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No matter the result, the 2016 World Series will provide salvation for one of the most cursed teams in Major League Baseball.

The Cleveland Indians are seeking their first title since 1948, while the Chicago Cubs have famously gone more than a century since their last World Series triumph (1908). The series begins Tuesday night in Cleveland.

When: Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Game 1 is as much of a must-win scenario for the Indians as any opening game of a postseason series can be. If Cleveland loses with its ace on the mound, then it could be in trouble. Only once in the last 10 years—the 2009 New York Yankees—did a team fall in the series opener before going on to win it all.

Corey Kluber has been excellent in his first postseason, allowing two earned runs in 18.1 innings. He has also struck out 13 batters and walked four.

Beyond Kluber, the Indians’ starting rotation is a major question mark. While Josh Tomlin has pitched well in his two playoff starts, it doesn’t erase a regular season in which he posted a 4.88 FIP, per Baseball-Reference.com. Trevor Bauer, meanwhile, made it through 0.2 innings in the American League Championship Series before his pinkie injury forced him to exit:

In Game 4, Indians manager Terry Francona will either have to start Kluber on short rest or rely on Ryan Merritt, who pitched well in the ALCS but has just five MLB appearances under his belt.

Losing Game 1 wouldn’t be a crippling blow for the Indians since this is a seven-game series. A defeat Tuesday night would, however, put more pressure on Tomlin and Bauer, which Francona will want to avoid.

The key for the Cubs in Game 1—and the World Series as a whole—will be getting out to an early lead. The last thing Chicago will want to see is Francona giving the ball to Andrew Miller in the fifth or sixth inning with Cleveland ahead.

Miller’s stat line from the ALCS is ridiculous, courtesy of MLB.com’s Richard Justice:

The Cubs have the offense to put a dent in the Indians rotation, especially after Anthony Rizzo broke out of his slump toward the end of the National League Championship Series. In his first seven playoff games this year, the All-Star first baseman was 2-for-26 at the plate. He went 7-of-14 in the last three NLCS games.

Cleveland will also have to silence the bats of Javier Baez and Kris Bryant, who are batting a combined .338 in the postseason with two home runs and 13 runs batted in. The playoffs have been a coming-out party for Baez in particular.

Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks had strong words of praise for the 23-year-old second baseman, per CSN Chicago’s JJ Stankevitz: “He’s the most natural baseball player I’ve ever seen play the game. His instincts in game are just top notch. And that was another play today that was huge. The first guy getting on, to make that play and turn that double play set such a tone for the game.”

From top to bottom, the Cubs are the stronger team in the World Series. Team president Theo Epstein built Chicago’s core around talented young prospects like Baez and Bryant and supplemented the team’s promising stars with ready-made veterans when the Cubs were ready to contend.

That’s not to diminish the work of former team president Mark Shapiro and current president Chris Antonetti in Cleveland, but the Indians simply haven’t had the resources afforded to their World Series opponents.

In addition, the Indians’ greatest strength during the regular season—their starting rotation—has been decimated by injuries. MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reported Cleveland will have Danny Salazar for the Fall Classic after missing the American League Division Series and ALCS, but he’ll be on a tight pitch limit.

The Indians will be underdogs, and in the event they fall in Game 1 at Progressive Field on Tuesday night, it could be a short series.

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The Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs know they’re a part of history in the making.

The Indians have a chance to wrap up the best sports year in Cleveland’s history. More than five decades of futility ended when the Lake Erie Monsters won the Calder Cup, then came the Cleveland Cavaliers’ historic NBA Finals comeback. Now, it could be the Indians’ turn.

Heading into the playoffs, few thought Cleveland’s starting rotation could pass muster. Corey Kluber is a legitimate ace, but the Indians lost Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco to injuries late in the season.

That left Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin, who each finished the regular season with earned run averages over 4.00. Things got even more dire in the playoffs, when Bauer suffered a gruesome hand injury while fixing his drone at home.

Yet no matter the odds, the Indians kept persevering. They went 7-1 over their first eight playoff games—not despite their pitching, but because of it. Their staff went through the ALDS and ALCS never giving up any more than five runs in a single game and only allowing an opponent to hit the five-run mark once. 

Manager Terry Francona made all the right calls, including the decision to start little-known Ryan Merritt in Game 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Merritt threw 4.1 innings of peerless ball before giving way to the bullpen, which has been almost unhittable this postseason. Andrew Miller’s ability to stretch beyond one inning has essentially forced opponents to play six-inning games with the Indians.

Second baseman Jason Kipnis talked about playing for Francona with Kevin Kernan of the New York Post:

Tito is the forefront of us, in all we do. You are not going to find one guy in here who does not enjoy playing for him and doesn’t wish he would be their manager the rest of their careers.

Once you have a guy like Tito, you really don’t want anybody else to manage you. You are like, ‘This is the way it should be, this is the way I want it to be, this is the way I enjoy it.’ He’s so much fun and he lets you be who you are.

Francona will unsurprisingly turn to Kluber for Game 1. The righty took Cleveland’s only loss of these playoffs but threw a combined 13.1 innings of shutout baseball in his first two starts. He has thrown only one game against the Cubs in his career, giving up one run and racking up 11 strikeouts over 7.2 innings and earning a no-decision in 2015. 

The Cubs announced Jon Lester as their Game 1 starter, which was no surprise, given his career is littered with postseason success. Lester has started 17 playoff games, recording an 8-6 record with a 2.50 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. He’s been nothing short of sensational in 2016, going 2-0 and giving up two earned across 21 innings of work. 

Talking to reporters, Lester sounds every bit of a grizzled postseason veteran:

I don’t want to sound like a smart-ass, but we got a long ways to go. I know that manager on their side’s going to be prepared. I know their coaching staff’s going to be ready. I know their players are going to be ready, just based on one player alone, and that’s Mike Napoli. I know what he brings to the table. He helped transform our 2013 team.

Come Tuesday, we got to put the gloves back on. We got to get ready to fight and grind and do what we’ve done well all year. We got four more games to win.

Lester is part of a contingent of players the Cubs have signed over the last two offseasons to build this team up. President Theo Epstein underwent a massive rebuild by stocking the minors with talented young prospects before making a series of offseason splurges.

The Cubs spent their regular season scoring more than all but two MLB teams and allowing the fewest runs in baseball. Their lineup features five players who were voted All-Star starters, guys who came back from being shut out in back-to-back games to score 23 runs over their final three wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

There’s also a chance they’ll get Kyle Schwarber back as a designated hitter, per Jon Paul Morosi of the MLB Network. The young slugger spent the last six months rehabbing his tail off to get cleared in time for the Fall Classic.

“I think sometimes in the game today, it gets to the point where it’s just about acquiring a number,” Maddon said, per Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. “I’m a big believer in that, but I also like the balance between the person and what the back of his baseball card says. Our guys do a wonderful job of balancing the math with the actual person.”

That balance of statistics and personalities now has the Cubs four wins away from their first championship in more than a century.

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One team’s prolonged championship drought will end in the 2016 World Series, as the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians start the last leg of their playoff journeys in Game 1 on Tuesday.

The Cubs’ MLB title drought is already well-known, as the team has gone without a championship since 1908. The Cubs are making their first World Series appearance since 1945, and they’ll look to their top postseason arm to lead them to a tough road win.

On the other hand, Cleveland has not won the World Series since 1948, which is the longest drought in the American League. The Indians will also trot out an ace on Tuesday in what seems likely to be a low-scoring affair.

Let’s take a look at the schedule and preview for Game 1 of the Fall Classic.

Game 1 Preview

Jon Lester is set to take the hill for the Cubs to kick off the series, and he has been excellent during his postseason career. 

In 19 appearances—17 of them starts—Lester is 8-6 with a 2.50 ERA and a 3.74 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s been even better this postseason, with a 2-0 mark and a 0.86 ERA in three starts. Lester’s World Series history also suggests he should be comfortable on Tuesday night, per ESPN Stats & Info:

However, Lester’s matchup against this Indians lineup suggests his stout playoff numbers may not hold up.

Cleveland was among the best teams in the majors against left-handed pitching this season, ranking sixth overall with a .268 club average. Lester also has a shaky history against many of the current Indians:

Lester hasn’t allowed more than one run in any start this postseason, but that streak may be in jeopardy. Cleveland has shown it can hit the lefty, and it will surely be amped by the rowdy home crowd. That could result in some early offense.

Lester will still pitch well, but he could give up a few runs on Tuesday.

As for his counterpart, Corey Kluber is another formidable arm that is also dominating in these playoffs.

