Brett Baty at shortstop on Saturday vs. Nats

It’s the first time in the series that Hicks has hit higher than fifth, though he mostly hit in the top four during the regular season. The lineup: Yandy Díaz (DH), Jonathan Aranda (1B), Liam Hicks (C), Junior Caminero (3B), Chandler Simpson (LF), Victor Mesa Jr. (RF), Jonny DeLuca (CF), Richie Palacios (2B) and Taylor Walls (SS).

Even though the Guardians have been limited to eight runs in the last four games, nothing is changing tonight. The lineup: Steven Kwan (LF), José Ramírez (3B), Chase DeLauter (RF), Jo Adell (DH), Nathaniel Lowe (1B), Travis Bazzana (2B), Patrick Bailey (C), Petey Halpin (CF) and Brayan Rocchio (SS). The only other player to get a start in the series was Austin Hedges catching in Game 2.

Miller comes over after serving as the Rays’ Director of International Scouting since 2019. It’s impossible to know how big a role one executive played in a team’s success on the international market; the Rays, under Miller’s stewardship, had several notable international signings. Perhaps the biggest difference is that the Rays have 19 international free agent signings who are listed in FanGraphs’ recent prospect rankings, while the Cubs only have six. Miller will be looking to improve upon that production.

It’s a “win or go home” situation for the Guardians, so every reliever is going to be a potential option on Monday. Tanner Bibee figures to serve as one of the bulk followers, but Joey Cantillo threw just 15 pitches in Game 4 on Saturday, and Slade Cecconi threw 22 pitches in that game, so they will both be possibilities as well. Gavin Williams, we know, will not be an option unless there is a Game 7.

Smith was one of Boston’s senior vice presidents as well as an assistant general manager. He had been in that role since October 2024, when Boston hired him away from the Tampa Bay Rays, where he had spent six years, beginning as an analyst of baseball research and development. Smith also worked as an intern for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ research and development team during the 2017 season, so he has spent many years in different roles for a few top-tier organizations, which likely made him an intriguing candidate for an Athletics organization that is looking for a fresh identity ahead of their move to Las Vegas.

Banner was most recently the assistant general manager for the Cubs, but the 41-year-old worked in the Red Sox front office for 11 years before becoming the farm director for the Mets, and then holding the same position with the Cubs. The Athletic reports that Banner’s experience with the Mets led the Cubs to push for Pete Crow-Armstrong in the 2021 trade for Javier Baez, which wound up being a massive win for the Cubs. Banner will now work under Mike Elias in Baltimore in a front office that has undergone major reconstruction this offseason, with assistant GM Sig Mejdal no longer overseeing analytics and former vice president of player development Matt Blood being let go.

Sato reportedly asked to be posted sooner rather than later because he would like to sign with a team before any potential lockout occurs. The 27-year-old just won the Nippon Professional Baseball triple crown after hitting .308/.385/.613 in 142 games with 39 home runs, 106 RBI, and eight steals. Sato was the first Japanese player to win the triple crown since Munetaka Murakami did. Creating a comparison based on their NPB success, Sato has slightly less power than Murakami but makes more contact in the zone. However, Sato chases outside of the zone far more than Murakami, which could be an issue when he transitions stateside because his power is good but is not on the same level as Murakami and may not carry over at the same level that it did in Japan.

Peralta will start two days after getting two outs in relief in Game 4. He previously started Game 2 of the season, shutting out the Guardians for six innings in the Rays’ 3-1 victory.

Manager Stephen Vogt wasn’t ready to name a starter, but the plan doesn’t include Williams, who saw his velocity dip in his fifth and final inning Wednesday. Tanner Bibee and Joey Cantillo will both be available to go long in Game 6.

DeLauter drove in a run in the sixth on a fielder’s choice, and unfortunately for him and the Guardians it came with Cleveland trailing by three. He also drew a walk and now has a .297/.395/.432 slash in his 10 postseason games in 2026.