After an exhilarating finish to the regular season, the 2025 MLB playoffs kick off Tuesday afternoon with 12 teams vying to hoist this year’s World Series trophy.
The Dodgers look to further cement their dynasty by becoming the first repeat World Series champions since 2000, while the Yankees will try to go on another October run to return to the Fall Classic. The powerhouse Phillies will look to capitalize on their contention window to win their first title since 2008 — and don’t forget about the Brewers, Blue Jays and Mariners, who all also hold first-round byes and hope to make deep runs. However, this is the year without a superteam, so don’t expect wild-card teams to go down without a fight. Anyone can get hot in October.
Who will win each round? And which squad will be the last standing at the end of the postseason? We asked 25 of our MLB experts — from ESPN Digital, TV, Research and more — to give us their predictions.
Below are their picks for the wild-card winners (two teams will make it out of each league), division series winners, league championship series winners and World Series champion.
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American League wild-card games
ALWC: Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians
Detroit Tigers 14Cleveland Guardians 11
Editor’s Picks
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Our voters are pretty evenly split between Cleveland and Detroit. Why are the Tigers your pick? It’s really not any more complicated than taking the coldest team in September and projecting a run. Perhaps it lasts one series, but when you can nearly count on at least one win behind Tarik Skubal, I’ll take my chances with the Tigers. Yes, the Guardians beat him twice in the final weeks — all the more reason to bet on him this time. If any team can point to a restart in the playoffs as an energy lift, it’s Detroit. The team’s 7-17 record in September will be long forgotten with just two wins this week. — Jesse Rogers
And why are the Guardians yours? The Guardians proved they need to be taken seriously after a fantastic September. The Tigers, incidentally, have been overrated for months, and also proved that in September. Even if the Guardians struggle to score against the great Tarik Skubal in Game 1, they have the starting pitching advantage for the other games, as well as a big bullpen advantage. People are viewing these teams incorrectly: The Guardians are better, and they should outscore the Tigers in two of three home games to advance to the next round. — Eric Karabell
ALWC: Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees
New York Yankees 18Boston Red Sox 7
The Red Sox are an underdog in the eyes of our voters. How do you think they pull off the upset? In Game 1, they ride the powerful left arm of Garrett Crochet — and a save from Aroldis Chapman — to a low-scoring victory. Then, the Red Sox have to win just one of the next two games to advance. Just as easy as that!
OK, maybe it’s not quite so simple, but Boston’s ability to limit its pitching to just its top guys in a short series might be the deciding factor. The Red Sox will have Crochet and Brayan Bello to start the first two games, and the back of the bullpen with Chapman and Garrett Whitlock is as good as it gets, while the Yankees’ bullpen has obviously been shaky throughout the season. Crochet versus Aaron Judge will certainly be a key in Game 1: Remember that game in June, when Crochet took a 1-0 shutout into the ninth inning, but Judge homered to tie it? This time, Red Sox manager Alex Cora will hand the ball to Chapman, who allowed a .132 average and blew just one save since late May. — David Schoenfield
National League wild-card games
NLWC: Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Watch: MLB Wild Card Series
Eight teams will take the field, but only four will move on. Watch every wild-card series matchup through Thursday on ESPN and ABC.
