2026 MLB Postseason: Can anyone take down the Dodgers?

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 25: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the first inning at Oracle Park on September 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. ) | Getty Images The 2026 season is over, and October is nearly here. Let’s take a quick look at where each team stands entering the MLB playoffs. The Favorites: Los Angeles Dodgers Three-peat? The Dodgers won 100 games and finished first in the majors by FanGraphs WAR. They also seem to be peaking at the right time. The trio of Mookie Betts, Kyle Tucker, and Teoscar Hernández have each caught fire after frustrating summers, propelling their lineup to a 122 wRC+ in September. They should be even better now with Shohei Ohtani back from the injured list. The pitching has been equally dominant, with a quartet of frontline starters and a deep bullpen. Sure, the playoffs in MLB are something close to a coin flip. But the Dodgers have the shiniest, weightiest coin in their possession. They should be expected to win their third straight title until they don’t. The Sleeper: Cleveland Guardians It’s hard to choose a team from the American League to win the World Series this year, but the Guardians just might be the pick. They’ve been strong in the second half as they made a long chase down of the White Sox in the AL Central. They have one of the best rotations in the majors, led by Gavin Williams and rookie Parker Messick. They have an absolutely lights out high-leverage bullpen anchored by Cade Smith. The lineup struggled early, which is why their record doesn’t look great, but they’ve been better of late — and nobody in the AL has a good lineup. If José Ramírez’s recent hot streak is a sign he’s finally recovered from a hamate injury that sapped his power in June, then this is the most complete roster in the AL. The All-Time Season: Milwaukee Brewers The Brewers just wrapped up their best-ever regular season. They won 103 games as the league’s winningest team, and topped triple digits for the first time in franchise history. They have the league’s ace in Jacob Misiorowski. They have one of the best bullpens in the majors. And they have a great lineup, even if the average fan might not recognize Jake Bauers, Brice Turang, or Jackson Chourio on the street. A title is the only thing left to accomplish this year for Milwaukee. The Late Surge: San Diego Padres The Padres posted the second best record in the majors after the All-Star break, trailing only the Brewers. Their season is marked by a slow start — a death sentence in the race for the NL West — but they enter the postseason with a great lineup and one of the best one-two punches in baseball in Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill. They also have a strong bullpen coming off an all-time great season from Mason Miller, and that should help alleviate concerns for a shallow rotation. For a team that looked like a long shot to even make the postseason back in July, they now look one of the toughest outs in the field. The Lopsided: Chicago Cubs The Cubs had the best lineup in the majors this year with a 114 wRC+. They did this while also being the best fielding team in the majors. At 37.7 fWAR, the Cubs finished 2026 as one of the best collections of position players ever assembled in modern baseball, led by presumptive NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong. The only issue is they were also a bottom three pitching staff in the majors by fWAR — Mike Petriello recently outlined this historic imbalance. The Cubs will have to out-slug their opponents to pull of a deep playoff run, and they might just be the one team capable of doing it. The Lopsided (In The Other Direction): Boston Red Sox The Red Sox rotation is deep, it is varied, and it’s supported by a great high-leverage bullpen. They are one of the best pitching organizations in baseball at the moment. Unfortunately, they’ve struggled at the plate in recent weeks — no team scored fewer runs in September than Boston. Now, they did just get back Willson Contreras and Ceddanne Rafaela from the injured list, giving them much needed length. But it’s hard to see this lineup figuring it out against playoff pitching. The Red Sox are simply hoping theirs wins out. The One Seed: Tampa Bay Rays The Rays took the top seed in the AL with a 98-64 record. They were also the luckiest team in the majors, outpacing their pythagorean record by eight wins and their Base Runs record by nine. That’s not to say they aren’t a good team. They’re well rounded, with an impressive lineup led by Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz. Drew Rasmussen also quietly had one of the best starting pitcher seasons in the majors. There’s a lot to like in Tampa Bay. Still, the Rays finished first in the AL because somebody had to, which might be the best argument in their favor this postseason. The Wild Card: New York Yankees Aaron Judge missed four months in 2026. The Yankees in that time posted a 93 wRC+ — fifth worst in the majors. Judge is expected to return for the Wild Card round, although it’s not clear what he can offer, or if he can even stay in the lineup. If Judge returns and hits like only he can, the Yankees could very well be the team to beat in the AL. Their rotation is strong with Cam Schlittler and Max Fried. And Brent Headrick and David Bednar make up a strong high-leverage bullpen. There’s a lot to like about the Yankees… if Judge is holding down the middle of their order. The Long Shot: Atlanta Braves I don’t know that I have much to say about the Braves, to be completely honest. They don’t move me in any way. Their lineup is roughly average. Their fielding is roughly average. Their rotation is roughly average. Their bullpen is a bit above average and might be the reason I choose them to advance from the wild card round. But there’s not a ton else to go on. I’ll say this though: Ronald Acuña Jr. is firmly out of his mid-summer slump, hitting .308/.347/.602 with seven homers in September. If there’s a shot in Atlanta, it’ll probably start with a torrid stretch from Acuña. The Longer Shot: Philadelphia Phillies The Phillies finished dead last in the majors with a 91 wRC+, and that’s with a 45-homer season from Kyle Schwarber. To make matters worse, Luis Arraez suffered a fairly severe ankle sprain last week and won’t be fully healthy if he’s available at all. Sure, Cristopher Sánchez is one of truest aces in the league, and Jhoan Duran is simply untouchable out of the bullpen. But the path through the NL is a tough one this year, and the Phillies don’t seem well equipped. The Miracle: Chicago White Sox White Sox fans may regret watching their team slowly give away a division lead in the back half of the season. But that they’re here, in the playoffs, after three consecutive 100-loss seasons, is a tremendous achievement. If there’s hope for them in October, it’ll come down to some well-timed home runs. But White Sox fans should be more than happy to celebrate progress, regardless of the outcome. The Worst Ever: Houston Astros The Astros are the worst team to ever make the playoffs in a full season at 81-81. That’s likely what they’ll be remembered for. They have an excellent trio at the plate in Yordan Alvarez, Isaac Parades, and Jeremy Peña. And Josh Hader is still one of the best relievers in the league. But the rest of the roster… well, there’s a reason they’re the worst-ever playoff team.

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