Samwise MLB Newsletter
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Rain Postpones ALCS Game 4, Pushing Rays-Guardians to Saturday Night
Game 4 of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays was postponed late Friday night because of rain at Progressive Field. It will now be played Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, with Game 5 moved to Sunday at 5 p.m. ET, originally an off day. Cleveland leads the series 2-1 after a 3-2 victory in Game 3 on Thursday. It is the first ALCS game postponed since 2019. Rays manager Kevin Cash said the rain “never cleared out the way they were hoping it would.” The winner will face the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series, which opens Oct. 23 in Milwaukee.
Sources: ESPN, NBC Sports
Rays and Guardians Stick with Game 4 Starters Despite Extra Day
Neither club changed its plan for Game 4 after the rainout. Rays right-hander Nick Martinez will start Saturday as originally scheduled, and the Guardians will give the ball to Shawn Armstrong as an opener. MLB.com’s Adam Berry wrote that Drew Rasmussen is now lined up to start Game 5 on Sunday on five days’ rest, and that Freddy Peralta can pitch Game 6 Monday if Tampa Bay forces one. Martinez threw 13 scoreless innings against Cleveland in two regular-season matchups, and the Rays are 23-9 in his starts this year. Tampa Bay trails the series 2-1.
Sources: MLB.com, NBC Sports
Mariners Interested in Rocco Baldelli for Managerial Opening
The Seattle Mariners are interested in Rocco Baldelli, a Dodgers special assistant and former Twins manager, for their managerial vacancy, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. Seattle has also been granted permission to interview Joe Espada, formerly the Astros’ manager. Baldelli, 45, went 527-505 with three division titles in Minnesota, led the Twins to 101 wins in 2019 and was fired in 2025. Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto would reportedly prefer a candidate with experience. Seattle dismissed manager Dan Wilson in September after a 76-86 season.
Sources: MLB Trade Rumors, Sports Illustrated
Tigers to Hire Martín Maldonado as Quality Control Coach
The Detroit Tigers will hire former catcher Martín Maldonado as their quality control coach, The Athletic reports. The move reunites him with manager A.J. Hinch, whose Astros he played for in parts of 2018 and 2019, and with pitcher Framber Valdez, who has thrown more innings to Maldonado than to any other catcher. Maldonado, 40, announced his retirement last October after a 15-year career with seven teams and a Gold Glove, then served as a special assistant with the Braves this season. He takes over a role Billy Boyer held before moving to third base coach. Maldonado will manage Indios de Mayagüez in the Puerto Rican Winter League this year.
Sources: MLB Trade Rumors, NBC Sports
Low-Payroll World Series Awaits as Brewers Meet Rays or Guardians
Milwaukee will face Cleveland or Tampa Bay in the World Series beginning Oct. 23, ensuring two clubs from the bottom half of payrolls play for the title for the first time since 1991, The Associated Press reports. The Brewers had MLB’s 19th-highest payroll as of Aug. 31, the Rays 25th and the Guardians 30th. Opening-day payrolls were $125.9 million for Milwaukee, $90.5 million for Tampa Bay and $75.5 million for Cleveland, while the Mets led at $358.4 million. CBS Sports noted all three clubs are in the bottom 12 in payroll. The AP said the series comes about six weeks before a likely management lockout.
Sources: NBC Sports (AP), CBS Sports
Pedro Avila Signs Two-Year Extension with KBO’s SSG Landers
Right-hander Pedro Avila will remain with the SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization after agreeing to a two-year contract extension, according to Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. Terms have not been reported. Avila joined the Landers in July after opting out of his minor-league contract with the Guardians. He posted a 1.44 ERA over 93 2/3 innings in 14 starts for the Landers, the lowest ERA among KBO pitchers with at least 80 innings. At Triple-A Columbus earlier this year, he had a 7.50 ERA in 60 innings. Avila turns 30 in January.
Sources: MLB Trade Rumors, NBC Sports
American League
| Team | W | L | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| AL East | |||
| Tampa Bay Rays | 98 | 64 | — |
| New York Yankees | 93 | 68 | 4.5 |
| Boston Red Sox | 87 | 75 | 11.0 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 79 | 82 | 18.5 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 79 | 83 | 19.0 |
| AL Central | |||
| Cleveland Guardians | 85 | 77 | — |
| Chicago White Sox | 84 | 78 | 1.0 |
| Minnesota Twins | 77 | 85 | 8.0 |
| Detroit Tigers | 76 | 86 | 9.0 |
| Kansas City Royals | 69 | 93 | 16.0 |
| AL West | |||
| Houston Astros | 81 | 81 | — |
| Texas Rangers | 80 | 82 | 1.0 |
| Seattle Mariners | 76 | 86 | 5.0 |
| Athletics | 64 | 98 | 17.0 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 62 | 100 | 19.0 |
National League
| Team | W | L | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| NL East | |||
| Atlanta Braves | 94 | 68 | — |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 88 | 74 | 6.0 |
| Miami Marlins | 80 | 82 | 14.0 |
| Washington Nationals | 77 | 85 | 17.0 |
| New York Mets | 74 | 88 | 20.0 |
| NL Central | |||
| Milwaukee Brewers | 103 | 59 | — |
| Chicago Cubs | 89 | 73 | 14.0 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 82 | 80 | 21.0 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 77 | 85 | 26.0 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 75 | 87 | 28.0 |
| NL West | |||
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 100 | 62 | — |
| San Diego Padres | 91 | 71 | 9.0 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 86 | 76 | 14.0 |
| San Francisco Giants | 65 | 97 | 35.0 |
| Colorado Rockies | 58 | 104 | 42.0 |
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency