explore | Grilled Cheese

The opponent is set. The Yankees swept the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, clinching Wednesday night, and open the Division Series at Tropicana Field on Saturday at 6:30pm ET. The Rays won the season series 7–6.

Saturday, 6:30, Tropicana Field. I’ll be there.

#ForTampaBay #TBRays #Rays #MLB

2026 #MLB season is now down to these.
#Braves & #Phillies battle for final Div Series spot
Winner gets tasked with taking out #Dodgers
Expecting
#Brewers over #Padres
#Guardians over #WhiteSox
#Rays over #Yankees
But anything can happen in a best of 5 series.
Really should be best of 7 imo.

vs Rodon, potential #Rays lineup:
DH Diaz
1B Aranda
3B Caminero
RF Mesa jr
LF Simpson
C Hicks
CF DeLuca
SS Mateo
2B Vilade

#Rays are going to face off against #Yankees in 2026 ALDS
Schlittler & Fried threw already, so #Rays are likely going to face Rodon & Cole in the first two games while they lead it off with Rasmussen. Who pitches 2nd game for #Rays remains a question. How will #Rays lineup look vs Rodon?
(con'd)

The #Yankees just embarrassed the #RedSox, sweeping them with ease in the AL Wild Card Series.

Now a tougher opponent awaits in the ALDS in the division-winning #Rays.

“They’ve been great all year,” Cam Schlittler said, but he also noted, “We’re on a roll at the right time.”

#Rays are sending these players to AFL in 2026:
C Nathan Flewelling #27 Age: 19
SS Narciso Polanco Age: 21
OF Brendan Summerhill Age: 22
LHP Cesar De Jesus Age: 23
RHP Marcus Johnson Age: 25
RHP Mason Nichols Age: 23
RHP Andy Rodriguez Age: 24
LHP Yereny Teus Age: 23

#Rays OF lead #MLB in SB with 94 SB
#Rays 2B are 4th in #MLB with 22 SB
#Rays SS are tied for 7th in #MLB with 25 SB
----
Speed doesn't slump, and it earns a lot of bases.
That's what keeps #Rays run scoring floor higher than others.
#MLB

So if this is where you start from, where do you upgrade?
You can argue at 2B, but Palacios has double digit HR & SB, a 101 wRC+ and can play corner OF spots while maintaining a SO% under 18%, and Vilade (RHB) does same with a bit more power & less speed, a bit more SO%. Then add Williamson...
#Rays

IF #Rays bring up Caden Bodine & Theo Gillen in 2027, this is their lineup:
DH Yandy Diaz
1B Jonathan Aranda
3B Junior Caminero
C Liam Hicks or Caden Bodine
LF Theo Gillen
RF Victor Mesa jr
CF Chandler Simpson or Jonny DeLuca
2B Richie Palacios or Ryan Vilade
SS Taylor Walls or Ben Williamson
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

🚨 Breaking News 🚨

📺 Phillies Clinch Final NL Wild Card With 7-3 Win Over Rays.

South Florida Media – Florida’s Free News Leader

Article Link: sfl.media/phillies-cli...

#Phillies #Rays #MLB #Baseball #SouthFloridaMedia

Having looked through all #MLB free agents for 2027, there's only 1 player I want #Rays to target this offseaosn:
Teruaki Sato, from #Japan
He's the only one that moves the needle up while not threatening the long term budget.
Move Simpson to CF, add Sato in LF.

Prospects #Rays could lose in R5 draft:
AA
1B Simpson
SS Barrios
INF Arruda
UT Horvath **
OF James, Spikes
SP Baumeister **, Suarez **, Nichols **, Edwards **
RP Dowd, Lancaster, Cuevas, Lindsey, Garcia III, Fondtain, McCollum, Yeager, Willam
A+
1B Martinez
SS Polanco
OF Cermak, Mateo

As we wait for #Rays playoff games, here are prospects they'll need to add to 40-man roster or risk losing them in R5 draft:
AAA
C Levins
1B Isaac **, Morgan
2B Kinney
SS Colmenarez
OF Bush Jr, Jones
SP M Johnson, Workman, Clark
RP Wild, Snelsire, Reifert, Vernon, Zarraga
(con'd, AA prospects next)

Among the scouts here tonight for Yankees-Red Sox: Former #Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, now a special assistant with the #Rays. The man seems in a good place.

Rooting for these guys this #MLB postseason 👏 Gausman, Tolle, Kwan & Aranda
#cubs #redsox #guardians #rays