On Monday night, the Tampa Bay Rays clinched a spot in the 2026 World Series by beating the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series.

Though pitcher Freddy Peralta was named as the MVP of the ALCS, first baseman/designated hitter Yandy Diaz was instrumental in the series, hitting a massive two-run homer on Monday to help cement the victory.

Diaz, 35, has been a force for the Rays for eight seasons now, anchoring a lineup that went to the World Series in 2020 as well. He won the batting title in 2023 and is a two-time All-Star. Ironically, they acquired him in a 2018 trade with Cleveland. The Rays posted the old tweet announcing that trade after the game on Monday, basically serving as a "got ya" to the Guardians franchise.

However, what was interesting about that tweet was actually the inclusion of the Seattle Mariners. The Rays' tweet said that the Mariners were sent cash considerations from Tampa Bay, leading us go down the rabbit hole and figure out why the M's were getting money when they weren't mentioned as actually giving up anything.

Well, the trade was actually much bigger than the Rays indicated on social media and happened right as the Mariners were executing their "step-back" and "roster reimagining." 

As indicated: The Rays acquired Diaz and Sulser from Cleveland. They sent Jake Bauers to Cleveland also sent money to the Mariners.

As for the rest of the deal? The Mariners acquired Edwin Encarnacion and a Comp B draft pick from Cleveland in exchange for first baseman Carlos Santana and more cash.

Ironically enough, Santana never played a game for the Mariners that time around, getting acquired and traded in that same offseason. The Mariners acquired him again though in 2022 and he served as an instrumental part of the "drought-breaking" team.

Encarnacion spent a half a season with the Mariners before getting traded at the trade deadline. The 2019 Mariners lost 94 games and finished 39 games out of first place.

The latest edition of the "Refuse to Lose Territory" podcast is out, featuring more information on the M's managerial search. We will have another new episode on Wednesday featuring former Mariners pitcher and current M's broadcaster Ryan Rowland-Smith. You can listen to all episodes here or you can watch in the YouTube player below: