With a thrilling Wild Card Series round in the books, the eyes of the baseball world now turn to the four Division Series matchups on tap as the quest for a World Series title continues this postseason.
With all four Division Series set to open on Saturday, we asked a number of MLB.com experts to weigh in on which clubs they think will advance to the League Championship Series round.
Here are the results:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Guardians (2) vs. White Sox (6)
The pick: Guardians
Wow, was this one close. And for good reason. This matchup is about as evenly matched as you can get.
The White Sox have been baseball’s best story in 2026, going from a record 121 losses just two years ago to the ALDS virtually overnight. The Guardians, meanwhile, always seem to be playing good baseball the closer it gets to October, and that was true again this year, with manager Steven Vogt’s club winning 11 of its final 15 games to clinch the AL Central on the penultimate day of the regular season.
So, who wins this series? According to our experts, Cleveland.
Chicago has a powerful lineup featuring Munetaka Murakami (35 home runs), Miguel Vargas (33) and Colson Montgomery (31). But the Guardians have a rested pitching staff, including a rotation headlined by star rookie left-hander Parker Messick and right-hander Gavin Williams, and a bullpen with September's AL Reliever of the Month, Cade Smith, at the back end.
Something’s gotta give. Will good pitching beat good hitting, as the old adage suggests? Will the youthful exuberance of the White Sox continue this storybook run all the way to the ALCS? Or will the Guardians reach the ALCS for the second time in three years under Vogt’s guidance?
Though it was close, our experts are going with the superior pitching and relative wealth of playoff experience Cleveland has on its roster.
- “Too much pitching at the front and back end for the Guardians.” -- Dan Rivkin, director of content operations
- “The 85-win Guardians aren't a dominant team, but they have a clear rotation edge and, crucially, may have actually gotten José Ramírez going over the last two weeks of the season. Did you realize they had the seventh-best slugging percentage in September? We didn't, either.” -- Mike Petriello, director of stats and research
- “These rivals were evenly matched in the regular season, but the Guards' rotation and bullpen are a bit better and should be able to slow down the White Sox power bats.” -- Michael Weilamann, editorial producer
The dissenting view
“Cleveland has the starting pitching edge with its 1-2 punch of Parker Messick and Gavin Williams, but the Guardians' bats have tended to stay quiet in recent Octobers. I'm banking on the White Sox good vibes and charismatic young hitters to prevail.” -- Elizabeth Muratore, senior content producer
Rays (1) vs. Yankees (4)
The pick: Rays
The storylines abound in this ALDS. There is, of course, the AL East rivalry. And then there are the stark contrasts in the teams -- a big-market, high-payroll behemoth vs. a small-market club whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The Rays-Yankees clash should be a good one, and our experts have Tampa Bay emerging victorious. Why?
Well, for one, it remains uncertain whether three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge will be able to contribute -- and if so, what he might contribute -- to the Yankees’ cause.
Next, while the Yankees’ rotation is fearsome and demonstrated why in New York’s AL Wild Card Series sweep over the Red Sox, Tampa Bay’s starting staff compared rather favorably to the Yanks’ group -- led by right-hander Drew Rasmussen, Rays starters combined for a 3.51 ERA during the regular season, second in the AL to the Yanks’ 3.30.
These clubs met in the 2020 ALDS, and the Rays won in five games. Our experts see a similar result this year.
- “It's like David vs. Goliath, if David was really, really strong for his size and Goliath was injured and not as powerful as he looks.” -- Ed Eagle, senior editor -- content operations
- “The Rays and Yankees seem very evenly matched. I'll take the rock-solid team with home-field advantage, given the Rays went 5-2 vs. the Yanks at ‘the Trop.’” -- Bryan Horowitz, supervising editor -- content operations
- “The Rays might be the most complete team in the postseason.” -- Christina DeNicola, Marlins beat reporter
The dissenting view
“The Wild Card Series showed that the Yankees have plenty of players capable of stepping up in big moments, and with their rotation, I think they have enough to get past the Rays.” -- Jen Vestuto, content producer
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Dodgers (2) vs. Braves (3)
The pick: Dodgers
This one was a landslide in favor of the two-time defending World Series champions. And, really, it comes down to the Dodgers’ embarrassment of riches in the starting rotation and the Braves’ lack of depth behind ace Chris Sale.
