Alex Rodriguez says New York Yankees have 'easy road' to World Series through Guardians

Baseball analyst and former star player Alex Rodriguez didn't give the Cleveland Guardians much credit when assessing the ALCS outlook against the New York Yankees on MLB on FOX.

“(The Yankees) have an easy road to the World Series,” A-Rod said after fellow analyst and former Yankees teammate Derek Jeter gave a more diplomatic outlook for the ALCS by noting the Yankees’ success this season against AL Central opponents.

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Rodriguez hedged the comment somewhat by saying, "Look, it's never easy, right? But this is the clearest path in 20 years."

It's no secret that most MLB fans would consider the Guardians the underdog compared to the Yankees in this series.

Based on team payroll alone, the Yanks are second in baseball behind only their Subway Series rival New York Mets with a team payroll just north of $309 million.

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The Guardians, meanwhile, have vastly overperformed based on money spent.

Cleveland ranks No. 23 in MLB for team payroll at just over $106 million, according to Spotrac data . When your opponent is spending nearly three times as much on its talent compared to your own, it's safe to assume they have an on-field advantage.

Nevertheless, the Guardians remain a very talented baseball team, especially when the offense pushes across enough runs for its elite bullpen to go to work.

If nothing else, first-year manager Stephen Vogt has some added whiteboard material to inspire his guys ahead of the ALCS, as they hold the power to make A-Rod eat those words and show the Yankees they belong among the American League's best teams.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Alex Rodriguez says New York Yankees have 'easy road' to World Series through Guardians