For the first time in baseball history, the World Series will crown a franchise that has never won one. Rays vs. Brewers starts Friday night in Milwaukee, and the matchup comes at the worst possible moment for MLB owners.
The owners are heading into labor talks arguing that baseball needs a salary cap because small-market teams can’t compete. Then two small-market teams just knocked out everybody else.
That was the first thing we got into on the third episode of Tremendous Sports Talk, and it’s the story nobody in the commissioner’s office wants to talk about this week.
🎯 Key Takeaways
- A first-time champion is guaranteed: Neither the Rays nor the Brewers has ever won a World Series.
- Two small payrolls: Both teams sit in the bottom third of MLB spending, weeks before a lockout fight over a salary cap.
- The Dodgers are gone: Milwaukee swept the two-time defending champions in the NLCS.
- Our picks are split: Dave Simon has the Rays in seven. Fred Garcia and AJ D’Alesio lean Brewers.
Table of Contents
How Rays vs. Brewers Happened
The Brewers swept the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 in the NLCS and clinched on October 15. That’s the same Dodgers team that won the last two World Series and was chasing a third straight. Milwaukee’s bullpen shut down a lineup full of stars, and the Brewers kept finding ways to get to the Dodgers’ pitching.
The Rays had a tougher road. Tampa Bay fell behind two games to one against Cleveland in the ALCS, then won three straight to close it out 4-2. Junior Caminero hit a big home run in Monday’s Game 6 clincher, and Freddy Peralta was named ALCS MVP, according to CBS Sports.
Tampa Bay also went through my Yankees, sweeping them in the ALDS. I’ll get to that in another piece.
World Series 2026 Schedule
Two Small Markets Just Wrecked the Salary Cap Argument
The collective bargaining agreement expires December 1, and a lockout looks likely. The owners want a salary cap. The players don’t, for obvious reasons. The owners’ pitch is that the big spenders are buying championships and the little guys have no chance.
Then look at who’s left. By luxury tax payroll, the Brewers rank 19th at about $154 million, and the Rays rank 28th at about $110 million, per Forbes. The Dodgers were around $422 million. The Dodgers are home.
“Here we have a World Series with the Rays and the Brewers, two teams that are doing it through their farm system, through their scouting, through everything the right way and not spending money.”
Dave Simon, Tremendous Sports Talk, October 20, 2026
These weren’t Cinderella stories. The Brewers had the best record in baseball, and both teams were among the best in their leagues all season. They didn’t outspend the Yankees, the Mets, the Phillies or the Blue Jays. They outbuilt them.
That’s the thing. You can point to these two teams going into the offseason and say maybe the game isn’t broken. It will be the first small-market champion since the 2015 Royals.
Is it great for TV ratings? Probably not. The Dodgers drew historic audiences the last two Octobers, and the 2023 series between two unexpected teams was the least-watched on record. But ratings were never supposed to be the argument for a salary cap. Competitive balance was, and this World Series makes the other side’s case.
Is the Dodgers Dynasty Over?
Three titles in five years, including back-to-back in 2024 and 2025, and then swept in four straight. I was shocked. I picked the Dodgers to return to the World Series, and they couldn’t do it.
My read is that this version of the Dodgers is aging out. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are past their prime years, and even Shohei Ohtani is getting older. I don’t think we’ll see them in the World Series for two or three years.
My co-hosts pushed back, and they have a point. The Dodgers still spend more than anyone, so they’ll find a way to add pieces and stay a contender. They also reminded me that I called the Brewers the best team in the National League before the playoffs. I’ll take that.
The Junior Caminero Celebration Debate
Not everybody on our panel loved Junior Caminero’s celebration after his home run. The take from across the desk: act like you’ve been there before, and somebody should plunk him.
I don’t fault him. He’s young, he’s hungry, and he’s doing things very few people on this earth can do. Some of his antics after beating the Yankees were a little much, but a kid helping his team win a pennant should be happy about it.
Rays vs Brewers Prediction: Our Picks
I picked the Rays at the start of the playoffs, and I’m sticking with it. Rays in seven.
Here is my reasoning. The Brewers last played on Thursday, October 15, and Game 1 is Friday, October 23. That’s eight days off. Rest helps pitchers, but it can freeze hitters. The Rays played Monday, so they come in sharp. I like Tampa Bay to steal Game 1, maybe Game 2, in Milwaukee before the Brewers’ bats wake up.
Fred and AJ both lean Brewers. They argue the Rays’ pitching was pushed to the limit in a six-game ALCS, while Milwaukee’s staff is rested and has home-field advantage. Either way, somebody’s fans finally get a parade.
| Host | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dave Simon | Rays in 7 | Eight days off could leave Milwaukee’s hitters cold |
| Fred Garcia | Brewers | Rested arms and home field |
| AJ D’Alesio | Brewers | Rays’ pitching was pushed to the limit by Cleveland |
Reality Check: Enjoy It While It Lasts
The Reality: With a lockout looming on December 1, nobody knows when we’ll see big league baseball again. Rays vs Brewers might be the last games for a while. I’m enjoying every morsel of it, and you should too.
We’ll wrap up the World Series on the next Tremendous Sports Talk, live every second Tuesday at 8:30 PM ET. If you missed how the show got started, here’s why Tremendous Sports Talk replaced Ringside Report MMA. And for a Canadian angle on this postseason, see why John Schneider should be on the hot seat in Toronto.
Rays vs Brewers: Frequently Asked Questions
When does the 2026 World Series start?
Game 1 of the 2026 World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers is Friday, October 23, at 8 PM ET in Milwaukee on Fox.
Have the Rays or Brewers ever won the World Series?
No. Neither franchise has won a World Series, so Rays vs. Brewers guarantees a first-time champion. The Rays lost in 2008 and 2020, and the Brewers lost in 1982.
Who has home-field advantage in Rays vs. Brewers?
The Brewers have home-field advantage, so Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 are in Milwaukee.
Who will win Rays vs Brewers?
On Tremendous Sports Talk, Dave Simon picked the Rays in seven games, while Fred Garcia and AJ D’Alesio leaned toward the Brewers.
Why does the World Series matter for the MLB lockout?
The labor deal expires December 1, and owners want a salary cap to help small-market teams. Two low-payroll teams reaching the World Series undercuts that argument.