In three starts, the 2014 Cy Young winner is 2-1 with a 0.98 ERA. Kluber put up these numbers against two of the top offenses in baseball, as the Boston Red Sox led the league in scoring this season and the Toronto Blue Jays lineup boasts some scary talent, including Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki.

Those three starts continued a trend of dominance that Kluber has enjoyed since the All-Star break. In the second half of the regular season, he was 9-1 with a 2.52 ERA. 

Thanks to its phenomenal bullpen, Cleveland has not needed many innings from its starters. But Kluber has been the exception to that, as he has a solid 18.1 innings of work this postseason. That raises the pressure on Kluber to go deeper into games to preserve the bullpen if this series goes long.

Kluber does not have much experience against the Cubs, with Dexter Fowler and Ben Zobrist being the only players with more than three at-bats against the Cleveland starter. In addition, Chicago has been streaky offensively this postseason, so there is little certainty as to how it will produce on Tuesday.

With both starters likely to be solid, this game could come down to the bullpen, giving Cleveland an edge. Led by Andrew Miller, the Indians have been riding their relievers to wins all postseason, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian noted in this tweet:

It’s tough to imagine either team scoring more than a few runs in this one, given the pitching prowess both clubs present. This game could be won on a late run, and Cleveland’s odds of getting the win look to be higher than Chicago’s, given the strength of its bullpen and its AL-best 53-28 regular-season home record. Expect a close Indians win in Game 1.

Prediction: Cleveland wins, 3-2

Statistics are courtesy of MLB.com unless noted otherwise.

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Here we go.

The 2016 World Series begins Tuesday at Progressive Field (8:08 p.m. ET on Fox). In one dugout, the Cleveland Indians; in the other dugout, the Chicago Cubs.

Between them, 176 years of championship-free baseball. And in living rooms from Ohio to Illinois, a whole lot of angst and anticipation.

You don’t need to be told, but we’ll tell you anyway: Cleveland hasn’t hoisted a Commissioner’s Trophy since 1948, while the Cubs’ drought stretches back to 1908. Someone is going to bathe in champagne chilled by the last ice age. 

As we await the first pitch and all the pitches that follow, let’s preview some key storylines and run through a set of game-by-game predictions. One caveat: This is the postseason, when prognostications fly out the window and the improbable frequently becomes reality.

The Cubs and Indians are in the World Series—what further proof do you need?

Begin Slideshow

The Cleveland Indians don’t need Corey Kluber to be anyone other than himself.

He’s one of MLB‘s top-shelf arms, after all—a Cy Young Award winner in 2014, an All-Star in 2016 and a stud throughout this postseason. He’ll take the ball in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday with the faith of a title-starved city behind him.

Still, if Kluber could be Kluber with a dusting of Madison Bumgarner, the Tribe wouldn’t protest.

We’re using Bumgarner as shorthand for a starting pitcher who slings a team over his back and carries it across the October finish line. It’s what MadBum did in 2014 for the San Francisco Giants. And it may be what the Indians ask of Kluber, per ESPN The Magazine‘s Buster Olney:

The calculus could change if Cleveland wins the first two games at Progressive Field and wrests control of the series.

Assuming that doesn’t happen, however, manager Terry Francona will think twice before digging deep into his depleted rotation against a dangerous Chicago Cubs lineup.

Before we explore that, let’s recount what Kluber has accomplished this October.

Through 18.1 innings spread over three starts, the 30-year-old right-hander owns a 0.98 ERA with 20 strikeouts and has held opposing hitters to a .197 average.

He won his first two starts, in Game 2 of a division series against the Boston Red Sox and Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, logging 13.1 shutout innings with 13 strikeouts.

He absorbed his lone loss in Game 4 of the ALCS, yielding four hits, two walks and two earned runs in five innings. That start came on short rest, so you could argue it’s a cautionary tale.

It’s not as if Kluber was a gas can, however. He struck out seven and flashed the array of weapons—a power sinker, cutter and sweeping breaking ball—that make him one of MLB’s least comfortable at-bats.

Kluber has eclipsed 200 innings in each of the last three seasons. Durability is listed under the “special skills” section on his resume.

He’s also got that intangible quality—call it grit, call it moxie, call it what you will. It’s what Bumgarner exudes at his scowling, otherworldly best.

