Jake Bauers gets completely honest on facing former team in World Series

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The 2026 World Series begins on Thursday in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays will vie for their first title.

One storyline is Brewers 1st baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers. Bauers is in a special position because he will be playing against his former team, per Evan Closky of 10 Tampa Bay.

“It feels like a different lifetime,” Bauers said. “It’s a little weird being in this position and then looking across the field and saying that’s going to be the Tampa Bay Rays. It just makes you reminisce a little bit and think about where it all started.”

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The San Diego Padres drafted Bauers in 2013. The following year, they traded him to the Rays. In 2018, Bauers made his debut with the Rays, batting .201 with 65 hits, 11 home runs, and 48 RBIs.

Afterward, Bauers played for the Cleveland Guardians from 2019 to 2021. Then, he played one season with the Seattle Mariners in 2021 and the New York Yankees in 2023.

The following year, Bauers was traded to the Brewers. He sees similarities between the two teams in how they are run and what they prioritize in baseball.

“Being part of the Brewers organization for a few years is very similar,” Bauers said. “You got to do things differently in terms of payroll and the flexibility they have. So it’s a lot about fundamental baseball. That’s what they taught me coming up, and that’s what they’ve been about since 2014 when I got traded.

Jake Bauers was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2014.

Made his MLB debut with the club in 2018 before getting dealt to Cleveland in the Yandy Diaz trade.

Quite the moment for him making the World Series for the first time and seeing the Rays across the field.#WorldSeriespic.twitter.com/PfBNbJ8tz2

— Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) October 22, 2026

Bauers finished the season batting .266 with 127 hits, 26 home runs, and 86 RBIs. In the NLCS, Bauers won the MVP Award after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Related: Rays’ Kevin Cash explains decision to start Nick Martinez over Drew Rasmussen in World Series Game 1