s standing after its first-ever 100-loss season. Trading away a bright development success and one of the top pitchers in the sport (4.9 fWAR — 9th in MLB) doesn’t make much sense, but at the same time… looking at Detmers’s cumulative value for his career… he’s at 11.1 fWAR, the same as MacKenzie Gore for whom the Rangers traded back in January before this season. In that deal, the Washington Nationals got Texas’s #5, #11, #12, #17, and #24 prospects in exchange for Gore and his two years of team control. Detmers also has two years of team control remaining. Does that automatically set the floor at 5 top 30 prospects?

Possibly.

If Los Angeheim did that deal today, it would be Ramon Marquez, Henry Lalane, Keyner Martinez, Argenis Cayama, and Yunior Marte. But those are all pitchers, and in the trade, Washington only got back one pitcher.

But also, the Giants shouldn’t expect to be any good the next two seasons… at least not to the point that they should be delivering five Top 30 prospects for two years of one starting pitcher. That seems like a foolhardy move that would do more harm than good. But it is intriguing. And Detmers looks like he’s turned his career around. From this FanGraphs piece back in June:

[Detmers’ conversion to a reliever in 2025] This was about as big of a pitching development success as the Angels have had in the 2020s. Again, Detmers was a perfect candidate for this transition, and he executed it flawlessly. That’s why it was odd to hear rumblings of a return to the rotation. Even in the middle of last season, the Angels seemed set on — and convinced of — Detmers’ future as a starter. Here’s what former manager Ron Washingtontold The Athletic in June 2025:

“That’s just a prelude to him getting back in the rotation,” Angels manager Ron Washington said of Detmers’ success out of the bullpen. “Now he has learned how to get outs, because when you come out that bullpen, it’s about one thing: getting outs. And getting them as quickly as possible. When Reid Detmers gets back into the rotation, he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

The team could still get creative with other players in arbitration: Bryce Elder (ATL), Kutter Crawford (BOS), Nick Lodolo (CIN), Peter Lambert (HOU), Clarke Schmidt (NYY), Shane McClanahan (TBR), but they’re all in the final year of arbitration and so thinking of them as actual targets doesn’t seem right. The Giants have to behave as though they’re still at least 2-3 years away from being even a tiny bit competitive again and make moves with that timeframe in mind — not in terms of tanking or keeping their powder dry or whatever, but in simply making sure that their trade or financial commitments are multi-year.

After an extensive thought exercise, I’ve come away with these names as palatable or outright interesting options that don’t push the limits of reality:

• Tatsuya Imai
• Bryce Miller
• Bryan Woo
• Reid Detmers

This is not an exhaustive list, of course, but it’s a rundown of the most obvious trade targets. Are there obvious ones you think I missed or some under the radar ones you think fans should keep in mind as the offseason nears?

The 2026 World Series begins Friday night, with the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays facing up to determine a first-time champion, in a series that will go through at least Tuesday and potentially through Halloween.

Three former Dodgers are active for the series — two for the Rays, one for the Brewers.

Jonny DeLuca has started all nine postseason games in center field so far for the Rays, with six hits, including a double, in 30 at-bats plus a walk and two stolen bases. Acquired from the Dodgers in the Tyler Glasnow trade, DeLuca’s third season with Tampa Bay was his best, hitting .266/.300/.429 with a 102 wRC+ in 112, coupled with solid defense for 2.4 fWAR.

Garrett Cleavinger pitched in 51 games for the Rays this season, but none since September 4, missing time in the regular season’s final month with left forearm tightness. He put up a 4.79 ERA and 4.24 xERA in his fifth season with Tampa Bay. The Dodgers dealt the left-hander to the Rays at the 2022 trade deadline, clearing a roster spot as he was further down the bullpen depth chart.

Cleavinger was active for the Division Series, but did not pitch during the three-game sweep of the New York Yankees. Cleavinger is back active for the Fall Classic.

Dustin May was a trade deadline acquisition this year for the Brewers from the St. Louis Cardinals, a year and a half since he last pitched for the Dodgers. May struggled down the stretch with Milwaukee, putting up a 5.65 ERA and 6.06 xERA in 10 starts.

May started Game 3 of the Division Series for the Braves, and allowed two runs in three innings in San Diego. He pitched a scoreless inning in relief against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS, then pitched three more innings in relief in Game 4. Within his first five batters, May allowed two singles then a three-run home run to Shohei Ohtani, the first long ball for Ohtani in eight weeks.

Other former Dodgers are on the Rays, but both Ryan Pepiot (hip inflammation) and Gavin Lux (right shoulder impingement) were on the injured list all season. Michael Grove missed all of 2025 after shoulder surgery and signed with Tampa Bay during the offseason and pitched three games in relief this season, going back and forth between the majors and Triple-A. But he was claimed off waivers by the Braves in September.

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The World Series is here, and no matter the result, it will be one for the history books.

This year’s Fall Classic between the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers begins tonight, Oct. 23, and for the first time since 1980, whichever team wins will become a first-time World Series champion.

Though neither team has won, Tampa Bay came close in 2020, where they lost to the Dodgers. It’s just the second time ever for the Brewers, whose last and only World Series appearance came in 1982.

On the road to the World Series, the Rays swept the Yankees in three games in the ALDS and won the ALCS pennant over Cleveland in Game 6. Milwaukee took down the Padres in the NLDS before sweeping the 2025 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.

Tonight, the Brewers will start their ace, Jacob Misiorowski, while the Rays will opt for Nick Martinez on the mound instead of their previous ALDS/ALCS Game 1 starter, Drew Rasmussen.

Here’s how to tune in to Game 1 of the World Series for free without cable.

What time does the World Series start tonight?

The first pitch in tonight’s World Series Game 1 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

What channel is the World Series on tonight?

Tonight’s (Oct. 23) World Series game (and every game of the series) will air on FOX.

How to watch the World Series Game 1 for free

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the Rays vs. Brewers World Series for free.

DIRECTV is our favorite service for trying live TV for free. Right now, you can take advantage of a five-day free trial before saving $30 on your first month. We recommend the Choice plan, which includes FOX as part of its 125+ channel options.

Rays vs. Brewers starting pitchers

Nick Martinez (15-6, 3.10 ERA) will start for the Rays. The Brewers’ ace Jacob Misiorowski (16-5, 1.80 ERA) will be on the mound for the home team.

World Series schedule

• Game 1: Oct. 23, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
• Game 2: Oct. 24, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
• Game 3: Oct. 26, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
• Game 4: Oct. 27, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
• Game 5: Oct. 28, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)*
• Game 6: Oct. 30, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)*
• Game 7: Oct. 31, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)*

*if necessary

Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post

This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.

Milwaukee is going absolutely nuts. The Brewers have sold out Game 3 and Game 4 of the World Series.

The Tampa Bay Rays will host those games, but the Brewers invited fans to come to their stadium and watch on the big screen. The Brewers sold more than 31,000 tickets to each of their watch parties at $15 apiece. On Friday morning, StubHub offered them for resale, starting at $168.

There is nothing quite like a city uniting behind a team that never has won a World Series. Ask Logan Henderson.

Henderson, the Brewers’ starting pitcher Saturday in Milwaukee, grew up a huge fan of the Houston Astros. He was 15 when he attended his first World Series game.

“My parents had always said, if we were fortunate enough to be able to watch them go to the World Series, we’re going to do everything we can to get there,” Henderson said. “I was blessed that my parents got tickets to go to the games.

“There’s nothing like it. I’m on the other side of it now. I was a spectator and a fan, now I’m a player. It’s definitely surreal.”

His first World Series game as a spectator and fan? Game 4 of the 2017 World Series.

“I went to the one before the crazy one,” he said. “L.A. ended up winning that game.”

In the crazy one, the Dodgers blew two four-run leads, tied the score with three runs in the ninth inning and lost in the 10th.

If we knew then what we know now, Game 4 would be the crazy one: Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood constantly changing his signs, suspicious that the Astros might be up to something, whatever that might be.

Wood was vindicated three years later, when a league investigation revealed the Astros had been cheating in 2017, stealing signs from a television monitor next to the dugout and relaying them to batters by banging on trash cans. The practice, according to the report issued by commissioner Rob Manfred, was refined during the regular season and extended “throughout the postseason.”

The scandal outraged the Dodgers and their fans. The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to demand Manfred award the 2017 championship to the Dodgers. Their players wanted nothing to do with that. A real championship, after all, would come with champagne and beer in the clubhouse and a parade through the streets.

Still, the players did not turn the other cheek.

“Everyone knows they stole the ring from us,” Cody Bellinger said.