“Corey’s a tremendous competitor,” Indians closer Cody Allen said after Game 1 of the ALCS, per MLB.com’s Jane Lee. “It never looks like the game’s speeding up on him or it’s getting out of control, and that’s the sign of a true ace.”

After that win, the New York Post‘s Ken Davidoff conjured the Bumgarner comp, so we’re not pulling this from the speculative ether.

OK, now a few words about the rest of the Indians’ starting rotation.

Josh Tomlin has been a revelation, going 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 10.2 innings. Trevor Bauer, however, is a question mark as he recovers from a drone-induced finger injury. Rookie Ryan Merritt is the lone lefty in the mix, but he’s made only two big league starts in his nascent career.

All-Star Danny Salazar is an intriguing X-factor. He hasn’t pitched since going down on Sept. 9 with a forearm strain, though, and can hardly be counted on.

That’s a lot of ifs and maybes. Kluber is a safe bet. Fortunately for the Indians, he’s got backup.

Allen and setup man Andrew Miller have combined for 19.1 innings of 10-hit, no-run ball with 33 strikeouts. In essence, they’ve made every Indians playoff game a five- or six-inning affair. If the Tribe have a lead late, forget about it.

Kluber, then, won’t necessarily have to flirt with complete games. Five or six strong frames may be all the Indians require with Miller and Allen waiting to finish the kill.

In that sense, Kluber could channel a combination of 2014 Bumgarner and the 2014 Kansas City Royals, the club Bumgarner vanquished that year in the Fall Classic.

The ’14 Royals, you’ll recall, had a shutdown bullpen headlined by Greg Holland, Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera that ruthlessly shortened contests. Add a thoroughbred No. 1 starter to that squad, and it probably would have won it all, as it went on to do in 2015.

Kluber should focus on being Kluber, comparisons and distractions aside. He’ll have his hands full against the Cubbies, who lead all postseason qualifiers with 48 runs scored.

If he’s looking for someone to emulate, however, he could do worse than MadBum.

Or, to put it another way, he couldn’t do much better.

All statistics accurate as of Monday and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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The two MLB teams with the longest droughts without winning a championship will square off in the 2016 World Series starting Tuesday in Cleveland.

The underdog Indians come into the World Series with a price of +170 (bet $100 to win $170) against the favored Chicago Cubs, who are -190 chalk (bet $190 to win $100) at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark to bring home their first MLB title since 1908.

The Game 1 pitching matchup pitting Cleveland’s Corey Kluber against Chicago’s Jon Lester opened as a pick’em and features two of the most dominant aces in the postseason this year.

Despite all the positive attention the bullpen for the Indians has gotten so far, Kluber has seemingly returned to his Cy Young Award-winning form from two years ago in these playoffs, allowing just two runs in 18.1 innings of work over three starts.

The hard-throwing righty has walked seven and struck out 20 after going 18-9 with a 3.14 ERA in 32 starts during the regular season.

Meanwhile, the Cubs have won all three of Lester’s starts this postseason, including two in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers that both resulted in identical 8-4 scores to earn him NLCS co-MVP honors.

Lester has given up just two runs over 21 innings with two walks and 14 strikeouts following a rebound campaign in 2016 that saw him end up 19-5 with a 2.44 ERA after going 11-12 with a 3.34 ERA in 2015.

Cleveland has home-field advantage in the World Series by virtue of the American League beating the National League 4-2 in the All-Star Game at San Diego’s Petco Park on July 12.

However, no team has more road wins this year than the Cubs, who went 46-34 away from home in the regular season and have won three of five in the playoffs to date. And Chicago has a 69 percent chance of winning the World Series, according to PredictionMachine.com.

The teams split four meetings last year, with Lester and Kluber both walking away with no-decisions in the most recent game, won 2-1 by Chicago at Wrigley Field on a Kris Bryant walk-off home run. The Cubs have won six of the last eight head-to-head matchups dating back to 2006, according to the Odds Shark MLB database.

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Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis suffered an ankle injury while celebrating his team’s American League Championship Series victory. However, he has been cleared to return.

Continue for updates.

Kipnis Active vs. Cubs

Tuesday, Oct. 25

The Indians announced that Kipnis is in the starting lineup for Tuesday’s game.