When you’re sending Tarik Skubal -- who is scheduled to start Game 1 -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow out there, that’s tough for anyone to beat. And outside of Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II, Atlanta’s offense went 14-for-75 (.187) in the NL Wild Card Series against the Phillies.
On the flip side, Atlanta’s rotation has been decimated by injuries. Sale started in a Wild Card Series Game 1 victory over Philadelphia and then closed out the Phillies in Game 3 on Thursday, so he won’t be available until at least Game 2. Tyler Mahle, who pitched in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, won’t be available until Game 3. So the Braves will likely go with a bullpen game in the series opener.
With two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani managing knee and biceps issues, as well as an aging lineup, the Dodgers might not be what they were the last couple of years offensively. But with Atlanta’s lineup struggles and a superior starting rotation on paper, our experts overwhelmingly picked L.A. to advance to the NLCS for the ninth time in the past 14 years.
- “The Braves won't be able to fight past their pitching deficiencies against this juggernaut.” -- Jonathan Mayo, national reporter -- prospects
- “Ronald Acuña Jr. and Drake Baldwin have struggled at the plate to start the postseason, and Atlanta’s pitching staff is littered with injuries. It’d be tough to overcome in normal circumstances, even more so against the reigning champs.” -- Casey Drottar, editorial producer
- “What do the Braves do that the Dodgers don't do better? The Dodgers also have home-field advantage, a set rotation and still haven't been eliminated in the Shohei Ohtani era.” -- Linus Lawrence, content producer
The dissenting view
“Call it a gut feeling, or maybe it's just Sale. L.A. is more vulnerable than it has been in years.” -- Anthony DiComo, senior club reporter covering the Mets
Brewers (1) vs. Padres (4)
The pick: Brewers
Talk about a fun matchup -- this one pits the hottest team in baseball against the club with the best record in the Majors during the regular season.
The Padres have been red-hot over the past couple of months, peaking at just the right time as they entered the postseason. San Diego’s lineup, led by the electric Fernando Tatis Jr., veteran star Manny Machado and the resurgent Jackson Merrill, is scary right now.
But the Brewers have “the Miz,” followed by fast-rising right-hander Logan Henderson, who has really given the Brewers a big lift in the wake of Kyle Harrison’s struggles. Jacob Misiorowski, the NL Cy Young Award favorite, is simply overpowering, and since Milwaukee had a bye in the first round of the playoffs, he is lined up to pitch in Game 1 and, if necessary, a winner-take-all Game 5.
The Padres, meanwhile, have Michael King and then veteran options that have not been all that effective, though Nick Pivetta has been good since returning from the injured list. Trade Deadline acquisition and former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray -- who is slated to start Game 1 for San Diego -- has struggled since donning a Padres uniform, posting a 5.02 ERA over nine starts.
The bullpens are two of the best in baseball, though the Padres have Mason Miller, the most dominant closer in the game. Scoring early will be key, and while San Diego’s lineup has been firing on all cylinders, Milwaukee’s group is no joke -- Jake Bauers is having a career year, Brice Turang has emerged as a major run producer and Jackson Chourio continues to be a tremendous power-speed threat.
There’s also the home-field advantage factor: if this series does go five games, Game 5 will be in Milwaukee.
- “Man, this is a fascinating series, but I think this might be the Brewers' year to break through.” -- Brian McTaggart, supervising club reporter covering the Astros
- “The Padres have the bullpen to make it a six-inning game, but the Brewers have the early-inning offense to win those.” -- Josh Kirshenbaum, reporter/producer
- “Miz will dominate in two games. The Brewers will figure out a way to win a third game.” -- Martin Montalto, senior coordinating producer -- MLB Network
The dissenting view
“If the NL Wild Card Series showed anything, it’s that the Padres are on another level right now.” -- Allison Waxman, tap story producer