The 2024 MLB season is heating up after the Wild Card Series is in the books. Eight teams remain after the Orioles, Braves, Brewers and Astros were eliminated during the first round.
The ALDS and NLDS both begin on Saturday with the Phillies vs. Mets and Dodgers vs. Padres in the National League, and the Yankees vs. Royals and Guardians vs. Tigers in the American League. Each team comes with its own strengths and, for some more than others, its own weaknesses.
As such, CBS Sports MLB experts are here to predict how each best-of-five series will go. We’ll leave the playing to the athletes. We just have to do the judging.
Guardians vs. Tigers
Anderson: The Tigers are an interesting story, and they actually outplayed the guards in their head-to-head meetings. The potential impact of Tarik Skubal’s start shouldn’t be lost on anyone either. I still go with the Guardians. I think they have a better lineup and I think they have a better pitching staff overall (despite Skubal being the better individual player). They may be on the verge of collapse in defense as well. Anything can happen in a short series, but the home-court advantage factor is Cleveland for me. Choose: Guardians 4
Akisa: I think this will be a low-scoring series considering the two offenses (both just average) and the deep line (both excellent), and in the end, the Tigers will come out on top because Tarik Skubal will be able to start Game 5 on regular rest given all the days off (three! ) in the ALDS this year. I find the Rangers and Tigers to be evenly matched. Yes, Cleveland won six more games during the regular season, but the team the Tigers have now is not the team they had for most of the season. The best player in the league ends up being the difference. Pick: Tigers at 5
Feldman: The Tigers have the best pitcher in the American League (quite possibly in all of baseball) and are on the run for life. I know we’re supposed to pretend the hot hand isn’t real but sometimes we get into a groove. Detroit is in a groove. Pick: Tigers at 5
Perry: Thanks to the two days off built into the ALDS schedules, the Tigers can get two full offseasons from ace and AL Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal. He’s the best player in the series, and it’s said here that he’ll make the difference in this clash of AL Central rivals. Pick: Tigers at 5
Pjanovich: The best of the five most exciting Midwest series you can fathom outside of Uecker’s hand. Tarik Skubal is an ace. But Jose Ramirez is the right trellis. The best offensive player in this matchup will have enough moments to swing this series to Cleveland. Choose: Guardians 5
Snyder: The Guardians may have been a bit underrated here with everyone (rightfully) looking to elude the Tigers in their final run, but the Guardians are a better team and the extra rest plus the extra day off in this series means Steven Vogt can lean in hard On his star barn. It’s better and deeper than a very good group of Tigers. I’m going to pick four games because if the Tigers get to Game 5, Tarik Skubal will start two games in the series and that’s risky for Cleveland. Choose: Guardians 4
Yankees vs. Royals
ANDERSON: Don’t sleep on the royals. Their cast (aside from Cole Ragan) may not have knockout stuff, but they throw you the kitchen sink and it works. They’re also a very good club and they have, Bobby Witt Jr., the potential runner-up for the MLS Most Valuable Player Award. At the same time, the Yankees have a talent advantage overall, in my estimation, and I think they’ll find a way to capitalize on this series on their way to the ALCS. Pick: Yankees at 5
Akisa: On many nights this season, the difference for the Yankees was that they had Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, and the other team didn’t. I expect the same here. Bobby Witt Jr. is an unbelievable player, I think he’s the best all-around player in the game, but he’s just one guy. Kansas City has had a tough time scoring goals lately – they’ve scored two or fewer goals in 10 of their last 13 games! -And you can only go so far with this little crime. Cole Ragan and Seth Lugo will give the Royals a fighting chance, and I don’t think this series will be one-sided, but in the end, the Yankees have Judge and Soto, and the Royals don’t. The Yankees are my pick. Pick: Yankees at 4
Feldman: Bobby Witt Jr. is one of the best players in the MLB and in most situations, I think he’s good enough on his own to give the Royals the advantage. Except the Yankees have Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. I might be tempted to give Kansas City the edge in pitching, but that’s not enough. Pick: Yankees at 4
Perry: I expect a low-scoring series thanks to the strength of the Royals pitching and the weakness of the non-Bobby Witt Jr. segments in the Royals lineup. For the Yankees, Aaron Judge Juan Soto’s combination will come in at the right moments. Pick: Yankees at 5
Pjanovich: Bobby Witt Jr. is great, but the rest of the Royals’ offense didn’t inspire confidence as they swept the Orioles in two games. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are as confidence inspiring a duo as a duo can be. Pick: Yankees at 3
Snyder: I think the NBA guys call this a gentleman’s sweep. The Yankees are the much better team. In fact, the Royals had a losing record when they didn’t play the White Sox this year and could only manage three runs in their win over the Orioles in the Wild Card Series. The Royals have Bobby Witt Jr., but the Yankees have Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. The Royals have a good rotation, but at this point, so do the Yankees. Pick: Yankees at 4
