Guardians bounced by Rays in six games, AL Central roundup

The Cleveland Guardians’ season ended Monday night in St. Petersburg, as the Tampa Bay Rays rolled to a 7-3 win to close out the American League Championship Series in six games and punch their ticket to the World Series.

Guardians out in ALCS, offseason begins

As reported by La Presse, Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz each launched two-run homers in the Rays’ clinching victory, enough offense to send Tampa Bay on and Cleveland home. The Guardians finish at 85–77, tops in the AL Central, but short of an AL pennant.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Cleveland turned to right-hander Shawn Armstrong as an opener for Game 6 after he’d already worked four scoreless innings earlier in the series. The same outlet notes that Rays righty Drew Rasmussen continued his excellent postseason with another strong start in the clincher.

Attention in Cleveland now shifts to what comes next. CBS Sports digs into the Guardians’ “biggest offseason questions,” focusing on the futures of several core players, including Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan. How those decisions unfold will shape the next phase for an AL Central club that just came up two wins short of the World Series.

Tigers watching a posted bat on the horizon

For the Detroit Tigers (76–86), news comes from overseas. MLB Trade Rumors reports that Japan’s Hanshin Tigers have officially announced they’ll post Teruaki Sato for Major League teams this offseason. Per the report, at least five MLB clubs have already shown interest in the player, setting up one of the more closely watched international posting cases of the winter.

Twins linked to ongoing Josh Bell conversation

MLB Trade Rumors also spotlights Josh Bell, a familiar name to NL and AL fans alike. The outlet notes that after spending his first five seasons with the Pirates, Bell has now suited up for six different teams over the past six years, becoming a frequent trade-deadline mover. According to the report, he’s not the type to sit atop free-agent rankings, yet he’s consistently produced for each new club he’s joined — a profile that naturally keeps him on the radar for teams like the Minnesota Twins, who finished 77–85.

There were no major updates reported for the Chicago White Sox (84–78) or Kansas City Royals (69–93), as both clubs watch a division rival bow out in the ALCS and prepare for the opening waves of the offseason market.