After the Milwaukee Brewers took a 1-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night in the National League Championship Series, the American League Championship Series gets going on Monday night when the Tampa Bay Rays host the Cleveland Guardians.

The Rays are the favorite after having the best record in the American League this season, and if they ultimately win, they'll advance to the World Series for the first time since 2020.

Tampa Bay has never won the World Series, joining the Brewers, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies.

The Rays are helmed by longtime manager Kevin Cash, who, if you'll remember, spent some time as a player with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Now 48 years old, Cash was an eight-year veteran of the Blue Jays, Rays, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. He appeared in 246 games in eight years, never playing more than 61 games in a season, but he did get a World Series ring for a 12-game cameo with the 2007 Red Sox. He was a .183 lifetime hitter who had 12 career home runs.

He made his major league debut with the 2002 Blue Jays, going 2-for-7 in a seven-game sample. He played 34 games in 2003, hitting .142 with one home run. He played 60 games in 2004, hitting .193 with a career-high four homers, and that was it for his Jays tenure as he was traded to the Rays in December for reliever Chad Gaudin.

He never appeared in a playoff game for Toronto.

It's hard to believe that Cash has now been managing the Rays for 12 years, going 994-848 in that time. He's been to the playoffs six times, including getting to the World Series in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He's gone 18-19 in the playoffs and is a two-time Manager of the Year winner.

The Blue Jays will be watching the playoffs just like everybody else, and when they conclude, the business of baseball can start again. Free agency will open up five days after the World Series ends and Toronto has multiple players set to depart via free agency.

We've taken a look at who we think the Jays should retain, and we've also heard who the Jays are potentially a suitor for on the open market. Of course, the Collective Bargaining Agreement situation hangs over everything.