MLB Roundtable: Division Series Picks and World Series Predictions

Eight teams remain in the MLB postseason, with the top two seeds from each league getting in on the action during the division series. Just as we did for the wild-card round, Sports Illustrated’s MLB staff is getting our picks on the record just in time for all four series to start. Can you imagine a more perfect way to spend a fall Saturday?

ALDS 1: Rays vs. Yankees

Tom Verducci: Yankees in five. Rays will make this a tight, low-scoring series. Their big three of Diaz, Caminero and Aranda must deliver big hits, including home runs. New York has more depth in the rotation and position players.

Ryan Phillips: Yankees in five. I picked the Rays to go to the World Series before the postseason, but that’s why we do these round-by-round. The Yankees torched the Red Sox in the wild-card series without Aaron Judge. That rotation is too good and too deep. This series will be competitive, but Tampa simply won’t keep up.

Will Laws: Rays in five. Not enough respect for the AL East champions here! Assuming Aaron Judge doesn’t return at full strength, Junior Caminero is the best hitter in this series and will have a breakout series to lead Tampa Bay to victory. Along the way, Rays manager Kevin Cash will push all the right buttons on the pitching matchups and will avoid the mistakes that Chad Tracy made last round.

Karl Rasmussen: Yankees in five. Fresh off an impressive and lopsided sweep of the Red Sox, the Yankees enter this series with plenty of momentum. Aaron Judge’s status remains uncertain, but New York proved it can rack up runs even without the superstar slugger.

Nick Selbe: Yankees in five. New York's strength is its starting pitching, and the two top arms of the bunch—Cam Schlittler and Max Fried—set the tone in the wild-card round sweep against the Red Sox. Even if Aaron Judge is out for this round, I'm expecting the Yankees to be better equipped to navigate things if this ends up being a low-scoring affair, even if by the slimmest of margins.

ALDS 2: Guardians vs. White Sox

TV: Guardians in four. The White Sox bring power to the mound in multitudes, but it’s harder to ride the bullpen carousel through five games. Cleveland has more pitching depth, especially with Cade Smith as a lockdown, multiple-inning closer.

RP: White Sox in five. This will be a fun battle between Chicago’s potent offense and Cleveland’s stingy pitching staff. The White Sox have all the momentum and the Pope behind them. I can’t pick against them.

WL: Guardians in four. An off day after both Games 1 and 2 allows Cleveland to start both Parker Messick and Gavin Williams twice in this series, which is bad news for Chicago if they can even extend the series to five games. I don’t think they have enough quality pitching to do so.

KR: Guardians in four. The White Sox’ dream run will come to an end this round, but they won’t go down without a fight. Cleveland’s starting pitching holds a sizable edge over Chicago’s, and I think that’ll make all the difference in this series.

NS: White Sox in five. This is a vibes pick. Whatever gets us another White Sox clubhouse celebration deserves our support. And who am I to pick against Pope Leo?

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith — Guardians closer Cade Smith tied for the MLB lead with 41 saves. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

NLDS 1: Brewers vs. Padres

TV: Brewers in five. San Diego is dangerous. Its the hottest team in baseball with more power in the lineup right now. Game 1 is a must-win for Milwaukee with Jacob Misiorowski and a fully rested bullpen. The Padres can flip the series by stealing Game 1. I’ll go with Milwaukee with the home field advantage and Misiorowski lined up twice.

RP: Padres in four. The Brewers were baseball’s best team in the regular season, but their lack of power could come back to bite them in the postseason. If San Diego can take one of the first two in Milwaukee, they’ll take the series. No one is beating the Padres at Petco Park right now.

WL: Brewers in five. Yes, the Padres are hot right now, scoring the second-most runs (134) in baseball in September. Who scored the most, you ask? The Brewers (146). San Diego’s righty-heavy lineup will have trouble replicating their success against Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson.

KR: Padres in five. The Brewers’ pitching lacks postseason experience, and I think they may have a blow-up game or two against a scorching hot Padres lineup. With San Diego’s dominant bullpen able to protect virtually any lead late in games, Milwaukee will need to inflict its damage early.

NS: Brewers in five. The Padres are peaking at the right time, and that makes them an extremely difficult matchup for Milwaukee. But the Brewers have a massive advantage in the pitching department, as San Diego will have to rely too heavily on pitchers I don't have a ton of confidence in this time of year. It will be close, but give me Milwaukee by a slim margin.

NLDS 2: Dodgers vs. Braves

TV: Dodgers in four. Too much starting pitching for Los Angeles. The Dodgers can exploit the Braves’ offensive aggressiveness. And with Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernandez swinging the bat well down the stretch, the Dodgers lineup looks as deep as we thought it would be entering the season.

RP: Dodgers in four. L.A. has struggled to stay healthy all season, but their stellar rotation is intact (minus Shohei Ohtani), and their lineup began to gel down the stretch. They’re well-rested and loaded. Who is picking against them?

WL: Dodgers in three. I’m still not quite sure how the Braves got here as NL East champions considering all the starting pitching injuries they’ve endured this season. Tyler Mahle will have to consider his remarkable post-trade deadline run if Atlanta is to stand a chance. One thing is for sure—since I’m attending Game 1, the Braves will lose (Atlanta’s lifetime record at Dodger Stadium with me in attendance: 0–12).

KR: Dodgers in four. The Dodgers’ star-studded pitching rotation will be difficult for the free-swinging Braves to take advantage of. L.A. has a deeper rotation and more stars in the lineup, so they should have the edge in this one.

NS: Dodgers in four. This is what the two-time defending champs are built for. A short series in which Los Angeles can line up Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal and Tyler Glasnow all in a row? There's no bigger advantage in the sport.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal — Tarik Skubal is set to start Game 1 for the Dodgers on Saturday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

World Series picks

TV: Brewers over Yankees in seven. No need to pivot off my original pick yet. Three of the remaining eight teams have never won a World Series. It’s time for one of them.

RP: Dodgers over Yankees in seven. The battle of the two best pitching staffs in baseball should be electric. I’m banking on Aaron Judge being back and healthy to make this a series, but right now it's hard to see the Dodgers failing to capture a third straight title.

WL: Brewers over Rays in seven. My original AL pennant pick, the Red Sox, came up just a little short, didn’t they? The Miz will be the difference in this series; imagine him coming out of the bullpen in Game 7 after nabbing two previous wins. A scary thought for the Rays on Halloween night!

KR: Dodgers over Yankees in five. I am anticipating a rematch of the 2024 World Series, and a very similar outcome. The Yankees have fight, but even their elite pitching will struggle to shut down the Dodgers’ lineup. I’m backing L.A. to complete the first three-peat since the 1998–2000 Yankees.

NS: Brewers over Yankees in six. The Red Sox (my original AL champion prediction) flamed out spectacularly in the wild-card round, so it only makes sense for my revised World Series pick to include the team that knocked Boston out. The Yankees' best hope is to ride its starting rotation to a deep run, and hope that Aaron Judge can rejoin at some point. The Brewers still have the most complete roster in my view, even if they're not built to win slugfests.

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