We’ve waited 162 games — six long months — for the games that actually matter in baseball.
Finally, the MLB playoff picture is clear, and matchups are set; there’s no need to speculate on who will make it in. Baseball’s postseason begins this Tuesday with the Wild Card round as teams look to make the push for the ultimate prize.
The best teams in each league have been well established since the start of summer and in some cases, even longer.
In the National League, the Brewers and Dodgers locked up the top two seeds and will wait for the rest of the field on their side of the bracket to fight it out amongst themselves in the Wild Card games.
They are also the first and second choice at the sportsbooks (Dodgers +220, Brewers +550 at BetMGM) to win the World Series. The Braves and Cubs have had their moments and will be formidable, but the top two teams separated themselves from the pack a while ago.
2026 World Series odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +220 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | +550 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +750 |
| New York Yankees | +800 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 11/1 |
| Atlanta Braves | 15/1 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 15/1 |
| Boston Red Sox | 16/1 |
| Chicago Cubs | 17/1 |
| San Diego Padres | 20/1 |
| Houston Astros | 25/1 |
| Chicago White Sox | 40/1 |
The American League has been a bit trickier.
The Rays have been at the top since the end of June; the Yankees stayed within striking distance for most of the summer, while the Red Sox established themselves as the third-best team with a spirited mid-season turnaround.
But the Guardians locked up the second bye after their late-season surge pushed them into the lead in the AL Central. The Guardians’ run has moved their odds to win the World Series from 17/1 to 11/1 over the course of a week.
It feels like there’s much more room in the AL for an outlier to emerge because two of the three best teams by record will be out of the playoffs entering the ALCS.
It’s difficult to ignore past results when making predictions on the future, but things really feel like they are lining up for the Dodgers entering the playoffs. They’ve known what’s at stake since Spring Training, and a three-peat is clearly within reach for them.
Yes, the Brewers have the better record and won the regular season series, but the gap is razor-thin. The Brewers’ style of baseball won them a ton of regular season games this season, but October baseball puts a different type of pressure on teams.
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Speaking of past performance, when these two teams met in the postseason last year, the Dodgers made quick work of them in a four-game sweep.
With the amount of talent the Dodgers have, we expected them to be right where they are heading into the playoffs. Shohei Ohtani is getting healthy, their starting rotation is stacked with options, and their experience adds another edge over every opponent.
Their path will be to face either the Phillies or Braves in the Division Series, then a showdown with the Cubs, Padres, or Brewers, likely the latter.
I’ll believe one of these teams can knock off the Dodgers when I see it, but they are heading into the tournament looking like a juggernaut yet again.
I’ll grab the Dodgers to win the World Series at +220 while there’s still a plus sign in front of the number.
The Pick: Dodgers win World Series (+220, BetMGM)
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Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