Image of Kipnis’ Injury Revealed

Tuesday, Oct. 25

Francona Comments on Kipnis’ Injury

Monday, Oct. 24

According to the Associated Press (h/t Sports Illustrated), Indians manager Terry Francona said Kipnis rolled his ankle while embracing Francisco Lindor as the team celebrated its ALCS victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

The manager described the setback as a low ankle sprain.

Kipnis Has Been Essential Piece in Indians Lineup

Kipnis went through a brief down period in May, when his on-base percentage was just .306, but he bounced back with an .876 OPS in June and looked more like the hitter who was named to the All-Star Game in 2015. He finished the season with 23 home runs, 82 RBI and an .811 OPS.

The Indians have needed Kipnis’ production in the No. 2 spot in their lineup behind Carlos Santana as the primary leadoff guy and to help set the table for Lindor and Mike Napoli in the heart of the order.

Cleveland is fortunate to have the versatile Jose Ramirez, who had a breakout offensive season with a .363 on-base percentage and is capable of playing multiple positions in the infield, including second base.

However, the loss of Kipnis would have been devastating because of his importance to the lineup and underrated defense. FanGraphs‘ defensive value metric ranks Cleveland’s second baseman as the third-best defender at the position behind Boston‘s Dustin Pedroia and Detroit‘s Ian Kinsler.

The Indians need their full assortment of hitters in the World Series to support a rotation that features Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin. Kipnis is a key reason for Cleveland’s success in 2016.

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The waiting will come to an end for the Chicago Cubs or the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series. That much is a given.

Both teams have been able to achieve to a very high level to get to this point. With the perspective of time, the Cubs and Indians will both look at the 2016 season as a success. But in the short term, one team will end up thrilled and the other will end up disappointed at having come so close before losing the World Series.

The oddsmakers favor the Cubs to win their first World Series title since 1908. They are minus-190 favorites, according to Odds Shark, while the Indians are plus-170 underdogs.

Those odds will not matter a lick to the players on the field. The Cubs certainly had the more impressive regular season with 103 wins, but the Indians won the American League pennant by beating the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays.

The American League has long been considered the superior of the two major leagues, and that could leave the Indians in slightly better shape than many experts believe.

The World Series gets underway Tuesday night from Progressive Field in Cleveland, and the Indians will have the benefit of home-field advantage if the series goes seven games. Here’s a look at our key predictions for the way the World Series will play out:

1. The Cleveland Indians will jump out to a lead in the series. With their raucous fans helping out, the Indians will earn the victory in the Game 1 with Corey Kluber on the mound. 

Kluber is the Indians’ ace and he will get the best of Cubs starter Jon Lester. Kluber will dazzle the Cubs lineup by getting ahead in the count and putting the Cubs away with his devastating slider. 

Hope will spring eternal in Cleveland as the Tribe ride their stud and come away with the opening win.

2. The Cubs will show off their power in Game 2. This is a strong lineup that has its ups and downs in the postseason, but big hitters like Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and Javier Baez will flex their muscles and show the Tribe that they are ready for prime time and will make this a series.

3. The World Series returns to the North Side of Chicago for the first time since 1945, and the city is in an absolutely electric mood. While the Chicago White Sox won the World Series in 2005 after their long drought, that was a non-event in comparison to what the city is feeling with the Cubs playing for the big prize.

It’s a huge party at Wrigley Field, and the mood grows even brighter as the Cubs build a four-run lead in the middle innings.

However, the Indians are a never-say-die kind of team, and they cut the deficit to two in the top of the ninth. Still, with Aroldis Chapman striding in from the bullpen, there is nothing but confidence emanating from the Chicago dugout.

Even though Chapman reached 103 mph on the radar gun, the Tribe rallies for four runs in the ninth, thanks in large part to a mammoth Mike Napoli home run. Cody Allen closes out the ninth and there is woe in Wrigleyville as the Tribe take a 2-1 lead.

4. Joe Maddon is under the gun because he could go with Jake Arrieta or Lester in Game 4, but he chooses to give John Lackey the ball. Lackey has a history of World Series success with the Anaheim Angels and the Boston Red Sox, and he wants the ball. He fairly well demands it, and Maddon has faith.

Lackey gives up a run in the first inning, but he shuts the Tribe down for eight innings. Maddon swallows hard and gives the ball back to Chapman for the ninth, and this time he strikes out the side on 12 pitches as the Cubs square the series.

5. It seems that Game 5 is a must-win game for the Cubs, because they don’t want to go back to Cleveland trailing 3-2 and being in a position where they are forced to win back-to-back road games.

Nevertheless, it is the Indians who come out prepared and they attack the baseball in the early innings. They get big hits from Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana and Lonnie Chisenhall, and they build a four-run lead in the sixth inning.

Terry Francona gives the ball to Andrew Miller and he douses the Cubs bats before giving way to Allen. The Indians come away with a 6-3 victory and head home needing one win to clinch their first World Series title since 1948.

6. The Cubs are a bit bloodied, but they are not beaten. They go to Cleveland knowing they need just two wins in a row to become champions.

The Cubs get a lift from an unlikely source in Kyle Schwarber, who was activated from the disabled list before the start of the series. He has played sporadically to this point, but this time Maddon makes Schwarber his cleanup hitter.

The powerful left-handed hitter bashes two long home runs, and one swears they can see the resemblance to Babe Ruth as he rounds the bases. He certainly has the majestic stroke. The Cubs roll to a four-run win and square the World Series at 3.

7. The Cubs have a chance to go with Lester to close out the World Series, while the Indians are going to have to go with an array of pitchers since Kluber was on the mound for Game 5 in Chicago. He can give the Indians a couple of relief innings, but that’s it.

Francona works his bullpen masterfully, and the Tribe head to the ninth inning with a one-run lead. Baez legs out an infield hit to start the inning and steals second. After he’s bunted over to third base, he scores on an infield chopper by David Ross to tie the game. The Tribe can’t score in the ninth, and the seventh game goes to extra innings.

After two scoreless frames, Baez triples to right center and then pushes the envelope when he sees Jason Kipnis bobble the relay for a split second. His head-first slide allows him to score the go-ahead run. Maddon hands the ball to Kyle Hendricks—and not Chapman—for the fateful bottom of the inning.

The calm and cool Hendricks handles the assignment perfectly, and the Cubs break their long dry spell along with Cleveland’s hearts.

The Cubs become World Series champions, and Chicago throws a party that lasts until Thanksgiving!

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Edwin Encarnacion has been a key member of the Toronto Blue Jays for the last seven-and-a-half seasons, but with the 33-year-old in the final year of his deal, he could be playing elsewhere in 2017.

Continue for updates.

Latest on Blue Jays’ Plans for Encarnacion Extension

Monday, Oct. 24

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins made it clear Monday that Toronto will make a strong effort to re-sign Encarnacion, telling reporters that retaining him and fellow slugger Jose Bautista is a priority, per TSN’s Scott MacArthur.

At the very least, the Blue Jays will extend Encarnacion a qualifying offer, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi.

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported Oct. 13 that the qualifying offer will be worth $17.2 million this offseason. Encarnacion would be a near-certainty to turn it down. Since he’s one of the best hitters available, he’ll be in a position to command much more on the open market.

The three-time All-Star said last Wednesday that the Blue Jays are his preferred destination:

It will be interesting, though, to see how team president Mark Shapiro chooses to handle both Bautista and Encarnacion.

During his days with the Cleveland Indians, Shapiro often shied away from signing aging veterans to pricey extensions, opting instead to invest in his younger players.

Last October, TSN’s Rick Westhead also reported Shapiro questioned Alex Anthopoulos’ decision to trade the Blue Jays’ best prospects in order to acquire David Price and Troy Tulowitzki. Anthopoulos ultimately decided against signing an extension with Toronto last year.

Encarnacion has been consistent the last five years—averaging just over 38 home runs and 110 runs batted in per season. At his age, though, the first baseman/designated hitter will soon begin to decline.

Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols are both cautionary tales for why it’s risky to pay significantly for sluggers who are into their 30s, no matter how impressive their track records are.

If Shapiro’s focus is on the long term, he and Atkins—who came over from the Indians as well—may have a definite ceiling for what they’re willing to offer Encarnacion.

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Very few World Series matchups in recent history offer more intrigue than Cleveland facing the Chicago Cubs in a series that will ultimately be remembered for one of these organizations ending a long championship drought.

But this would be a fantastic matchup without all of the historical context, and one you simply don’t want to miss. So let’s take a look at the championship schedule before breaking down both of these teams.

