MLB Playoff Bracket if the Postseason Started Today
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.
Rebuilding the Reds and the Promise of MLB Playoffs
National League
| No. 1 – Atlanta Braves | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Los Angeles Dodgers | First-Round Bye |
| No. 3 – Milwaukee Brewers | No. 6 – Philadelphia Phillies |
| No. 4 – Arizona Diamondbacks | No. 5 – San Francisco Giants |
If the past week indicates what to expect over the latter half of the season, buckle up. There were a handful of meaningful changes in the standings, with National League teams gearing up for a playoff push. The Atlanta Braves remain the class of the MLB but are not as invisible as they once seemed.
Atlanta has dropped consecutive series and could spiral toward its first five-game losing streak. That’s allowed the Los Angeles Dodgers to cut into their NL lead, making 2.5 games over the past week. These teams meet for a four-game set at the end of August, which could go a long way to determining which squad finishes with the first seed.
Of course, the Dodgers can’t look past the competition within their division. The Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants continue their pursuit of LA, both occupying wild card spots. Moreover, the San Diego Padres are doing their best to keep pace. If the playoffs started today, these division rivals would have to face off in a wild-card series at Chase Field. The Giants are road warriors, and Arizona has been underwhelming at home, ensuring this would be a tightly-contested series.
The other potential opening-round battle is entirely unfamiliar. The Milwaukee Brewers clawed their way back to the NL Central lead, bypassing the upstart Cincinnati Reds. These franchises have inverse records, with Milwaukee going 7-3 and the Reds a disappointing 3-7 over their previous ten. Whichever team emerges will take on the sixth seed. The Miami Marlins were a mainstay through the first half of the season but have been usurped by a division foe. The defending NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies are back in a playoff spot, ready to defend last year’s pennant. Still, neither berth is guaranteed, and the Brewers and Phillies will face sincere challenges over the next couple of months.
American League
| No. 1 – Baltimore Orioles | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Texas Rangers | First-Round Bye |
| No. 3 – Minnesota Twins | No. 6 – Houston Astros |
| No. 4 – Tampa Bay Rays | No. 5 – Toronto Blue Jays |
Finally, the Baltimore Orioles have knocked the Tampa Bay Rays from their AL-leading perch. The Rays’ slide continued from the All-Star break, with the former first seed dropping four of its past six games. Conversely, the Orioles are flying high, winning eight of their previous ten, including four of six this week. That gives them an advantage over the Rays in the AL East and the Texas Rangers for the top spot in the league. Still, we can’t discount the Rangers, who are fresh off a sweep of Tampa, sitting with a 4.5-game lead in the AL West.
Change was common throughout the American League, with the playoff dynamic morphing over the last seven days. The Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians continued their neck-and-neck race, with the Twinkies surpassing Cleveland thanks to a 5-1 run. That gives them a 2.5-game lead over their division rivals and home-field advantage in the wild-card round. Likewise, there was a swap at the bottom of the standings, meaning the AL Central leaders now match up against the Houston Astros in Round 1.
With the Rays’ fall from grace, they now occupy the first wild card seed. It’s a much less comfortable position, with several contenders breathing down their necks. Five teams are within 5.0 games of a postseason berth, meaning the Rays can’t afford to lose much more ground before they fall completely out of the playoff picture. They would have to find a way to quiet a dangerous Toronto Blue Jays offense that is starting to take flight. Tampa’s pitchers haven’t done well to mitigate damage, leaving the door wide open for a first-round upset.
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