Our expert picks for the ALCS and NLCS matchups

What a postseason it’s been so far -- and there’s still so much baseball to be played.

After exciting Game 5s in both the National League and American League Division Series, the League Championship Series matchups are officially set. The Dodgers host the Mets to open the NLCS on Sunday (8:15 p.m. ET on FOX), while the Guardians visit the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday (7:38 p.m. ET on TBS).

With that, we asked a number of MLB.com experts to weigh in and make their predictions on how the League Championship Series rounds will unfold. Check out their picks for each series below.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Mets (No. 6 seed) vs. Dodgers (No. 1 seed)

The pick: Mets (26 of 45 votes, 58%)

The Mets have taken out two of the three National League division winners to make the NLCS and now have the Dodgers in their sights. New York stunned Milwaukee on Pete Alonso’s three-run, go-ahead home run in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the Wild Card Series and earned a date with the division-rival Phillies in the NLDS. A 95-win Philadelphia team was no problem for the Mets, who knocked out their rivals in four games thanks to Francisco Lindor’s grand slam in the series clincher.

To beat the Dodgers and reach their first World Series since 2015, the Mets must rely on their strong starting rotation (Kodai Senga, Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and José Quintana) to shut down Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman -- no easy task. Alonso, Lindor and Co. will have to score plenty against a Dodgers pitching staff that has dealt with injuries but still managed to shut out the Padres in back-to-back games to rally from a 2-1 NLDS deficit.

Why they'll win

• “For the better part of the past four months, the Mets have been the best team in the sport, so I see no reason to shy away from them here. Sean Manaea's emergence into a playoff ace puts them over the top, while Francisco Lindor leads the bats, setting up either a rematch with his former club or an all-New York Fall Classic.” -- Jesse Borek, content producer, prospects
• "The Dodgers' bullpen was impressive against the Padres and we know what their lineup can do. But in a seven-game series, their starting pitching is too thin, and their bullpen will be too taxed to hold on facing a Mets club that is hitting on all cylinders right now.” -- David Venn, Spanish-language senior national reporter
• “If there's a team of destiny, it's the Mets. Just when you think they are down and out, something dramatic pulls them back up. Oh, and they've got better pitching than the Dodgers.” -- Chris Begley, supervising editor, content operations

The dissenting view

“As magical as this Mets run has been, I fear their relatively small Circle of Trust in the bullpen will catch up to them here. Granted, the Dodgers have some serious questions in their starting staff, but their lineup has so much firepower, and this will be the series in which Shohei Ohtani truly makes his October mark.” -- Anthony Castrovince, senior national reporter

Series predictions
Mets (6 games): 17 votes
Dodgers (6 games): 14 votes
Mets (5 games): 5 votes
Dodgers (7 games): 4 votes
Mets (7 games): 4 votes
Dodgers (5 games): 1 vote

Who will be named NLCS MVP?
Francisco Lindor (NYM): 15 votes
Shohei Ohtani (LAD): 8 votes
Mookie Betts (LAD): 6 votes
Brandon Nimmo (NYM): 4 votes
Teoscar Hernández (LAD): 3 votes
Mark Vientos (NYM): 3 votes
Pete Alonso (NYM): 2 votes
Edwin Díaz (NYM): 1 vote
Jack Flaherty (LAD): 1 vote
Freddie Freeman (LAD): 1 vote
Tyrone Taylor (NYM): 1 vote

Our voters like Lindor to win NLCS Most Valuable Player honors, with one-third of the 45 voters in the poll tabbing the Mets shortstop. It would be another big moment in a standout season for Lindor, who had a huge home run against the Braves in the doubleheader to close the regular season and another against the Phillies in NLDS Game 4.

"Shohei Ohtani is almost definitely taking home the NL MVP Award, but Francisco Lindor will lead New York to the NL pennant," said Brian McGrath, supervising editor for content operations. Still, 10 other players (five Dodgers and five Mets) earned at least one vote, with Ohtani receiving the most votes of any L.A. player.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Guardians (No. 2 seed) vs. Yankees (No. 1 seed)

The pick: Yankees (33 of 45 votes, 73%)

It took the Yankees four games -- four very close games -- to knock out the Royals in the ALDS, with no contest decided by more than two runs. New York might not be able to rely on narrow victories against a Guardians team that ranked third in MLB with a 26-19 (.578) record in one-run games thanks to Emmanuel Clase and an elite group of relievers.

But with Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and a suddenly scorching Giancarlo Stanton anchoring the lineup, it’s hard to bet against the Yankees in this series. The Bronx Bombers also have the edge when it comes to starting pitching, with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt leading the way. If the Yanks’ arms can handle Steven Kwan, José Ramírez and the Guardians’ resilient lineup, another trip to the Fall Classic is within sight.

Why they'll win

• “The Guardians had to put everything they had into getting past the Tigers. Their pitching won't be able to hold up against the Yankees, who got past the dangerous best-of-five setup and now will be too much for Cleveland.” -- Jeff Gold, senior editor, breaking news
• “No one in baseball does more damage when hot than Aaron Judge. And that will be the difference in what will be a very close series.” -- Ricardo Montes de Oca, Spanish-language content producer
• “Behind their tremendous bullpen, the Guardians will take this series to the limit. But in the end, the Yankees' star power will win out and finally lift them back into the World Series.” -- Jeremy Smith, senior content producer

The dissenting view

“The Yankees have the edge in star power and a stronger rotation, but the Guardians' best bats woke up near the end of the ALDS. That, plus the bullpen looking as elite as ever, should give Cleveland the edge in what'll likely be a grueling series.” -- Casey Drottar, editorial producer

Series predictions
Yankees (5 games): 15 votes
Yankees (6 games): 11 votes
Yankees (7 games): 7 votes
Guardians (7 games): 8 votes
Guardians (6 games): 3 votes
Guardians (5 games): 1 vote

Who will be named ALCS MVP?
Juan Soto (NYY): 11 votes
Aaron Judge (NYY): 10 votes
Steven Kwan (CLE): 5 votes
José Ramírez (CLE): 5 votes
Gerrit Cole (NYY): 3 votes
Giancarlo Stanton (NYY): 3 votes
Gleyber Torres (NYY): 2 votes
Luke Weaver (NYY): 2 votes
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY): 1 vote
Emmanuel Clase (CLE): 1 vote
Alex Verdugo (NYY): 1 vote
Austin Wells (NYY): 1 vote

Our voters were rather torn between a pair of Yankees star sluggers, with Soto getting just one more vote than Judge when it comes to winning ALCS MVP. In his first season with New York, Soto has already been a revelation for the Yankees -- but now it's time for him to shine when it matters most. As social media editorial manager Zac Vierra put it, "This will be the series that Juan Soto earns his pinstripes." Even if Soto doesn't step up, Judge, Stanton or the six other Yankees who earned MVP votes in our poll could get the job done -- if Ramírez, Kwan and the Guardians don't beat them to it.