Guardians' magical October ends in ALCS

State of play: Cleveland captured its third consecutive AL Central title and advanced to the ALCS for the second time in three seasons.

• Along the way, the Guardians overcame a 2-0 deficit against the Chicago White Sox in the Division Series, winning three consecutive games to keep their championship hopes alive.

What's next: Cleveland will enter the 2027 season with a foundation of young talent under manager Stephen Vogt, who has established himself as one of baseball's best skippers.

• Former first-round picks Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana emerged as key pieces, while a young pitching rotation led by Gavin Williams and Parker Messick showed promise.

Yes, but: Questions remain about whether the Guardians can generate enough consistent offense outside of José Ramírez to complement a talented, young pitching staff.

• Bazzana and DeLauter will need to take the next step as the front office has proven it's unlikely to spend on adding a proven bat.

The bottom line: The franchise is built to keep contending, but the Guardians have now gone 78 years without a World Series championship.

• That's the longest active drought in Major League Baseball.