2024 MLB playoff predictions: ALCS, NLCS expert picks as four teams vie for chance at World Series title

The 2024 MLB postseason continues with drama and spectacle for all. Four teams remain after the Phillies, Royals, Padres and Tigers were eliminated in the League Division Series.

The NLCS kicks off Sunday as the Mets square off against the Dodgers. The Mets clinched their berth on Wednesday and have had several days to rest and recuperate for the first time in weeks. The Dodgers, on the other hand, fought until the last day, beating the Padres in Game 5 Friday. The ALCS opens Monday between the Yankees, who ousted the Royals on Thursday, and the Guardians, who took down the Tigers Saturday.

As such, your CBS Sports MLB experts are here to predict how each of the best-of-seven series will go. We’ll leave the playing to the athletes. We just get to do the judging.

Yankees vs. Guardians

Anderson: I thought about going the other direction just for the sake of mixing things up. Ultimately, though, I felt obligated to pick the Yankees. They’re the better team in my eyes. That doesn’t ensure anything — there’s like a 45% chance they lose this series anyway — but when in doubt, I go with the roster I’d rather have if I were running or managing a team. Here? There’s no question in my mind, that’s New York’s roster. Pick: Yankees in 5

Axisa: With all due respect, the Yankees are the better and more talented team, and their bullpen has found an extra gear in October. Similar to the ALDS, this boils down to the Yankees having Juan Soto and Aaron Judge (and Giancarlo Stanton), and the other team not. Those guys are a huge, huge advantage. They’ve also had a few extra days to rest and line up their pitching. The Yankees are fully capable of losing four times in seven games this series, no doubt about it. In the end though, I think they’re the better team so they’re my pick. Pick: Yankees in 6

Feldman: This matchup is probably closer than you think, but I’m going with the Yankees easily. The rotation, led by Gerrit Cole, has been good and the offense has been enough. Aaron Judge is going to pull it together eventually, and that puts them over the top. Pick: Yankees in 5

Perry: I don’t have a great deal of faith in the Guardians’ offense, at least after regression set in over the final months of the regular season. I also think the Yankees are in better shape in terms of the rotation, and the Yankee bullpen will be coming in with significantly more rest than Cleveland’s will. The Guardians have impressively defied expectations this season, but the ride ends here. Bonus prediction: Aaron Judge lays waste to the postseason narratives and claims ALCS MVP honors. Pick: Yankees in 6

Pianovich: As a kid in the late ’90s, I became a Cleveland fan largely because my older brother rooted for the Yankees. This Guardians team has annoying little brother energy. You don’t necessarily need Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez on offense to win, especially when you have a bullpen like Cleveland’s and plenty of pesky hitters. The Yankees might very well outscore the Guardians in this series, but I think Cleveland will find a way to win four times and avenge 6-year-old me and the team’s loss in the 1998 ALCS. Pick: Guardians in 7

Snyder: I tried to find a way to convince myself the Guardians would win this series, but in looking at their pitching situation, they’d have to lean far too heavily on their big-gun relievers. They certainly benefited from the extra day off in the ALDS. Here, they’d have to play seven games in nine days and that would require so much use of Cade Smith, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis and Emmanuel Clase — especially heavy on Smith and Clase as their bookends — that I think they’ll just run outta gas. The Yankees are better and they’ll play like it. Pick: Yankees in 6

Mets vs. Dodgers

Anderson: I struggled with this one. The Dodgers rotation is and will remain tattered. Having to deploy Yoshinobu Yamamoto to close out the NLDS means they’re not going to be able to enter the NLCS with an optimized alignment, either. Still, we just saw last year how the Diamondbacks were able to win a pennant with essentially two good starters; why can’t the Dodgers do the same? We know Dave Roberts and company can scheme and deploy their bullpen in successful manners. We also know the Dodgers have one heck of a tough lineup. If you told me the Mets won, I wouldn’t be surprised — I have this going the distance for a reason — but I just think the Dodgers find a way to prevail. Pick: Dodgers in 7

Axisa: Simply put, I don’t trust the Dodgers’ pitching to hold up through a best-of-seven series against a very good and very deep Mets’ offense. It’s one thing to have three starters who might give you five innings each time out in a best-of-five. In a best-of-seven though, it’s awfully tough. They’ve already leaned on their bullpen heavily to get here. The Freddie Freeman injury is an issue too. He’s clearly hobbled and playing at something far below 100%. I think the Mets have a deeper offense and, right now, the better and healthier pitching staff, so I’m going with New York. Pick: Mets in 6

Feldman: Team of destiny, baby. Pick: Mets in 6

Perry: Like a couple of you, I have a tough time with this series. The Dodgers’ rotation is still a bit of a mess thanks to injuries, but I’m forced to acknowledge their superior star power in this one, and a gut feeling tells me Yoshinobu Yamamoto emerges as the Dodgers’ stabilizer this series. Tough call, but I lean Dodgers in a close one thanks to the top half of their lineup and maybe a light dusting of home-field advantage. However, no outcome in this NLCS would shock me. Pick: Dodgers in 7

Pianovich: There are many questions this Mets’ playoff run has made me ask (Will Mark Vientos ever get out again? Can Pitbull throw a ceremonial first pitch for a strike? Are Grimace and the Hamburglar friends? Enemies?). But after watching the Mets outplay the Phillies for four games and coming up with clutch hit after clutch hit, I am done questioning these Mets. They’ve given themselves a chance to win every game they’ve played this October, and somehow they feel less volatile than the top-seeded Dodgers. Pick: Mets in 6

Snyder: This series is going to be so unpredictable and it’ll feature a few late-inning comebacks. I’ll say at least one on each side. We’re gonna see a lot of scoring and the Mets are probably better set up to win this series. So why am I going with the Dodgers? I can’t really pin it down. It’s just such a toss up for me that I waited for a gut feeling and it just came to me. No reason to argue there. They have plenty of talent and it looks like Yoshinobu Yamamoto might be ready to throw like a frontline starter. That would put him on the schedule for Games 3 and 7. He deals in Game 7 and the Dodgers win their first pennant since 2020. Pick: Dodgers in 7