Your Best Guide to the MLB Playoff: Playoff Teams, Matchups and Predictions

After 2,429 MLB regular season games, the brackets are set and playoff baseball is finally here. Coming off one of the most memorable World Series Game Sevens in recent memory, the expectations for this year’s playoffs are high. The Argus gives you a breakdown of each of the playoff teams competing for the World Series title and Commissioner’s Trophy, as well as a prediction of how it will play out. 

American League:

The American League has been the significantly worse league over the course of the season. The weakness of this league is indicated by a .500 team making the playoffs. Regardless, the playoff bracket features some interesting matchups, and the two teams with a bye feature bottom-four payrolls in the sport.

The historic rivalry is back for a second straight postseason of the Red Sox facing the Yankees in the Wild Card, with the winner eventually facing the Rays. On the other side of the bracket is a 2005 World Series rematch, as the White Sox face off against the Astros in the Wild Card. The winner faces the Guardians. 

With the matchups set, let’s take an in-depth look at each of the American League playoff teams. 

Boston Red Sox:

The Red Sox’ season was an extreme roller coaster. With high expectations coming into the season, a paltry 10–17 start led to the firing of their manager. They hit rock bottom on June 24th with a record of 32–46. This would all change on July 3rd when the Red Sox rattled off a 15-game win streak as part of 27–3 run. The Red Sox pitching team anchored by Sonny Gray, Payton Tolle, and Aroldis Chapman has been one of the best pitching staffs in all of recent baseball. However, the offense led by Willson Contreras has been streaky. The Red Sox have faced a lot of players coming off of injuries, but with them returning to form, a long playoff run could be in their future.

Cleveland Guardians:

The Guardians have won their third straight AL Central with a second September comeback. Their pitching has carried them all season, thanks to rookie Parker Messick and closer Cade Smith. The Guardians’ offense lacks home run power, so they manufacture runs by putting the ball into play and stealing bases. While they might have the easiest path to the World Series, they’ll need José Ramírez to regain his form and the rest of the offense to show up in the playoffs to make it all the way. 

Chicago White Sox:

Despite coming up short on winning the division, the White Sox making the playoffs this season is both historic and shocking after three straight seasons of 100-plus losses. The offense has led them to the playoffs thanks to All-Star Miguel Vargas and rookie Munetaka Murakami, who proved all his doubters wrong in his first season coming over from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Their pitching staff won’t blow you away with the names they are putting out there, but they have been quite serviceable. It remains to be seen if the pitching staff is strong enough to survive the October run.

Houston Astros:

Despite starting the season slow and losing Carlos Correa to injury, the Astros won the AL West again and made history by being the first .500 or worse team in MLB history to make the playoffs (not including shortened seasons). The Astros will see if potential MVP Yordan Álvarez and their offense can carry them through these playoffs. While the numbers for their pitching have been lackluster, the pitching team has had its moments and has the talent to be dominant with Hunter Brown, Josh Hader, and Bryan Abreu leading the way. While these aren’t the Astros of the past, they still have plenty of playoff experience which can help guide them to a long playoff run.

New York Yankees:

The Yankees’ return to the playoffs is not all that shocking, but the way they got there was. With the absences of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees relied heavily on their top pitching staff including the likes of David Bednar, Brent Headrick, and potential Cy Young winner Cam Schlittler. Their offense has been streaky throughout the season, but it has been able to weather their many injuries because of strong seasons from Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger. Even with the possibility of Judge and Stanton returning for the Wild Card round, the offense is still what might prevent them from making it past their AL East foes and into a deep playoff run. 

Tampa Bay Rays:

Despite featuring a bottom-four payroll in the sport and being in a division with two teams in the top five of payroll, the Rays won the AL East. The Rays feature a top offense with Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz, and Chandler Simpson. Despite their lack of home runs, the Rays offense knows how to take advantage of every opportunity they are given. The Rays have a bevy of great pitchers led by Drew Rasmussen and closer Bryan Baker. They are the favorite to make the World Series out of all the AL, though whether their lack of home runs stops them from doing so remains to be seen.

