The Rays closed out Cleveland on Monday night, and the hot stove is already lit under half the league before the champagne dried.
Freddy Peralta worked 5 1/3 gritty innings, Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz each took the Guardians deep for two runs, and Tampa Bay beat Cleveland 7-3 in Game 6 of the ALCS to punch its ticket to the World Series. Caminero's homer, off Cleveland closer Cade Smith in the seventh, was his first career postseason blast. It also closed the book on the Guardians' season and stretched a championship drought that now runs 78 years, back to the franchise's lone title in 1948. That's not a slump. That's a generation.
The Rays will open the World Series on the road against Milwaukee this Friday night. But the rest of the league didn't wait for the first pitch to start making calls.
What's happening with the Mets rotation?
The Mets are reportedly exploring ways to pair Tarik Skubal with a second frontline starter, the kind of move that turns a good rotation into a scary one. Nothing is close to formal yet, this is early-offseason positioning, but the intent is clear: New York wants two true number-one arms at the top of its staff heading into next season.
They're not alone in shopping for pitching. The Padres are said to be pursuing a $20 million ace out of the AL East to anchor their own rotation, and the Orioles are reportedly prioritizing an All-Star arm out of Seattle. Add it up and the AL East could lose multiple frontline starters to trade before Thanksgiving.
Who else is making calls this week?
The Braves are reportedly targeting a 27-home run shortstop out of the AL West, a swing for both infield defense and middle-of-the-order pop. The Red Sox are exploring a trade for an Astros All-Star shortstop of their own, which means the shortstop market could get crowded fast if both deals gain traction.
In the Bronx, the Yankees may be staring down the departure of closer David Bednar in free agency and are reportedly eyeing a Brewers All-Star as a replacement. A separate report has a former Yankees Rookie of the Year pitcher on the block, possibly headed to an AL West club. That's a lot of roster churn for a team that just watched its season end.
Then there's the name generating the most buzz overseas: Teruaki Sato, a 27-year-old Japanese slugger, is reportedly eyeing a move to MLB. If he posts, the reporting suggests it could set off a genuine bidding war among teams starving for offense. Nothing is official. Posting windows and MLB rules still have to play out. But front offices are clearly watching.
None of this is unusual for late October, teams always start circling targets once the field of contenders narrows. What's a little different this year is how loud it's gotten while the World Series hasn't even started. Usually the hot stove waits its turn.
For now, the attention belongs to Tampa Bay and Milwaukee. The Rays and Brewers kick off the Fall Classic Friday night in Milwaukee, and whichever front office is holding the trophy in a couple weeks will have a very different offseason to-do list than everybody else on this one.
What I'm watching next: whether the Mets' pursuit of a second ace turns into an actual name, and whether Sato's market heats up before or after the World Series wraps.