The MLB season is a marathon. Teams compete over a 162-game schedule, needing to rank among the top six squads in their respective leagues to make the playoffs. Wins are just as valuable in April, May, and June as they are in the latter part of the season, and franchises can’t afford to lose ground to the teams ahead of them.
Here’s what the playoff brackets would look like if the postseason started today.
AL East Odds Update: Orioles and Rays Dueling at Top
National League
| No. 1 – Atlanta Braves | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Los Angeles Dodgers | First-Round Bye |
| No. 3 – Cincinnati Reds | No. 6 – Milwaukee Brewers/Miami Marlins |
| No. 4 – San Francisco Giants | No. 5 – Philadelphia Phillies |
Outside of the Atlanta Braves, the National League is becoming chaotic. The Atlanta Braves have a commanding lead atop the standings, but every team beneath them is clawing for whatever wins they can get. The Los Angeles Dodgers occupy the second seed, but not comfortably. They are only 2.5 games up on the San Francisco Giants and 5.5 up on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Moreover, the San Diego Padres are within striking distance, needing to make up 8.5 games on the frontrunners. And with a crucial four-game set coming up between the Friars and Dodgers, the NL West could be due for a big shake-up.
The uncertainty continues in the NL Central. The Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers continue to flip-flop, trading places for the top spot in the division. As it stands, Cincinnati has an untenable 0.5 advantage, but neither team can look past the surging Chicago Cubs, who are now 3.0 back of the division lead and 2.5 back of a wild card spot. Coincidentally, the Reds and Brewers could face off in the opening round, but not before Milwaukee got past the Miami Marlins in the tiebreaker game.
As noted, the Giants are in a dogfight for a first-round bye. But as it stands, San Fran is locked into the first wild card seed. Their +2.0 game lead doesn’t inspire much confidence, particularly with six teams within 6.0 games of them. Still, as far as NL playoff berths go, they appear to be sitting pretty. The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to defend their pennant from last season, but there are no guarantees they will hang onto their playoff spot. Philadelphia has dropped three of five, playing a decisive series finale against the Marlins on Thursday.
With so much left to be decided, none of these teams can afford to take their foot off the pedal down the stretch.
American League
| No. 1 – Baltimore Orioles | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Texas Rangers | First-Round Bye |
| No. 3 – Minnesota Twins | No. 6 – Toronto Blue Jays |
| No. 4 – Tampa Bay Rays | No. 5 – Houston Astros |
As uncertain as the Senior Circuit is, the gap between playoff and non-playoff teams continues to grow in the American League. The top two teams in the league come from the same division, but the Baltimore Orioles are holding steady as the first seed in the AL. Over the past couple of weeks, the O’s have railroaded their competition recently, winning critical intra-divisional series against the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays. Those efforts have propelled Baltimore to the top of the heap in the AL, with everyone else trying to keep pace. They are joined by the Texas Rangers, facing a fierce challenge from the defending World Series Champions in the AL West.
The Houston Astros aren’t going quietly into the night. The Trash Bin Bunch has gone 10-4 over their last 14 to move within 0.5 games of the Rangers. An opening-round bye would be a much better path than getting past the Rays in the wild-card round. Tampa Bay has seemingly broken out of its mid-season slump, winning four of its last six, two of which came against the Astros. Those stakes would be even higher if the Astros were forced to travel to the Trop at the start of October.
The AL Central has all but relinquished the division crown to the Minnesota Twins. The Cleveland Guardians were sellers at the deadline, signaling they don’t intend to make a run at the playoffs this year. However, the Twins appear uninterested in accepting the gift of their first division title since 2020. If they can’t triumph over the weakest division in baseball, then it’s unlikely they could get past the Toronto Blue Jays in Round 1.
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