National League:

The National League is where the powerhouse teams are this season. Arguably each one of these can win the World Series, which is something that you can’t say about all of the American League teams. The playoff bracket also features some great matchups and storylines. 

The Cubs and Padres get a rematch of last year’s Wild Card, though this time in San Diego with the winner playing the Brewers. Meanwhile, division rivals Phillies and Braves face off for the third time in the last five postseasons in the Wild Card, with the winner playing the Dodgers.

Now that we know matchups, let’s get an in-depth look at each of the National League playoff teams. 

Atlanta Braves:

After missing the playoffs last season, the Braves have bounced back and won the NL East. Despite having eight different injured pitchers, the Braves pitching led by Chris Sale and closer Raisel Iglesias has carried them through the season, though it remains to be seen if they will have enough pitching to sustain their playoff run. The Braves offense has had its moments with strong seasons from Matt Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Drake Baldwin. To achieve the playoff run they desire, the Braves will need Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies to regain their former selves. 

Chicago Cubs:

The Cubs are back in the playoffs looking to avenge their early exit last year. The team is led by their top offense headlined by Seiya Suzuki, Alex Bregman, and potential MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong. Meanwhile, their pitching has struggled a little bit with many on the injured list and some of their trade deadline acquisitions not living up to expectations. However, they do have flamethrowing closer Daniel Palencia in their bullpen. The Cubs’ defense is also exceptionally strong, though the team’s run really will come down to their pitching. 

Los Angeles Dodgers:

The back-to-back champs are unsurprisingly back in the playoffs and have gotten healthy just in the knick of time. It’s hard to poke holes in this team. Even with Shohei Ohtani not pitching this postseason due to various injuries throughout the season, they have the reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal to replace him. If Kyle Tucker continues to struggle, the Dodgers can just start Kiké Hernández who has been a playoff demon in his career. They will have to face all the best teams in the league on their way to the World Series, but that didn’t stop them in 2024 and it remains to be seen if it will stop them this year.

Milwaukee Brewers:

Believe it or not, the Brewers finished this season with the best record in baseball en route to their fourth consecutive division title. Despite having a top-five pitching staff including potential Cy Young winner Jacob Misiorowski, you might not know anyone else on their pitching staff. The Brewers also possess a top-five offense thanks to strong seasons from Jake Bauers, Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang. However, the Brewers have hit the second fewest home runs in MLB this season, which might not bode well for them in the playoffs. We’ll see if their lack of home runs stops them or if they can get over the hump this year and have the chance to compete for their first World Series victory.

Philadelphia Phillies:

The Phillies have scraped through to the playoffs once again, following a rocky start to the season leading to the hiring of interim general manager Don Mattingly. The team’s starting pitching staff this season featured a three-headed monster of Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo and Cristopher Sánchez, though it remains to be seen who will be able to start in the Wild Card. The Phillies also have an ultra-reliable closer in Jhoan Duran, though the rest of their bullpen leaves a lot to be desired. While the Phillies lineup has the name power, many players have not reached the levels that their hefty contracts should imply. If the Phillies can unlock their offense, they should be able to make a deep run—if not, it will be another early exit for them. 

San Diego Padres:

The Padres have experienced an up-and-down season, but have made their third consecutive postseason appearance. While some of their stars have not lived up to their contracts, the Padres have gotten a surprise season from Ty France. Fernando Tatís Jr. has been on a heater ever since hitting his first home run on May 30th. Their starting pitching has struggled this season, though Adrián Morejón and flamethrowing closer Mason Miller lead their strong bullpen. The Padres will need their superstars to play to the back of their baseball cards and their starting pitchers to be able to hand a lead over to the bullpen in order to  avoid another early exit.  

Predictions:

I predict the World Series match-up will be the Milwaukee Brewers versus the Tampa Bay Rays, with the Brewers winning in six games. Regardless of the result, the playoffs are shaping up to be quite entertaining, and it all starts today.

Benjamin Mayer can be reached at bmayer@wesleyan.edu.