World Series Predictions: Our Experts Make Their Picks

No more sweet underdog stories. The World Series is here and the Goliaths will compete for the trophy. It's a top matchup – at least in the lineup – that will pit the league's presumed MVPs against each other. There's a lot to be excited about, even if this series lacks the top-notch starting pitching matches that the October Classics were built on.

The last time the Yankees played in a World Series, there were no bullpen games, Sully Sullenberger landed jet planes in the Hudson River, and Derek Jeter was silent five years until retirement. The Dodgers haven't won a World Series with fans in the stands since people made their crushes on mixtapes, the disks were still on floppy disks, Kirk Gibson hobbled back and forth at first base, and Orel Hershiser was allergic to allowing runs . While this World Series clash between the coastal giants seemed inevitable, it was actually a rarity in the expanded playoff era.

For the final time in 2024, our panel of experts will look deep into their crystal balls to see which Blue Blood MLB franchise will be crowned the king of baseball. Here are our tips…

(Note: playoff seed in parentheses)

New York Yankees (1) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (1)

Go deeper

Dodgers vs. Yankees World Series preview: Predictions, pitching matchups and more

Eno Sarris (Yankees): The Yankees appear to have three Babe Ruths in the lineup. The longer this series lasts and the more they see these Dodgers relievers, the more likely they are to break through and put some big numbers on the board.

Zack Meisel (Dodgers): Rob Manfred's October dream won't end until Shohei Ohtani hits a walk-off hit in Game 7.

Go deeper

Yankees vs. Dodgers: Get ready for an “epic” World Series with so much to enjoy

Sam Blum (Yankees): The Dodgers have a very good bullpen, but they have been relied upon a lot. And their helpers will be needed even more in this World Series. That usage hasn't caught up with her yet, but it stands to reason that it will in this series.

Jen McCaffrey (Dodgers): Their offenses are both tremendous and their rotations are both flawed. The bullpen is increasingly relied upon in the postseason, and the Dodgers have the edge there. In what is expected to be a close series, the Dodgers appear to have a slight advantage, but it won't be easy.

Kaitlyn McGrath (Yankees): This series feels like a bad decision. They are two teams full of stars that are relatively evenly matched. The Yankees could have the edge in pitching, and I predict Aaron Judge will come out of this postseason doldrums and be a difference-maker on the biggest stage.

Go deeper

Yankees and Dodgers face off in the World Series: 5 storylines to watch

C Trent Rosecrans (Dodgers): It's the depth of the lineup. There are so many questions with each team about where the innings on the mound come from that I end up choosing offense and the Dodgers lineup is longer. In the end, runs win games and the Dodgers can score a lot of runs.

Keith Law (Yankees): I think the Yankees go into the World Series a much healthier team, and I think their offense will be too strong for the Dodgers' bullpen games – which in turn could lead to games in which the Dodgers' regular starter isn't can work in depth excursion because the Yankees' lineup is so patient.

Brittany Ghiroli (Yankees): This seems like a coin toss of a series to me and it would be great to end an incredible playoff month with a seven-game World Series. I think the Yankees' rotation advantage is significant, especially as their bullpens start to wear out from being pushed to the sidelines over and over again. Dave Roberts may be doing his best management work yet. If we're lucky, we'll see an epic battle across the coasts. Still, give me New York in seven minutes, complete with Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani trading punches and Juan Soto adding zeros to next year's paycheck.

Go deeper

Rosenthal: With Shohei Ohtani in his first World Series, a chance for great things on the “biggest stage”

Brendan Kuty (Yankees): The Yankees have better pitching and Giancarlo Stanton will be playing at Dodger Stadium, not far from where he grew up.

Andy McCullough (Dodgers): The four-day break could be huge for the Dodgers if key relievers Alex Vesia and Brusdar Graterol have time to recover from their injuries. The Dodgers can use Yoshinobu Yamamoto twice in this series, unlike in the NLCS against the Mets. With a more rested pitching staff, the group should be able to overcome the Yankees. But it should be fun!

Tyler Kepner (Yankees): While the Dodgers have a far more dangerous offense than Cleveland, their pitching is built the same way: minimal starting and lots of bullpening. The Yankees broke the Guardians' formula, and they'll do it again with the Dodgers.

Go deeper

How the Yankees' belief in their process, despite doubters, paid off with a berth in the World Series

Will Sammon (Yankees): The Dodgers' pitching situation looked worrisome during the NLCS. Can they continue to expertly protect top relievers from exposure and heavy workloads while playing more bullpen games? Against a Yankees lineup with these bats?

Sahadev Sharma (Yankees): The Dodgers are running out of pitching and the Yankees will barely have enough to get by.

Chandler Rome (Dodgers): The Dodgers have taken the harder route, showing more depth in both their lineup and bullpen. Five extra days of rest for Freddie Freeman would only help, too.

Stephen Nesbitt (Yankees): This is the best team in the American League versus the best team in the National League. Every comparison divides us. Both lineups are loaded. Both pitchers are extremely talented and have undeniable flaws. It just feels like there's no other way Juan Soto's first (only?) season in the Bronx could end – with him winning the World Series MVP trophy.

Go deeper

Dave Roberts kept the Dodgers train on track and returned to the World Series

Patrick Mooney (Yankees): This World Series is a pure coin toss.

Steve Berman (Dodgers): We heard about all of LA's supposed problems, particularly the health questions surrounding Freddie Freeman and the rotation as the postseason approached. Then the games started in October and none of it mattered — every time you looked up, the Dodgers were sprinting around the bases and doing that silly arm motion. Since the Yankees' rotation isn't overwhelmingly dominant, it's hard to see why we should expect that to change.

Ken Rosenthal (Yankees): The Yankees have more stable pitching.

Noah Furtado (Dodgers): You have Shohei Ohtani.

Go deeper

What we learned in the LCS round: Bullpen dominance, Soto importance, money talk

(Photo of Mookie Betts hitting Luis Gil: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)