“They cheated,” Kiké Hernández said. “They got away with it. They got a ring out of it.”

When the Astros’ team buses arrived at Dodger Stadium for games during the pandemic season of 2020, when ballparks were closed to the public, Dodgers fans gathered outside to boo.

Those were Henderson’s guys inside those buses: Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, George Springer, Lance McCullers Jr. Those were the guys that brought home the Astros’ first World Series championship, as Henderson’s Brewers are trying to do for Milwaukee.

“Personally, as a fan, Hurricane Harvey hit Houston really hard, and the Astros brought a championship to the city,” Henderson said.

“That meant absolutely everything to the city. I hope that means what it did for me to the fans in Milwaukee here.”

The Rays also are trying to bring their first championship home to Tampa Bay. In 2017, hard as this might be to believe today, the mighty Dodgers had not won a championship in 29 years.

And now, as a major leaguer, Henderson has an acute appreciation of the little things that can mean the difference between victory and defeat, between a parade and another plaintive chorus of “wait ‘til next year.”

It could be a pitcher that blows a throw he could make in his sleep, sending his team home for the winter. It could be a defense perfectly executing a seldom-seen play. It could be a ball that clanks off the roof and into play instead of flying into the stands for a home run.

Read more:Shaikin: Why Dodgers fans need to be cheering for the Brewers in this World Series

It could be stealing signs and banging on trash cans.

“I would rather face a player that was taking steroids than face a player that knew every pitch that was coming,” Wood tweeted after Manfred’s report on the Astros’ cheating.

Henderson knows how hard this is to do. The Brewers haven’t appeared in the World Series in 44 years, and owner Mark Attanasio said nervous fans already are wondering whether their next appearance will be 44 years away.

So I asked Henderson if, all these years later, the scandal changed how he felt about those Astros.

Read more:Plaschke: Give ’em hell, Dodgers fans. Astros still deserve to be booed for cheating

He paused.

He exhaled.

He paused again.

“Maybe a little bit,” Henderson said. “It’s unfortunate. I try not to think about it or talk on it too much. I think now, being in the game, my perspective on it is a little different.

“I think for the kid in me — and the huge baseball fan I was — that team will always have a special place in my heart.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Brewers withstand Rays' comeback attempt to win 3-2 in Game 1 of World Series originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Trevor Megill was shouting in celebration and the Milwaukee Brewers were bolting out of the dugout to congratulate one another, believing they had just escaped a ninth-inning jam to win Game 1 of the World Series.

Not quite yet.

What initially was ruled a game-ending double play got overturned after a video review showed Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt’s right foot was slightly off the bag when he reached to catch a high throw from second baseman Brice Turang.

No problem.

Megill regrouped and struck out Jonny DeLuca with two runners in scoring position as Milwaukee edged the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Friday night.

“It’s good to get the first win out of the way,” Megill said. “That’s where all the nerves are at. First game, a lot of anticipation and build-up to where we are right now.”

The ninth inning was particularly nerve-racking for the Brewers and the sellout crowd attending Milwaukee’s first World Series game since 1982.

“You have a big range of emotions,” Milwaukee captain Christian Yelich said. “It’s a big credit to Trev for locking back in right there and making some huge pitches after you have that emotional dump and then have to get back on it.”

Tampa Bay trailed 3-1 and hadn’t put a runner on since the sixth until it mounted its comeback attempt against Megill.

Jonathan Aranda, who went 3 for 3 with a walk, and Chandler Simpson hit consecutive one-out singles. A double steal involving pinch-runner Jorge Mateo and Simpson put runners on second and third before Junior Caminero walked on a 3-2 pitch in the dirt to load the bases.

Liam Hicks hit a grounder to the right side, and Turang ranged well to his left to field the ball before throwing to Pratt to start what initially was called a 4-6-3 double play.

Fireworks went off, players poured onto the field and Milwaukee fans roared — before the crowd hushed as it watched the play again on the videoboard.

“You’ve got to think worst-case scenario there,” Megill said. “I thought the challenge was at first base, maybe a bobble or something. But it was pretty clear once the replay went up that it was on the play at second base. Zoomed in and it didn’t look good. It’s all right. We picked up Cooper there. He’ll pick us up tomorrow.”

The call was overturned by umpire Alfonso Márquez at the MLB Replay Center, which caught Pratt by surprise.