Cleveland

It was easy to overlook this Cleveland team coming into the postseason. They were dealing with a number of injuries, and they were facing the big bats of the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS. Surely, they would be steamrolled by David Ortiz, Mookie Betts and the star-laden lineup that Boston possessed.

Not so fast, folks.

Cleveland’s pitching, instead, dominated both Boston’s boppers and the big bats of the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS. Cleveland’s staff through eight games has an ERA of 1.77, a WHIP of 1.01 and 81 strikeouts in 71 innings.

Corey Kluber and Josh Tomlin have been fantastic as starters, giving up just five runs between them in five starts and 29 innings pitched. Reliever Andrew Miller has been basically unhittable as the team’s stopper out of the bullpen and has yet to give up a run. Closer Cody Allen hasn’t given up a run, either, and has five saves. 

The team’s bullpen, in general, has been superb. In the ALCS, Cleveland’s relievers gave up just four runs in 22 innings. In Game 3, the bullpen was required to throw 8.1 innings after Trevor Bauer had to be taken out of the game with a finger injury.

The result? Six relievers gave up just two runs and Cleveland won, 4-2.

In part, Cleveland’s bullpen has been so successful because manager Terry Francona doesn’t have strict roles assigned for his various components, instead using pitchers when he feels he needs them. It’s why a pitcher like Miller—who easily could fill the closer role—has found himself in the setup role, but he has also appeared in games in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

“Everybody (puts) the ego aside on this team,” reliever Bryan Shaw told Rob Oller of the Columbus Dispatch. “If guys were down there (saying) ‘I’m pitching my inning or I’m doing this,’ I don’t think we could have gotten to where we’re at right now.”

Cleveland’s bullpen has had to be superb—after Kluber and Tomlin, the team doesn’t have great starting pitching. But the team’s offense shouldn’t be an afterthought, either.

Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli provide the pop. Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez do a little bit of everything. Rajai Davis has been a revelation. Cleveland doesn’t have the bats that the Cubs possess, but they didn’t have the bats that the Red Sox and Blue Jays possessed, either.

But here they are. And once again, they’ll rely on their bullpen, their defense and timely hitting against a Cubs team that, on paper, is clearly more talented. 

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs were the best MLB team during the regular season, and it was never really in doubt. Few teams have the star power, depth and balance that the Cubs possess. 

Offensively, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo each hit over 30 home runs and 100 RBI, while Addison Russell added 21 dingers and 95 ribbies. Then there’s Javier Baez, who has hit .342 this postseason with one home run, four doubles, seven RBI and seven runs scored. 

And hey, for good measure, the Cubs also throw Ben Zobrist, Dexter Fowler and Willson Contreras at opposing pitchers, while Jason Heyward provides excellent defense in right field for the team. Good luck finding many weaknesses with this unit.

Oh, but it doesn’t end there. Players like Albert Almora Jr. and Jorge Soler are available off the bench, and Kyle Schwarber might return from a season-long injury to improve the team’s depth as well, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. And the ever-brilliant Joe Maddon is pulling the strings, and he always seems to know exactly what strings to pull with this lineup.

Of course, the team’s pitching is pretty stacked, too. 

The Cubs have a much more reliable postseason rotation than Cleveland, leaning on Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey. Lester has given up two runs in 21 postseason innings. Hendricks has given up just three runs over 16.1 innings. Arrieta and Lackey have been shakier this postseason but both had solid regular seasons and have October experience.

In the bullpen, Aroldis Chapman has also been a bit shakier, giving up three runs in eight innings pitched, though he does have three saves. Travis Wood and Carl Edwards, however, have given up one run in a combined 8.1 innings pitched, so Chicago’s bullpen has solid options as well.

Like Cleveland, the Cubs also play very good defense. And unlike Cleveland, which is without starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco and outfielder Michael Brantley, the Cubs are mostly healthy.

The argument for the Cubs is pretty simple: They’ve been the best team in baseball all year, they’re the better team on paper and their offense woke up against the San Francisco Giants. They were constructed to win a title, and they certainly feel they are capable of living up to those expectations.

“We’ve been believing it all year,” Cubs shortstop Addison Russell told Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal. “And the moment’s here.”

Indeed it is. Cleveland’s performance thus far has been magical, but the Cubs appear to simply be the better team.

Prediction

The Cubs will end their World Series drought, winning this matchup in six games.

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