Tuesday’s schedule:
DET @ CLE: 1:08 p.m. on ESPNSD @ CHC: 3:08 p.m. ET on ABCBOS @ NYY: 6:08 p.m. on ESPNCIN @ LAD: 9:08 p.m. ET on ESPN
Los Angeles Dodgers 24Cincinnati Reds 1
Cincinnati barely snuck into the playoffs, but you have the Reds upsetting the reigning World Series champs in the first round. Tell us why. Because someone has to lean into the randomness of October here. Every March, we see No. 14 and No. 15 seeds upset the top college basketball teams. The odds of those March Madness stunners occurring are something like 80/20. Well, according to our Bradford Doolittle’s formula, the Reds have a 31.6% chance of knocking out the Dodgers this week. And they also have Hunter Greene pitching the opener. If he can deliver an ace-like performance in Game 1, this long shot pick will suddenly look a lot more realistic. — Dan Mullen
NLWC: San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs
San Diego Padres 15Chicago Cubs 10
What would the Cubs need to do to knock out the Padres? The Cubs’ best chance is striking quickly. Padres manager Mike Shildt won’t hesitate to lean on his superb bullpen early, especially in a best-of-three series, but early Chicago runs flip the script. That forces a middling Padres lineup into a slugfest it isn’t built to win. The Cubs hold more pathways to victory while San Diego’s formula is narrow and volatile: Hand the ball to the bullpen with a lead and let it dominate. — Paul Hembekides
American League Division Series
ALDS: Winner of Tigers-Guardians vs. Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners 24Detroit Tigers 1
Despite dropping the final series of the regular season, the Mariners are entering October with momentum and as our clear favorite to advance to the LCS. Why is that? The Mariners make a compelling case as the deepest, most talented team in the AL. Their rotation is arguably the game’s best when it’s clicking, and that seemed to be the case over these last few weeks of the regular season. Their bullpen can pitch with anyone’s. And their lineup, headlined by two legit stars in Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez, is the deepest, most dynamic they’ve had in this era. The Mariners are the only franchise that hasn’t reached the World Series. Their fans are due. — Alden Gonzalez
ALDS: Winner of Red Sox-Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays
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New York Yankees 15Toronto Blue Jays 5Boston Red Sox 5
Toronto held on to win the AL East title over New York, yet more voters chose the Yankees to move on from the division series. What makes the Blue Jays your pick? It doesn’t feel revolutionary to pick the Blue Jays over the Yankees in a potential ALDS matchup. The Jays were a better team in the second half of the season, beat the Yankees in eight of 13 games this year and have home-field advantage. They have a break in the schedule that’ll help Bo Bichette get healthy, found gold in rookie starter Trey Yesavage and showcase a deep lineup that will run the Yankees’ beleaguered bullpen into the turf. The Yankees will come into the ALDS roughed up some by the Red Sox, and the Jays will roll. — Tim Keown
National League Division Series
NLDS: Winner of Reds-Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies 16Los Angeles Dodgers 9
A majority of our voters think the Phillies will beat the Dodgers to advance past the NLDS. Explain why you think L.A. will come out on top. The Phillies are plenty good enough to win the World Series, but I believe the Dodgers, when healthy, have the best roster in baseball. Their starting pitching is stout, and their leftover starters — Tyler Glasnow (for the wild-card series), Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki and, eventually, Clayton Kershaw — might help mask the Dodgers’ ragged bullpen. And when catcher Will Smith returns (he might miss the wild-card series because of a hand injury), the Dodgers have the best offense in the NL. — Tim Kurkjian
NLDS: Winner of Padres-Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers 13San Diego Padres 11Chicago Cubs 1
Make the case for Milwaukee: At the most obvious level, the Brewers have the best record and run differential and finished in the top three in scoring and preventing runs. They are a complete team, baseball’s best during the regular season. As well-balanced as Milwaukee is, however, it is vulnerable to an opponent that can out-thump it. Based on what we’ve seen over the second half of the season in the NL, that’s more likely to be problematic against potential LCS opponents (Dodgers, Phillies) than LDS foes (Cubs or, most especially, the Padres). — Bradford Doolittle
Make the case for San Diego: The Padres are built well for October. They have perhaps the best bullpen in the playoff field — even without Jason Adam. Their rotation is topped by an ace, Nick Pivetta, followed by high-ceiling options Michael King and Dylan Cease. Their lineup is anchored by All-Stars Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. They carry extensive postseason experience. Ramon Laureano’s finger injury surfaced at an inopportune time, but they’ll be difficult to eliminate if they get adequate starting pitching. — Jorge Castillo
American League Championship Series
Seattle Mariners 14New York Yankees 7Boston Red Sox 2Detroit Tigers 1Toronto Blue Jays 1
Handing out 2025 MLB season awards
From best slugger to best game to … badonkadonk of the year?! It’s time for The Passans, our alternative regular-season accolades. Jeff Passan »
Despite representing the AL in the Fall Classic last year, New York received just seven votes to return to it this year. Why do you think the Yankees will win the pennant? September began with Yankees fans questioning the direction of the franchise and the standing of manager Aaron Boone, but as the playoffs open, a lot is going very well. Aaron Judge finished on a heater, with a .436 average, 1.546 OPS and 9 homers in his last 17 games. Devin Williams didn’t allow a run in his last nine appearances, walking two and striking out 12. Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil and Cam Schlittler all threw well. This Yankees team might be better than the club that played in the World Series last fall. — Buster Olney
National League Championship Series
Philadelphia Phillies 12Los Angeles Dodgers 7San Diego Padres 3Milwaukee Brewers 3
Though the Padres, Dodgers and Brewers also received votes here, the Phillies are the favorite. Why are they your pick? If Zack Wheeler hadn’t gotten hurt, they might’ve been everyone’s pick, but even without him, the Phillies have one of the best one-through-four rotations of any of the 12 playoff teams. Since Wheeler last appeared, the Phillies are 21-10 in games started by Cristopher Sanchez, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and Jesus Luzardo, and the addition of closer Jhoan Duran, whose 16 saves since Aug. 1 are tied for the most in baseball, has significantly boosted an already solid bullpen.
Add in a pair of battle-tested postseason stars in Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, and this is one of the most well-rounded rosters in the October mix. Having a first-round bye plus home-field advantage for a shorter prospective division series matchup versus the Dodgers also helps their cause. The Phillies are as good a bet to win it all as anyone. — Tristan Cockcroft
World Series
Philadelphia Phillies 12
(Jessica Mendoza, Jesse Rogers, Eric Karabell, Tim Keown, Paul Hembekides, Tristan Cockcroft, Liz Finny,, Karl Ravech, Alden Gonzalez, JJ Post, Bradford Doolittle, Kiley McDaniel)
Seattle Mariners 5
(David Schoenfield, AJ Mass, Scott Gustafson, Jorge Castillo, Gregg Colli)
Los Angeles Dodgers 4
(Garrett Gastfield, Jeff Passan, Tim Kurkjian, Doug Glanville)
Milwaukee Brewers 2
(Scott Beaman, Dan Mullen)
New York Yankees 1
(Brendan DeAngelis)
San Diego Padres 1
(Buster Olney)
The Phillies were our most popular pick, even though they’ve faltered in the past couple of postseasons. Why is this year different? The Phillies are narrow betting favorites to win the World Series and are basically in a three-way tie with the Dodgers and Mariners in terms of odds from any projection system I can find.
For me, it’s a combination of being well-rounded (eighth in runs scored, sixth in runs allowed) as well as having lots of playoff experience, the second-best rotation in the sport despite losing their ace Zack Wheeler and a distinct home-field advantage. The Phillies’ weakness would be their bullpen, but adding Jhoan Duran at the deadline gives them a bullpen ace who will end up pitching disproportionately more than he did in the regular season. — McDaniel
Final grades for all 30 MLB teams
Whether your team is headed to October or packing its bags for the offseason, how did 2025 measure up to expectations? David Schoenfield »
Several voters are clearly excited about the Mariners. How can they come out victorious in the Fall Classic? Just keep doing what they did in September, when they won 17 out of 18 before a meaningless season-ending series loss to the Dodgers. The Mariners are perhaps the most well-rounded team in the AL: They hit the second-most home runs, they led all AL playoff teams in stolen bases, the bullpen ranked sixth in the majors in win probability added, the defense doesn’t make many mistakes (and Julio Rodriguez is excellent in center), and they’re tough at home, where they’ll have home-field advantage for at least the division series.
The starting pitching was inconsistent, but it finished strong. Bryan Woo had an excellent season but will need to show he’s healthy after missing his final start because of pectoral inflammation. Logan Gilbert ranked third among all pitchers with at least 100 innings in strikeout rate, behind only Zack Wheeler and Chris Sale. The final key: strikeouts. Only the Yankees and Tigers have a higher strikeout rate among the 12 postseason teams, with Eugenio Suarez, Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh each striking out at least 188 times. They’ll need to make enough contact to win it all. — Schoenfield
You were one of four to pick the Dodgers. What do you think makes them capable of being the first team to repeat as World Series champions since 2000? It comes down to talent and experience — and no team has more of either than the Dodgers. This is a different Dodgers team than last year, when, by the end of the World Series, they were down to a skeleton crew of starting pitchers. With Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow healthy and lined up, they’ve got the highest-ceiling — and perhaps also highest-floor — rotation of any playoff team. And any lineup that starts with Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman promises to be tricky for even the best pitchers to navigate. From April to September, the Dodgers were good. Now is the time for their greatness to reveal itself. — Passan