“Obviously, it was close,” the 22-year-old rookie said. “I just didn’t think it was enough to overturn, so I wasn’t thinking anything of it. The video I saw, thought my cleat was dragging. … There must have been some other angles that I haven’t seen. It ultimately didn’t matter because we won.”

The Brewers won because Megill got DeLuca to swing and miss at a 2-2 pitch, capping a night in which Tampa Bay went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.

“This is an extremely confident group,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “You know that. We know that. They’re going to be fine. I think the frustration comes from we were one swing of the bat away right at the end of potentially taking the lead.”

The Game 1 winner has gone on to win the World Series 62.8% of the time.

This marks the first World Series featuring two potential first-time champions since 1980, when the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals in six games. The only other major league teams without a World Series title are the Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners.

Milwaukee took a 2-0 lead in the first inning against Nick Martinez. NL Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski allowed one run and four hits over five innings to help the Brewers stay in front before relievers Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby shut down the Rays through the eighth.

Misiorowski, who had a season-low three strikeouts, opened the game with a 103.5 mph fastball — the fastest pitch ever thrown in a World Series.

“The adrenaline kind of took over, and I tensed up and threw it hard,” Misiorowski said. “Then I settled down, and that was the game plan, to settle in and do me. Don’t try and overdo it.”

Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio and William Contreras each had two hits, including an RBI single. Contreras also threw out two runners trying to steal.

Tampa Bay managed to hang around thanks in part to Martinez, who gave up those two runs in the first but held Milwaukee scoreless thorugh the rest of his five-inning stint. The Brewers added an insurance run in the seventh when Chourio singled home Pratt.

Then came all the action in the ninth, with the Brewers’ premature celebration followed by a team-wide sigh of relief as Pratt offered some parting words to Megill.

“I just said, ‘Thank you, man. Thanks for picking me up,’” Pratt said. “That’s what this game is. It’s a game of pick-me-up. He picked me up today.”

Up next

Drew Rasmussen (16-5, 2.67 ERA) pitches for Tampa Bay and Logan Henderson (11-3, 2.47) starts for Milwaukee in Game 2 on Saturday night. In this postseason, Rasmussen is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA and Henderson is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA.

Hey you!

Sitting there at your watch party, observing Nick Martinez induce yet another weak fly ball to Chandler Simpson while the Rays have jumped to a 2-0 lead in Game One of the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Wouldn’t you like some random knowledge about the Rays and Brewers to throw out the revelers among your group to showcase how intelligent and fun you are. Imagine how impressed everyone will be when you shout out that the first trade between the Rays and Brewers was on March 24th, 2003 when Tampa Bay sent Javier Valentin to Milwaukee for outfielder Jason Conti. If you want to depress those around you, you could bring up that after Conti’s player career, he became a professional chef and started a restaurant where he tragically suffered a stroke and struck his head, dying from the injury a week later in 2025.

The Rays and Brewers have matched up for 17 transactions over the years with names like Aaron Civale, Willy Adames, Drew Rasmussen, Jesus Aguilar, Brad Miller, Ji-Man Choi, Mike Brosseau, Seth McClung,and Grant Balfour among the players dealt.

As for on-field matches, the Rays are 13-15 all-time against the Milwaukee Brewers. The first game between the two teams was held on June 13th, 2005 with Tampa Bay edging out Milwaukee, 5-3. Doug Waechter took the mound for Tampa Bay and allowed 3 runs over 8 innings of work, outdueling Chris Capuano. A notable footnote about that game was it featured the MLB debut of a Brewers top prospect, Prince Fielder; Fielder collected his first big league hit two days later.

The Brewers swept the Rays in the season series back in 2022, but the two sides have split all the games since then with each team winning six games against the other since the start of the 2023 season.

Tampa Bay’s top offensive player all-time against Milwaukee with at least 20 PA is current Rays speedster Chandler Simpson. The 25-year old has played six games against Milwaukee thus far in his career and is hitting .350/.409/.550 over 22 PA.

The best single-game team offensive performance against Milwaukee came during that first game mentioned above when the team hit .370/.371/.686. They notched 13 hits on the day, including five doubles and two homeruns (courtesy of Jonny Gomes and Travis Lee), but were only able to scratch across 5 runs.

The best individual offensive game in team history against the Brewers was provided by outfielder Josh Lowe. On May 21st, 2023, Josh Lowe went 3-4 with a game tying 3-run homerun and a stolen base, gving him a RE24 of 3.33, the highest of any player for the Rays against the Brewers in franchise history.

