The 2026 American League Championship Series gets started Monday night as the Tampa Bay Rays host the Cleveland Guardians. The Rays, who have never won a championship, are seeking their third World Series appearance and first since 2020. Cleveland, meanwhile, has not won the AL pennant since 2016 and has not won the World Series since 1948.
The AL East-champion Rays had the best record in the American League this season, earning the top seed on this side of the bracket. Tampa dispatched the Yankees in a three-game sweep in the ALDS. The Guardians are the AL's No. 2 seed (despite having the league's fourth-best record) and needed an ALDS comeback to move on to the Championship Series.
Cleveland fell behind the White Sox 2-0 in the last round before winning three straight games to reach the best-of-seven ALCS. So who do we think will be advancing to play either the Brewers or Dodgers in the 2026 Fall Classic? Our ALCS picks are below.
Series odds (via DraftKings): Rays -165, Guardians +135 Axisa: Rays in 5. The Guardians are coming in with a taxed pitching staff -- closer Cade Smith has worked very hard the last few days -- and a few too many hitters who didn't do much in the ALDS. They're behind the 8-ball big time.
Plus, I just think the Rays are the better team. Comparable rotation, better offense, better defense and baserunning. The bullpen is the only area I think Cleveland has a clear advantage, and those guys are running on fumes.
The Rays will grind out at-bats in a way the White Sox couldn't. I feel like a broken record at this point, but the Rays are better than most people are giving them credit for. They're significantly better than the Guardians, even before you get to how decimated the Cleveland pitching staff is after the ALDS.
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