After an action-packed final day of the regular season, the bracket is set, and playoff baseball is upon us. It’s been a volatile and chaotic season that has seen juggernauts fall off the map and small-market teams roll into the playoffs under the radar, and the playoffs should be just as unpredictable. As the grounds crews stencil on post-season logos behind home plate and get the ballparks ready for national television, the Argus sports crew wants to get in their picks for the last remaining teams at the end of October.
Ethan: Yankees over Phillies
Why would I choose a wild-card team to win the World Series? Is it because they are nearer and dearer to my soul than almost anything? Yes, but there’s more.
The Yanks missed winning the American League (AL) East by one game to the Toronto Blue Jays, but nonetheless finished tied with Toronto for the best AL record at 94–68 while having one of the most prolific offenses in the major leagues. Last year’s AL champs may not have seemed like a deep October team all year with Gerrit Cole undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery before Opening Day, but the Yankees had the personnel to step up. Max Fried was a true ace throughout the season, going 19–5 with a 2.86 ERA to boot, and Carlos Rodón had his best season in pinstripes yet. Hitters also emerged with Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham both making big impacts, as well as the offseason signing of Cody Bellinger paying off in the wake of Juan Soto’s subway departure. Aaron Judge had another monster year, adding a major league batting title to his laundry list of accomplishments, reminding us why he is the best player in the game. All in all, an imperfect year was salvaged in the last month or so, and the Bombers seem to be clicking at the right time. New York’s first task will be beating the pesky (no pun intended) Red Sox in a three-game Wild Card Series, and this sounds daunting because of the Yanks’ 4–9 record against Boston this season. But with the starting pitching edge outside of Game 1 (Garrett Crochet has been brilliant for Boston) and coming off a September that saw the Yanks with the second-best record in baseball, they should be able to keep their hot streak going against their rivals.
I’ll leave a detailed Phillies breakdown to Max, but the Fightin’ Phils have had the NL East locked up, building a 13-game lead since the beginning of August and ending with the second-best record in the majors. Kyle Schwarber has shown that he can anchor a championship-caliber offense, and Christopher Sanchez shot from talented young pitcher to Cy Young candidate at the perfect time for this already potent team.
This 2009 World Series rematch is a great draw, with both fanbases hungry after coming up short in the series once each in the past three years (’24 for the Yanks and ’22 for the Phils). I would expect this series to go six or seven games, but I give the edge to New York for three reasons: improved offensive production after winning the pennant last season, the starting pitching to stay steady with the Phillies’ aces, and pure hope and bias.
Anna: Mariners over Brewers
I’m predicting an entirely vibes-based World Series. It would be peak drama. Two teams who’ve never won it all (one of whom who’s never so much as sniffed the Fall Classic in any capacity) go head-to-head, fueled by the power of friendship, as well as pocket pancakes and an Etsy witch, respectively.
Let’s start with the NL side. The Brewers have consistently managed to make the playoffs, but they’ve been bounced in the first round they played every year since 2018. That said, this iteration of the Brewers is the best they’ve ever been, having secured not only the top record in the Majors, but also the best in Brewers history. And while Milwaukee has stars—among them former MVP Christian Yelich and Platinum Glover Brice Turang—this is not a team carried on the backs of one or two players. The Brew Crew has won largely thanks to good old-fashioned small ball. They’re tied for the second-best batting average in the Majors, have the second-most stolen bases, and boast the second-best ERA. That said, they’re also 22nd in home runs, which could be a problem in the postseason, where one big swing can change the entire course of a team’s run.
Unlike the Brewers, the Mariners are making their run on the back of a superstar. But Cal Raleigh isn’t just any star player. He’s a bona fide MVP threat who is having the sort of offensive season that’s putting his name next to Babe Ruth’s in the record books, smacking a Major League-leading 60 homers on the year on top of allowing zero passed balls in his 121 games played at catcher. Aside from Raleigh, Seattle’s rotation was solid as ever, but what was really crucial were their offensive additions at the deadline, most notably first baseman Josh Naylor. Naylor has been a revelation, slashing .299/.341/.490 in his 54 games with the M’s. Though the numbers might slightly favor the Brewers, the grit the Mariners showed in rallying to win 10 straight after an early September slump makes me think that they will bring Seattle not only its first World Series appearance, but its first championship. After all, when Cal Raleigh says you “might as well go win the whole fucking thing,” what are you going to do, ignore him?
Spencer: Cubs over Tigers
The Cubs and Tigers both appeared in the playoffs in 1984. Chicago was passing into the final woeful third of their century-long title drought, while Detroit finished off their most magical season by defeating the Padres in a five-game World Series. The two teams actually have a surprisingly long and ancient Fall Classic history: Each has won two Series against the other.
Detroit limps into the playoffs looking more like, well, cubs than tigers following the worst divisional collapse in history. But despite finishing 3–13, watching a 15.5-game lead in the AL Central dissolved, and entering the Wild Card Series with the fewest wins of the AL playoff field, the Tigers have as good a chance as ever at redemption. They face the Cleveland Guardians, who they would have faced anyways, albeit at home, had they held on to the division. Cleveland was also incredibly lucky, winning 88 games despite having a negative run differential. Tarik Skubal, the league’s premier pitcher, will start Game 1. If they should make it to the division series against the Mariners and then advance to face whatever AL East monster emerges, Skubal will be the anchor.
While the rest of the rotation is pretty weak, I always believe offense is more important in the playoffs. Javier Báez and Gleyber Torres aren’t exactly Alan Trammell and “Sweet Lou” Whitaker in the infield, but both have extensive playoff experience. Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene both have a lot of pop. Yes, these same Guardians took two of three from the Tigers last week. Yes, a lot of confidence eroded in a bitter September. But the regular season is behind them; two wins in the Wild Card Series can build back their confidence and drive them towards their sweetest October in at least a decade.
The Cubs have a well-rounded team that had a run differential of +144, led by Nico Hoerner, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Dansby Swanson, all good hitters who are excellent defensively. In addition to those three, Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch both smacked over 30 homers, Kyle Tucker posted a 143 OPS+, and Carson Kelly and Ian Happ both were well above average offensively. As I said before, offense is key in the playoffs, and the potent lineup could lead them far into the playoffs.
Chicago’s Game 1 starter will likely be Matthew Boyd, who put up his first All-Star campaign in 2025. Colin Rea and Jameson Taillon had lukewarm seasons, but finished strong: The former had a 2.63 ERA and an 8:1 K/BB ratio in September, while the latter allowed just four earned runs over four starts in the same month. Shota Imanaga and Cade Horton, both solid this year, are also available.
The Wild Card Series will be held at Wrigley, one of the best home-field advantages in baseball. The Cubs were excellent at home this year (50–31), while the Padres were mediocre on the road (38–43). Milwaukee will challenge them, but this balanced squad could topple the giant; in fact, the Cubs took the season series against the Brewers. Chicago has as good a chance as any to emerge from a loaded NL field.
Max: Phillies over Mariners
I am fully aware that this is the betting favorite for the World Series matchups. I’m also aware that in every year except last, since it was introduced, a no. 6 seed has made the World Series. But referring to history would be a disservice to the amazing moment we are in for baseball, and it’s pretty clear to me that the Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners look poised to dominate their respective leagues.
The Phillies are probably playing the best baseball out of any team heading into the playoffs. Their offensive firepower, led by the league leader in RBIs Kyle Schwarber, the NL batting champion Trea Turner, and the always-dangerous Bryce Harper, has shown strong form since the All-Star break. Despite losing their ace, Zack Wheeler, to a thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis, their pitching unit remains one of the strongest in baseball. Cristopher Sanchez will likely finish second in NL Cy Young Award voting, Ranger Suárez’s even-keeled demeanor in high-pressure situations makes him a playoff threat, Jesús Luzardo just capped off a career best year, and Aaron Nola returned to form in his final start of the regular season. With a bullpen anchored by trade deadline acquisition Jhoan Duran, the Phillies are a juggernaut that can win by any means possible, which separates them from the rest of the pack in the National League.
The Mariners, on the other hand, are coming off an impressive regular season campaign that saw them win the AL West for the first time since 2001. While many expected their pitching rotation to carry them towards playoff contention, the bats have been more impactful to their success than anything else. Cal Raleigh’s MVP campaign has invigorated this offense into one of the strongest in baseball. A squad of Julio Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena, Josh Naylor, J.P. Crawford, and Eugenio Suárez makes this team’s top-to-bottom lineup as explosive as it gets. Their pitching is deadly as well. Bryan Woo just completed one of the most consistent regular seasons for a starter since the turn of the century, Logan Gilbert is still an ace, and Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Bryce Miller are all able to throw seven scoreless innings on any night.
If their three-game series this past August is an indication of anything, it’s that the Phillies clearly outweigh the Mariners in every aspect of the game. The Phillies will take down the Mariners in six games, Bryce Harper will finally get Philly its ring, and they will win it all at Citizens Bank Park.
Max Forstein can be reached at mforstein@wesleyan.edu.
Spencer Landers can be reached at sklanders@wesleyan.edu.
Ethan Lee can be reached at ejlee@wesleyan.edu.
Anna Thomas can be reached at asthomas@wesleyan.edu.
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