On the mound, the best start in team history against the Brewers was provided by the stalwart Alex Cobb back on July 29th, 2014. That summer night featured a pitching duel between Cobb and former Ray Matt Garza. Both pitchers had great games, but it was Cobb who prevailed. Overall, Cobb allowed 1 run on 3 hits, while striking out 12 . The game was tied at 1 entering the bottom of the 8th, the Rays scored four runs, sending all nine hitters in the lineup to the plate. Grant Balfour locked things down in the top of the 9th to record the save.

Over the course of MLB history, there have been 86 players to have played for both the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers. The best player in Rays history to have played for Milwaukee would be Willy Adames (7.5 bWAR) while the best player in Brewers history to play for the Rays would be Carlos Gomez (19.0 bWAR). There are plenty of notable players though to have donned the uniforms, including Greg Vaughn, Rickie Weeks, Jake Bauers, Julio Franco, Nelson Cruz, and Rays postseason hero Brett Phillips.

What history will be added the legacy of the Brewers-Rays rivalry this October?

Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our bi-weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

Craig Z. asks: It would seem a qualifying offer to Bednar is a given. The QO to Jazz also seems likely as Yankees will perceive he will reject it and, unlike the gamble with Grisham that was a huge miscalculation on Cashman’s part, Jazz will probably reject it. Your thoughts?

I don’t know if I’d agree with your second point, as reports have come out saying that the team is actually unlikely to offer the qualifying offer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. this offseason. The gamble over whether Chisholm would accept the deal or not mirroring what happened with Trent Grisham last year is probably informing their decision on that matter, as while I wouldn’t hate bringing Jazz back on a one-year deal the team seems to be angling towards allowing him to walk. Whereas Grisham was coming off of a career-best year, Chisholm had his worst season in pinstripes, but the argument could be made that Grisham knew the market was a lot more crowded with excellent choices while Chisholm is still one of the best options in a free agent field lacking a true superstar or even many stars to compete against.

With that in mind, it might be a more reasonable gamble to give Chisholm the QO and not lose him for nothing than it was with Grisham, but again the team clearly cares about their budget and potentially handing out over $45 million in 2027 salary between Bednar and Chisholm before free agency even opens might restrict them too much to make other moves. I’m not thrilled with the backup option to Chisholm being running Anthony Volpe at the keystone, but if it leads to improvements elsewhere on the roster I could see the logic in the move — and we’ll talk about where that upgrade is most needed in a moment. Ultimately, while I know Chisholm had a disappointing year for New York (and perhaps set himself up to with talk of having a 50-50 season during spring), I think it’s unlikely they field a better player at his position than him in 2027 and I think that makes the QO a worthwhile choice, but it looks like that won’t be the case.

Anton H. asks:With Ryan McMahon struggling to solve the Yankees’ third base problem as hoped, do you think the team will try to trade him this offseason, or is a DFA more likely? Given his $16 million salary for 2027, what teams, if any, could make a compelling case for acquiring him despite the financial commitment?

Now, here is where the resources need to be allocated to improve the position. Third base has been a black hole for damn near a decade at this point, with only small bursts of quality play like Gio Urshela’s 2019 run sparkling before being swallowed back up by the void. Ryan McMahon was never expected to be a quality hitter when the Yankees acquired him, but they were certainly expecting better than the 78 wRC+ he posted in 124 games. He was also expected to overcome his offensive capabilities by providing stellar defense, and while he lived up to that in 2025 his play at the hot corner sizzled out completely in 2026 leading to a frustrating experience where he really didn’t provide much of anything.

That’s not really a compelling case to bring towards any potential suitors, so while the team would surely love to trade him away for whatever they could get, it would require tacking on prospects to get even partial salary relief at the moment. Normally I’d say they’re better off just going the DFA route like they did with DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Hicks, but the team is also staring down the prospect of moving on from Giancarlo Stanton’s contract as well and I’m not sure that Hal Steinbrenner could stomach two deadweight contracts for players not even on the team anymore. Of the two, it would be easier to sell McMahon with a prospect attached than it would Stanton, who has a full no-trade clause and an extra year on his deal even if it is a team option. If push comes to shove the team is better off moving on from McMahon and DFA’ing him would suffice, but if they can find an angle to move him that doesn’t cost any of their blue chip prospects it wouldn’t be a bad move to make — they can’t all make it to the big leagues, and using prospect capital to improve the roster by subtraction is still an improvement. I trust the player development team to find enough talent to keep the pipeline greased up, and they didn’t offload too much in this year’s deadline.

jws85 asks:Assuming no additions during free agency, who would be the best leadoff hitter? Rice and Judge needs to be 2-4. Lombard, Bellinger, or Volpe could be options. Wells, García, Stanton, and Jones makes no sense.

If you’re forcing me to keep Ben Rice and Aaron Judge somewhere in the 2-4 range then I’d set my sights on George Lombard Jr. earning the leadoff role, as the rookie showed solid results at the plate during his whirlwind debut in the second half and throughout the postseason. The defensive misplays were atypical of his performance down in the minors, but the bat showed some promise and the only other candidate I see would be Volpe, who has already had his chance to be a leadoff hitter to no avail. However, what I would rather do in this scenario is just have Rice hit leadoff, bat Judge second and have Bellinger flanking him with Lombard or Jones at cleanup and García hitting fifth. Rice proved that he’s a capable enough table-setter, and without an ideal OBP-driven player in the lineup as is you might as well give your best hitters the earliest chances to get up to bat.

The Nats had a lot of prospects take meaningful strides in 2026, but the one I want to talk about today is Miguel Sime. When the Nats took Sime in the 4th round of the 2025 draft, he was a raw but electric prospect with a massive fastball, but not much else. There is still rawness in his game, but Sime took big steps in the right direction this year.

The development of Sime’s slider is the biggest story of this season. Heading into the year, Sime had a curveball and changeup to go with his triple digit heater. Both pitches had promise, but neither were refined yet. In the offseason and during Spring Training, Sime worked hard to find a slider grip that worked for him. He talked about this in an interview last month.

Once he found the right grip, the pitch came naturally to him. The slider became Sime’s go to weapon, even throwing it more than his fastball at times. Sime’s slider has deceptive downward movement that makes it difficult to pick up. Hitters often think the slider is coming and by the time they realize their mistake it is too late.

The development of the slider gives Sime two elite pitches. His body type, pitch mix, velocity and control woes remind me a lot of Jarlin Susana. Like Susana, Sime generates a ton of swing and misses. For the season, his strikeout rate was 41.3%, or 16.18 K/9. Even as he got aggressively assigned to High-A, that strikeout rate remained around 40%.

That mid-season promotion told me a lot about how much the Nats believe in Sime as both a pitcher and competitor. They easily could have left him in Low-A to develop for the rest of the year. However, the organization wanted to challenge him and Sime responded well. 

His numbers were actually much better despite facing better opposition. In Low-A, Sime struck out over 45% of hitters, but posted a 4.44 ERA due to a 21% walk rate and some bad luck. Once he got to Wilmington, Sime posted a 2.15 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 46 innings. His walk rate was still an alarming 19.9%, but it did not matter because opponents hit under .150 against him. 

Obviously, control is the biggest thing Sime needs to work on. We knew his control was not pinpoint heading into pro ball, and we saw that play out. However, his stuff might be even better than expected. Sime’s fastball shape is very good and as mentioned, the slider has become a lethal weapon. At the Futures Game, Sime’s raw stuff might have been the best of any pitcher.

Between the Futures Game outing and his Spring Breakout appearance, the stuff models loved his pitches when there was Statcast data. He has velocity, movement, deception and several different nasty offerings. At 19 years old, there is still plenty of time for the control to come around.

However, that lack of present control does give him a lot of relief risk. If I had to bet right now, I do think the bullpen is Sime’s ultimate home. That is no sure thing though, and the Nats will and should give him every opportunity to prove he can start. With how young he is, we have plenty of time.

Despite his youth, there is a chance that Sime starts next season in AA as a teenager. He showed that his stuff can overwhelm High-A hitters. While he has walk problems, they have not mattered that much yet. In Double-A, those control issues are likely to hurt him more and force him to adapt.

Overall, Sime is a high upside arm with triple digit velocity and a nasty slider. His huge physical presence gives him an intimidating look on the mound. All of these things scream future closer, but his ultimate home is still to be determined. 

If the control trends in the right direction, Sime could be one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. Even with shaky control, he has loud enough stuff to make him a fairly safe bet to pitch in the big leagues for a long time. Sime’s first year in pro ball was a resounding success. Now I am excited to see what he can do in year two.