The 2026 major league season all comes down to this. Two small market teams have slayed all the giants and now they’ll square off in a World Series matchup that should provide a full tour of baseball skills. Unlike some of the walk and mash offenses we’ve seen dominate the league in recent years, the Rays and Brewers do it all. We’ll see a pair of young, athletic teams displaying power, speed, some bunting and timely situation hitting, pesky at-bats and hacks from a few free swingers, the works.
At the same time, the two clubs are among the leading hitters in pitching development as well, and there will be plenty of firepower on display on the mound as well.
There’s going to be a lot said about small market teams, the league’s desire for a salary cap, competitive balance, and the like, but what the Brewers and Rays really illustrate is that the smartest teams win, regardless of payroll. That doesn’t mean that a behemoth like the recent Dodgers don’t have an advantage in payroll, which the league could address without the players, but it does mean that big spending teams fail pretty often too, and the money spent doesn’t replace the need for smart acquisitions, shrewd drafting and trades, and strong player development, none of which cost a lot compared to elite free agents.
When the postseason started I was firmly in the Brewers camp, but Kevin Cash and the Rays have won me back to a degree. Cash is one of the longest tenured managers in the game at this point, and he continues to handle the Rays’ constant tweaking of strategy and roster while leading them to consistent success while competing in the AL East. On the other hand, Pat Murphy is the kind of manager that players seem ready to run through walls for, and he definitely gives off the college coach with a lifetime of motivation quotes and jokes stored up for any occasion.
Both teams are young and talented, and while the resurgence of Freddy Peralta’s game tips the pitching side of the equation a bit toward the Rays’ favor, anyone could win this thing. The positional groups match up very evenly, as do the bullpens. Aces Drew Rasmussen for the Rays and Jacob Misiorowski for the Brewers will get a lot of the headlines, but Peralta sure is a nice kicker pitching this well.
So, with the World Series kicking off tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET in Milwaukee, who’s your pick? Does it just come down to home field advantage?
For myself, I think I’m still going Brewers. They just seem to respond to every challenge so far in October, knocking off a pair of tough teams in the Padres and Dodgers to get here. It’s just a bit deeper lineup right now in my opinion, and Brewers’ closer Trevor McGill is the most dominant force in either bullpen over the last few weeks.
