Star-studded World Series is the high-priced showdown weve been waiting for

LOS ANGELES — With apologies to the cost-efficient Guardians and that gritty, gutty, lovable team from Queens, this is the World Series we’ve all been waiting for.MLB bigwigs won’t say it aloud, but the marquee matchup of Yankees and Dodgers — yes, especially the Ohtani Dodgers, let’s be real! — is the World Series that works best for them.The fans love it, too, as ticket prices are almost all in the thousands already.They want to see the stars, no matter the cost.This matchup has big history, even if it’s been 43 years.There was the Reggie game.There was Don Larsen authoring perfection.There was Jackie stealing home.Tradition is nice, especially for us old folks.

But this meeting is mostly about the current megastars who populate these celebrated rosters.“You are talking about all the biggest stars in the game, and they are going to be playing on the biggest stage,” Max Muncy said in the afterglow of the Dodgers’ NLCS win over those overachieving Mets.“As a fan, how special is this, man? This is unbelievable.”The $300M-plus Yankees and Dodgers are the two biggest payrolls (discounting the Mets’ for their close to $90M in “dead money”).

They have the three highest-paid pitchers (Gerrit Cole, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani, although Ohtani is said very unlikely to pitch — more on that later).They have the two highest-paid hitters (Aaron Judge and Ohtani).

And there is of course, the future highest-paid player (Juan Soto).The Yankees have three $300M players and a fourth who’ll be aiming for $700M (that’s the latest whisper number, and it’s a legit $700M ask, too.) The Dodgers have three $300M men, including the first ever $700M man.That’s Ohtani, the international superstar who’s making money for everyone.

Word going around is the Dodgers are actually earning a big profit on his record-setting deal, and who doesn’t believe that?Even in a competition that includes Soto (who allegedly called the Yankees’ clinching...