The star-studded World Series is exactly what we've been waiting for

LOS ANGELES – With apologies to the cost-effective Guardians and the brave, courageous and lovely team from Queens, this is the World Series we've all been waiting for.

MLB bigwigs won't say it out loud, but the big matchup of the Yankees and Dodgers – yes, especially the Ohtani Dodgers, let's be honest! – is the World Series that works best for them.

The fans love it too, as the ticket prices are almost all in the thousands. They want to see the stars, whatever the cost.

This duel has a great history, even if it was 43 years ago.

There was the Reggie game.

Don Larsen was perfect as an author.

Jackie stole home.

Tradition is nice, especially for us old people. But this meeting is mostly about the current megastars that populate these celebrated rosters.

“You're talking about the biggest stars in the game, and they're going to play on the biggest stage,” Max Muncy said in the aftermath of the Dodgers' NLCS victory over the towering Mets. “How special is that for a fan, man? This is incredible.”

The $300 million-plus Yankees and Dodgers are the two largest payrolls (the Mets are not included for their nearly $90 million in “dead money”). They have the three highest paid pitchers (Gerrit Cole, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani, although it's very unlikely that Ohtani pitches – more on that later). They have the two highest paid hitters (Aaron Judge and Ohtani). And of course there is the future highest paid player (Juan Soto).

The Yankees have three $300 million players and a fourth seeking $700 million (that's the latest whisper number, and it's also a real $700 million ask). The Dodgers have three $300 million players, including the first-ever $700 million man. This is Ohtani, the international superstar who makes money for everyone. Rumor has it that the Dodgers are actually making a big profit on his record-breaking contract, and who doesn't believe that?

Even in a contest that included Soto (who supposedly scored the Yankees' decisive win before hitting the home run that guaranteed it), Judge, whose regular-season stats dwarfed everyone, and Giancarlo Stanton, an unstoppable force in October, Ohtani is the guy to do it. This is a global event.

On a Dodgers team with extreme adaptability, he is the champion of versatility, a talent so great that he will win his third MVP in a year in which all he could do was hit (sorry, Frankie, you were also great). That's probably better for a Hollywood fantasy script, but wouldn't it be something if Ohtani could help out?

“That’s not going to happen,” was the unofficial statement from a Dodgers official.

OK, that's enough for a California Dreamin.

Follow the Post's coverage of the Yankees in the postseason:

This series is perfect enough as it is.

Soto enters free agency with a virtual guarantee of beating Ohtani for the actual contract value (Ohtani's is at $437.4 million, according to players' union filings) and an outside chance to also get the $700 million mark to reach after leading the Yankees to their first World Series in 15 years in 2019 with a hit for the ages. And this isn't widely known, but Soto actually called a buddy that afternoon and said he was finishing the series that evening. It's not exactly Babe Ruth calling the shots on the field, but like Ohtani, Soto combines otherworldly skills with unparalleled competitiveness.

If anyone beats the Dodgers for power, it's the Yankees, especially now that the popular slugger they all call G – the G apparently stands for guaranteed home runs in October – is actually outdoing Soto. It's still a wonder the Guardians chose Stanton, but now it's clear: The Yankees have more than “two good hitters,” as Luis Severino famously told them (“two and a half,” Severino said with a smile on Sunday to).

It's the pitching where the Yankees really have the advantage. They have a rotation that's close to what they want while the Dodgers are putting it all together. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who like the Yankees' Aaron Boone has an astonishing record and countless detractors, has done an excellent job of getting them here.

The Dodgers' rotation is, quite frankly, a mess, which gave the Mets hope that they could continue their miracle. A veritable all-star team of pitchers is on the field, including starters Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin; Recovering substitutes Alex Vesia and Brusdar Graterol are possible candidates for this series. What's left of their rotation is the $325 million Yoshinobu Yamamoto (who hasn't been the same since returning from a shoulder problem), Jack Flaherty (whom the Yankees parted ways with at the trade deadline because of lower back issues have taken) and a shell of Walker Buehler, who has one win in half a season since returning from Tommy John.

The Dodgers have the edge in lineup depth as Muncy is constantly on base, Kiké Hernandez is having his favorite month, and NLCS MVP Tommy Edman has transformed into a worthy cleanup hitter. And their absolute bullpen with the brilliant trio of Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips and Blake Treinen is even better than the Yankees' good pen.

For all their pain, the Dodgers are deeper. But there is no logical reason why the oddsmakers made her the favorite. It's a difficult decision, but it will definitely be fun. We can't wait.