The MLB Playoffs Kicked off last week with the wildcard round and is now narrowed down to a final 8 teams all in the hunt for the 2026 World Series. Let’s take a look at each team and their chances this year at going all the way.
New York Yankees: The Yankees are baseball’s most storied franchise with the most World Series titles of any team in baseball history at twenty seven, but they have been in a bit of a dry spell lately (having not won one since 2009). The 2010s became the first decade in franchise history that the Yankees didn’t lift the World Series, which is a testament to their consistent greatness, but their fans feel they have gone far too long without reaching the pinnacle of the sport. Things are looking up for the Bronx Bombers this year, however, as they won 93 games this season – the second most in the American League – and they took down their bitter rivals, the Boston Red Sox, in the wildcard round. This is now the second consecutive year that the Yankees have defeated the Red Sox in the wildcard round, which is something Yankees fans will be very boastful about. Now they are up against their other division foe, the Tampa Bay Rays, who won 98 games this season, earning top seed in the American League. If the Yankees hope to take home the world series this year, they will be reliant on their impressive power hitting finishing second overall this season in Homeruns with 189. Their hitting rotation is led by the best power hitter in Baseball Aaron Judge.
Tampa Bay Rays: The Tampa Bay Rays earned a Wildcard bye as the top seed in the American League, and so they will feel well rested heading into their best of five game series against the Yankees. The Rays haven’t been to the world series since their defeat to the Dodgers in the unorthodox 2020 season, where everyone only played 60 games. This year they’re here to prove that that wasn’t a fluke season and that they can go the distance in a full season and actually win when they get there. They are led by their consistent hitting boasting the best team batting average in major league baseball this season of .261. If they are to win however they are going to need to stifle the power bats of the Yankees first, and other heavy hitting teams in the future like the Dodgers and White Sox.
Chicago White Sox: Perhaps the most interesting story of this season is the White Sox, who just two years ago were one of the worst teams in MLB History, going 41-121 and losing more regular season games in a season in the modern era of Major League Baseball, which dates back to 1901. It looked like it was going to take years of shrewd management to get them back to being a winning baseball team, but just two years later, they have made it back to the postseason and won their wildcard series against the Astros. They overcame early struggles thanks to their powerful run contributions led by Miguel Vargas and showed a very resilient bullpen. They have the longest odds to win it all, but they carry a lot of Momentum into the Postseason and momentum has often proven to be the most important factor in determining postseason success. I wouldn’t count them out just yet.
Cleveland Guardians: The Guardians have shown real consistency in recent years never winning fewer than 76 games over the last 6 years but they have not seemed to be able to get over the hump since their loss in the 2016 World Series to the Cubs. They made it to the American League Conference series against the Yankees in 2024 but lost swiftly to them in just five games. They made it to the American League Divisional Series in 2022 and also lost to the Yankees. This year, however, things are looking up. They topped the AL Central and earned a wildcard by giving them fresh arms against their division rival the White Sox. The Guardians keys to success in this post season are maintaining their late summer momentum where they ranked fourth in all of baseball in wRC+ from August onward.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Now onto the American League, starting out with the heavy favorites in this year’s Playoffs, looking to become the first team to win three straight World Series titles since the Yankees from 1998 to 2000. The Dodgers have been nothing short of an unstoppable machine these last two years since the arrival of star dual threat weapon Shohei Ohtani from the Angels. Last year the Dodgers won their World Series defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in a hard fought seven game series and they won the year prior against the Yankees in a much more dominant display over just five games. But this year they look to make history and their doubters are few and far between, especially with what they have done to bolster their roster this season. The addition of Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal midseason from the Detroit Tigers will no doubt enhance the Dodgers starting rotation this season, but even that felt like a bit of a luxury. The Dodgers were the favorites to win it all again this season even before that massive trade. All in all, this post season feels less like who will win, and more like who can stop the Dodgers.
Milwaukee Brewers: Perhaps the team with the Best chance of beating the Dodgers is the team that fell to them in the National League Conference Series, the Milwaukee Brewers. Despite the disappointing and overwhelming defeat last season the Brewers have bounced back well and took the top spot in the National League this year once again. The Brewers have been good in all aspects, boasting elite starting pitching with a fifth ranked 3.61 ERA led by potential Cy Young winner Jacob Misiorowski. They have also had the best team batting average with runners in scoring position. The Brewers pose a legitimate threat to the Dodgers’ dominance in the National League and will be looking to make their first World Series since 1982. But first they will need to get through a team riding a hot streak right now.
San Diego Padres: The Padres have been one of the best teams in Baseball as of late, going 43-23 in their last 66 games. They are led by the elite bats of Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill. In the past, the Padres have been so focused on adding elite hard hitting talent to their lineup – like when they added Juan Soto from the Nationals in 2022. But as of late they have found more success when trying to build around their current superstar talent. This year, they ranked second in stolen bases, only behind the Washington Nationals. They will be looking to make it to the World Series for the first time since 1998. They have come close in the past, making it to the NLCS in 2022 but losing to the Phillies. This year, they got their revenge early on Philadelphia beating them in the Wild Card. They will start out their playoff campaign as underdogs against the Brewers, but they have all the pieces necessary to make a deep run.
Atlanta Braves: And last but certainly not least is the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are one of the few teams in this Postseason who have won a world series since the beginning of the 2020s as they won in 2021 against the Houston Astros. The team looks a lot different since 2021 however as they lost their star first baseman Freddie Freeman to the Dodgers a few years back. Some familiar faces have been coming up big however, like Matt Olsen, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris. Perhaps the biggest proponent of their success however has been the resurgence of Chris Sale. Despite being 37 years of age and having Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm in 2020, Sale has looked like the ace of old contending for the Cy Young in the National League this season. Despite all this talent, I think the Braves’ success this post season relies on the fortunes of one man named Ronald Acuna Jr. Acuna has dealt with a series of injuries in the early part of this season but has become healthy in the second half of the year. The Braves will need him to be playing at his MVP level if they are to have any hope in the stacked National League this postseason.
Predictions: In the American League, I believe the White Sox and the Rays will come out of their divisional series on top, but ultimately it will be the number one seeded Rays who make it out of the American League. On the other side of the Bracket, I believe the Dodgers and Brewers will meet up for another clash in the NLCS, and once again the Dodgers will come away victorious. This will set up a rematch of the 2020 World Series between the Rays and the Dodgers. Last time these two teams met in the world series it was after a shortened COVID season and the Dodgers won a tight series in the full seven games. This time, I believe the Dodgers will win once again, but I don’t think it will take the full seven game series. I predict the Dodgers will take the series in five games and will win their third straight World Series.