Dodgers vs. Padres
ANDERSON: I understand why other teams, including the Padres, have become a more fashionable choice to win the NL pennant. The Dodgers’ pitching staff is taking a beating, and there’s an undeniable feeling of exhaustion after seeing this team compete for the pennant every fall for a decade. This team is still really dangerous and capable of piling up hits and running fast. They have made 300 or more plate appearances for nine hitters this season…eight of whom have an OPS+ of 100 or better. These are ridiculous, ridiculous things. Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamato would be accepted as good end of the rotation for most teams – they feel less great here because the focus is on who is missing. And so on. Not to mention the Padres, they’re pretty good (and a lot of fun) too, but I’d have to go with LA Pick: Dodgers in 5
Akisa: Joe Musgrove’s injury really hurts but I still like the Padres more here. I think their pitching staff, even without Musgrove, is better from top to bottom — Dylan Cease and Mike King are the best pitchers in this series in my opinion, both wearing the brown and yellow — and their offense is better than I feel like it gets credit for. They have power, speed, contact, depth, you name it. I have this chain going at a distance. These two teams tend to play very interesting games when they meet, and I hope we get five exciting games in the ALDS. Pick: Padres at 5
Feldman: This is the toughest pick for me, and I think it will easily be the most fun series of the tour, and probably the entire postseason. The Padres’ rotation is excellent, even without Joe Musgrove, a guy this offense can hit when they’re on a roll. But the Dodgers are very good. Can you really bet against Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, not to mention Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Jack Flaherty? I can’t stand it. Pick: Dodgers at 5
Perry: I really like the way the Padres roster is set up after the deadline and with some key players healthy. I think it was put together very well for a deeper run and to upset their rivals in blue. And that’s the case even with the uncertainty surrounding Joe Musgrove. As for the Dodgers, this lineup is capable of burying anyone, but they have a lot of injuries to juggle right now. Pick: Padres at 5
Pjanovich: The Dodgers are currently on a six-game losing streak in the postseason (the streak began with three straight losses to the Padres in this round two years ago). The offense looked like a shell in itself against D-backs last year in the NLDS. They can’t go out like this again after adding Shohei Ohtani, right? This should be a dynamite series, and I can see the Dodgers finding a way to beat the Padres three times. Pick: Dodgers at 5
Snyder: This is the best series of the round and it’s going to be crazy. We will see a lot of lead changes, including late changes. Even with Joe Musgrove’s elbow issue, I like how the Padres are set up better here with their rotation and bullpen. You could even say the Padres have a better lineup, top to bottom, despite the Dodgers having Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. There is a lot of talent here, and we deserve five action-packed matches. Hopefully that’s what happens. Pick: Padres at 5
Phillies vs. Mets
Anderson: I know the Phillies scuffled sometimes in the second half. I think they are the better team here anyway. Zack Wheeler is the best pitcher remaining in the NFL, and the Phillies have the advantage of being able to rest and organize their pitching staff exactly as they want heading into the Series. That’s enough for me to choose Philly. Pick: Phillies at 5
Akisa: To me, the Phillies are the best team in the National League, and they’ve had all week to sort out their rotation and let the bumps and bruises heal. I’m simply picking the team I consider to be the best team here, which is the Phillies, even if their opponent hasn’t just played a brutal three-game Wild Card series. Pick: Phillies at 4
Feldman: We’ve seen the Phillies play out of their minds in October before and I have no reason to doubt they’re ready to do it again. They sat out a week, rested and sorted out their rotation (yes, a bye week is a positive. Don’t let anyone tell you any different). It’s all coming up Philly. Except the Mets are a team of destiny. They have a sense of humor and whimsy and joy and oh my goodness if it doesn’t work out. Pick: Mets at 5
Perry: Speaking of rosters compiled in the deep October round, the Phillies boast that. As always, this first-round bye gives a competitive advantage all other things being equal. The lineup is balanced with multiple threats, the rotation has an impressive front end, and the game is deep. Anything can happen in the playoffs, of course, but the Phillies are the best team in the series. Pick: Phillies at 4
Pjanovich: An upstart NL East wild card team that looked terrible in the first two months of the season but is now taking it up a notch in October against the NL East champion? We’ve watched this movie two years in a row, and we know how it’s going to end: a Phillies win. Pick: Phillies at 4
Snyder: The main concern I have with the Phillies is their catcher Suarez after he’s pitched to a 6.49 ERA in his last six starts, but he’s No. 4 at this point. If Suarez is right, the Phillies have four All-Star-caliber starters in front of a loaded bullpen backed by a dangerous lineup from top to bottom. This group has a lot of experience in deep qualifying rounds and is very hungry after failing twice. Pick: Phillies at 4
