Canadian baseball has had plenty to celebrate in 2026, and there’s a chance for more to come in this year's MLB post-season.
The regular season saw 24 Canadian-born players take the field for major-league clubs, four of whom earned their first call to the bigs throughout the summer, while a trio of Canucks were named first-time all-stars in July — all on the heels of a historic performance in this spring’s World Baseball Classic.
But now that the playoffs have arrived, baseball fans north of the border can turn their attention to the five Canadians left standing in the hunt for a World Series title.
From October veterans to rookies getting their first taste of the post-season, all five are expected to play a major role in their clubs’ playoff plans when the action officially gets underway on Tuesday.
Catch each game in the 2026 MLB post-season on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, and view the full schedule here.
Here’s a closer look at each Canadian set to battle it out for the Commissioner’s Trophy over the next month.
A breakout star with the Miami Marlins through the first half of the season, Hicks was brought in by the Rays at the trade deadline to fill the glaring hole they had behind the plate. And he hasn’t missed a beat since moving up the Florida coast.
In 41 games post-trade, the Toronto native posted an .819 OPS for Tampa Bay while carrying a one-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio. Hicks was always a perfect fit for the Rays’ high-contact attack and slid seamlessly into their lineup for the stretch run.
Between his two stops, Hicks put together a .284/.367/.434 slash line and finished third among qualified catchers with a 123 wRC+ and sixth with 3.0 fWAR.
There might not be a more Rays-ian catcher than the 27-year-old, who is one of MLB’s best hitters when it comes to putting the bat on the ball. Consider that for the year, Hicks hit more home runs (18) than he had swings and misses at pitches in the strike zone (15) — recording a measly 0.7 per cent in-zone whiff rate.
Hicks appears primed to continue serving as Tampa Bay’s backstop against right-handed pitching in October. The Rays are currently preparing to host the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series, with either opponent offering several tough righties. There’s a good chance that the former Rule 5 draftee will see some big at-bats against Tampa Bay’s AL East foes.
The Guardians once again find themselves atop the AL Central behind a steady rotation and dominant bullpen. This time around, it was a pair of Canadians leading the charge in relief.
After two years of dominance to begin his career with Cleveland, Smith took on the full-season closer role and delivered perhaps his most impressive campaign yet. The 27-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., tied for the MLB lead with 41 saves while leaning heavily on his upper-90s fastball to cement his place as one of the sport’s best leverage relievers.
The right-hander also delivered down the stretch, as his season-ending run was perhaps his best as a pro. Over his final 37.2 innings and 35 appearances, Smith allowed just three earned runs and 13 walks while racking up 52 punchouts to help the Guardians storm back and take a second straight division title.
But for as impressive as Smith was in closing games, Sabrowski was just as unhittable.
ERA | K% | BB% | Batting average against | HR/9 | FIP | fWAR | |
Cade Smith | 1.95 | 36.3 | 7.8 | .179 | 0.61 | 2.18 | 2.6 |
Erik Sabrowski | 2.61 | 37.4 | 15.3 | .153 | 0.56 | 2.81 | 1.2 |
While a stint on the injured list kept the 28-year-old off the mound in early June, Sabrowski still finished among the nastiest left-handers in baseball. Among all southpaw relievers to throw at least 40 regular-season innings, the Edmontonian ranked second in strikeout rate, fifth in batting average against and 10th in FIP.
Pitching in the post-season won’t be anything new to either Smith or Sabrowski. Both were key fixtures in Cleveland’s bullpen during the 2024 and 2025 playoffs, and they own a combined 3.10 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 20 career October appearances between them.
And with some major sluggers looming in both the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox lineups for the ALDS, Cleveland's Canadian contingent will be stress-tested on baseball’s biggest stage once again.
Tristan Peters, Chicago White Sox
One of baseball’s best stories of the season, Peters will hope to add another chapter to his special rookie campaign in the coming month.
The Winkler, Man., product was a stabilizing force for the upstart White Sox, making his impact felt on both sides of the ball while delivering some of the most memorable moments of Chicago’s season.
The highlights included hitting for the cycle, homering in five straight games, breaking up a Yoshinobu Yamamoto no-hitter in the ninth, working an 18-pitch walk against Gavin Williams and earning a spot on the AL squad at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia. It all added up to a sterling freshman year that makes Peters seem like the type of player who could raise his game in the post-season.
Among all qualified AL position-player rookies, the 26-year-old finished third in fWAR (3.6), ninth in homers (12), seventh in OPS (.774) and second in doubles (31) and triples (four), showing how he can impact games in a variety of ways.
He’s slightly cooled of late, perhaps as a result of smashing into a wall in mid-September, going 2-for-his-final-28 to end the regular season. But Peters owned right-handed pitching to the tune of an .802 OPS on the season. And the Astros project to carry no southpaw starters and a group of shaky lefty relievers — aside from Josh Hader — for the wild-card series, which could put Peters in some favourable matchups as the White Sox look to put the finishing touches on their resurgent season.
Nick Pivetta, San Diego Padres
Already the all-time leader in strikeouts and innings pitched by a Canadian in the post-season, Pivetta will have a chance to build on that legacy when he takes the ball for the Padres this week.
The Victoria native will be looking to make up for lost time in these playoffs, as Pivetta was limited to just 34.2 innings across eight starts in the regular season after elbow inflammation cost him most of the year.
Pivetta returned just in time to boost San Diego’s rotation for the stretch run, however, rejoining the club in September before pitching to a 1.45 ERA with 18 strikeouts over four starts in the final month.
In 2025, the 33-year-old right-hander was one of the best pitchers in the National League, finishing sixth in NL Cy Young voting after a career year. Pivetta also took the ball in San Diego’s wild-card opener against the very Chicago Cubs that the Padres find themselves matched up with again this year. He ultimately struck out nine over five innings of two-run ball in that outing, which finished as a 3-1 loss.
Even though he hasn’t worked past the five-inning threshold since returning, Pivetta should be an important part of San Diego’s October plans. Beyond Michael King, the Padres’ rotation has delivered uneven results and would welcome any stability the Canadian could offer in the loaded NL playoff picture.
