Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz went 1-for-4 at the plate with a two-run home run in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night against the Cleveland Guardians to help the Rays get back to the World Series. Diaz has picked up in the postseason right where he left off in the regular season, where he hit .293/.359/.446 with an .805 OPS, 22 home runs, 85 RBI, 93 runs scored, and three steals in 614 at-bats. The 35-year-old Cuban slugger hit his second home run of the ALCS and heads into this year's World Series having gone 12-for-39 (.308) with two homers, four doubles, four RBI, seven runs scored, one walk, and nine strikeouts in nine total games. Diaz went hitless in just one of those nine games and has recorded multiple hits in three postseason games this year. The Rays are hoping that Diaz can continue to rack up hits regularly and set the table for a potent offense against the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series.

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Freddy Peralta was named the American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player after helping the Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of the series in Tampa on Monday night. In the 7-3 win at Tropicana Field, Peralta continued to be excellent in the postseason, allowing just one earned run on five hits while walking three and striking out three in 5 1/3 innings to pick up the win and send his team to the World Series to face the Milwaukee Brewers. It was Peralta's second win of the ALCS after he struck out six in six scoreless innings for a win in Game 2 against Cleveland. The Rays also used Peralta out of the bullpen in Game 4, when he went two-thirds of an inning without giving up a run. Tampa will be hoping that the 30-year-old veteran from the Dominican Republic can keep it up into the World Series as he gets set to face his former team. Peralta went 10-11 overall in 2026 with a 4.42 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 32 starts, but he was better in 10 regular-season starts with the Rays, posting a 3.25 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 43:15 K:BB. He faced Milwaukee on July 20, when he was still with the New York Mets and was hit hard, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched for his ninth loss of the season.

The Athletic's Patrick Mooney writes that the Chicago Cubs are expected to have interest in keeping right-hander Clay Holmes for the 2027 season despite his disappointing end to the year after the team acquired him in a trade from the New York Mets. Holmes has a $12 million player option for next season. If Holmes turns down his option and becomes a free agent, the Cubs could once again become desperate for pitching reinforcements. "In so many ways, Clay fits our team really well," president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. "He puts the ball on the ground." Holmes had an 8.24 ERA in four September starts for the Cubbies, walking 15 batters in 19 2/3 innings after posting a 1.55 ERA in five August starts after the trade. His lack of command down the stretch dropped the Cubs out of the top Wild-Card spot in the National League, and they were swept by the San Diego Padres in two games in the Wild-Card series. Before the Cubs acquired Holmes, he had not pitched for the Mets since May 15 due to a fractured right fibula. Holmes could bounce back with better health in 2027 in Chicago or somewhere else, but he will also be turning 34 years of age.

MLB.com's Christina De Nicola writes that Miami Marlins catcher Joe Mack is an obvious extension candidate this offseason. The team's entire 40-man roster is under club control outside of right-hander Sandy Alcantara and impending free-agent right-handed reliever Pete Fairbanks, and everyone except setup man Anthony Bender has multiple years remaining on their contracts. The Fish will not have to extend anyone this offseason, but locking up Mack early in his career could make sense. The 23-year-old former 31st overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft made his major-league debut in 2026 and finished with a .234/.282/.403 slash line with a .685 OPS, 14 home runs, 52 RBI, and 40 runs scored across 105 games and 330 plate appearances. Mack has the potential to become Miami's catcher of the future if they ink him to an extension, and his left-handed bat will have plenty of use in fantasy baseball leagues with above-average power at the catching position.