The 2026 MLB playoffs kick off Tuesday afternoon with 12 teams vying for the chance to hoist this year's World Series trophy.
The Dodgers look to further cement their dynasty by becoming the first National League team to three-peat as World Series champions, while the Brewers hope to win their first title in club history coming off a franchise-record 103-win regular season. And don't forget about the Rays and Guardians, who also hold first-round byes and hope to make it far in October. After securing a postseason berth on the final day of the season, the Phillies seek to capitalize on their contention window to win their first title since 2008 -- and they join the rest of the wild-card teams, including the Yankees and Red Sox, in their quest to shake up the playoffs and make deep runs.
Who will win each round? And which squad will be the last standing at the end of the postseason? We asked 24 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, division series winners, championship series winners and, ultimately, the World Series champion.
Everything you need to know | Bracket
American League Wild Card Series
ALWC: Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros
Chicago White Sox, 13 votes
Houston Astros, 11 votes
Our voters were split pretty evenly between Chicago and Houston. Why are the White Sox your pick? Both these teams have some deficiencies as compared with other playoff powerhouses. But the White Sox have strengths that should matter in October: left-handed sluggers and a bullpen. In a short series, manager Will Venable will deploy his pen early and often -- though the impact of that could be felt in the next round if Chicago advances. On offense, Munetaka Murakami is in better rhythm now than he was for most of the season's second half. Combined with Miguel Vargas, it gives the White Sox some nice balance. If they can contain Houston's Yordan Alvarez -- and that's a big if -- they should win the series in three games. -- Jesse Rogers
And why are the Astros yours? Are the Astros a good team? No. But they have the best hitter on the planet in 2026 in Alvarez. They led the majors in home runs. They have a lights-out closer in Josh Hader. They don't have much pitching depth, which is why they finished .500, but that's not a big factor in a three-game series. And it's not as if Chicago is exactly running out Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz in its rotation. The White Sox have power, as well, but they strike out a ton; and over each of the past three months, they hit .225, .232 and .228, respectively. -- David Schoenfield
ALWC: Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees
New York Yankees 18
Boston Red Sox 6
After a historic run in July and August catapulted them into playoff contention, the Red Sox went .500 in September to finish out the season. What needs to happen for them to beat the Yankees in New York? The Red Sox might not have the best pitcher in this series, but they have multiple left-handers to throw at a team susceptible to them and also have a stronger bullpen depth. Boston's lefties -- a group that could include the recovering Garrett Crochet, though his status is "up in the air" for the wild-card series, according to manager Chad Tracy -- could prove to be problematic for sluggers Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger, among other Yankees.
What if Aaron Judge plays for New York? Well, what if he does? He was a minor factor in September, when he rushed back from a rib injury only to suffer a right calf strain and land back on the injured list. Neither team has had a potent offense lately, not like when they met last October, but I like Boston's pitching in this year's matchup. -- Eric Karabell
National League Wild Card Series
NLWC: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves 18
Philadelphia Phillies 6
The Phillies struggled down the stretch. How do they rebound to beat the Braves? If Philadelphia's down-the-stretch struggles were predictive of postseason doom, sportsbooks wouldn't price them as nearly a coin flip to beat Atlanta (+105 at DraftKings as of this writing). Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski's stars-and-scrubs roster is likely to falter in a longer series, but in the short term, his quintet of Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler, Jhoan Duran, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber will carry Philadelphia past its longtime division rival, again. -- Paul Hembekides
Tell us why you think Atlanta comes out on top: The Phillies have a big advantage as a team in their rotation, but they'll have little-to-no advantage on the day they face Atlanta's Chris Sale -- Game 1 of the three-game wild-card series. The bullpens are of similar quality, and the lineups are also similar -- I give the Braves slight edges in both spots. This season, there has been a 36-run gap (i.e. roughly 3½ wins over the regular season) in their defensive performance, which helps explain why the Braves' pitchers outperformed their ERA estimators by about half a run while the Phillies were a bit worse than theirs. The Braves can hit homers, catch the ball and lean on the bullpen -- and Sale -- to a narrow victory in three games. -- Kiley McDaniel
NLWC: Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres 17
Chicago Cubs 7
San Diego has momentum on its side, as Chicago fizzled a bit toward season's end. What would the Cubs need to do to knock out the Padres? Anyone facing the Padres needs to play with a lead because Craig Stammen can start rolling out a bullpen map that leads to Mason Miller by the fourth or fifth inning, if the San Diego manager needs to. That makes getting to San Diego's starters during the first trip through the order crucial. The Cubs have the offense to do that and the defense to keep San Diego off the board, provided their pitchers can keep the Pads in the park. -- Bradford Doolittle
American League Division Series
ALDS: Winner of White Sox-Astros vs. Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland Guardians 19
Houston Astros 3
Chicago White Sox 2
The Guardians enter October with momentum and as a favorite to advance to the AL Championship Series. Why is that? The first-round bye plays into Cleveland's strengths: It can line up its starting pitching and properly rest a bullpen that was used heavily as the Guardians pushed for a playoff spot -- and their eventual AL Central division title -- down the stretch. They go into the playoffs as the league's hottest team, winning 24 of their final 35 games -- second to only Milwaukee over that span. Their offense has been more productive of late, with Steven Kwan, Travis Bazzana and, most importantly, Jose Ramirez finishing strong. Ramirez, who missed five weeks following left hand surgery in mid-June, seems to be gaining strength in his wrist as the season goes on. They're all heating up at the right time. -- Buster Olney
ALDS: Winner of Red Sox-Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays 18
New York Yankees 4
Boston Red Sox 2
You were part of the majority that chose the Rays. What makes them your pick? The Rays are 55-26 at Tropicana Field this year, and they have home-field advantage in the division series. But they're a challenge wherever they play, because they play a different game than any other team in the league. They bunt way more than any other team, they put the ball in play when Junior Caminero isn't putting it in the outfield seats and they run the bases until you tag them out. Plus, they can really pitch. Tampa Bay pitchers walked 409 batters, by far the fewest in baseball. The Rays throw strikes, they swing at strikes and they play the game correctly. That's enough to get the them to the ALCS. -- Tim Kurkjian
National League Division Series
NLDS: Winner of Phillies-Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers 23
Atlanta Braves 1
The Dodgers were an almost unanimous pick to advance out of the division series. Why are they seen as such a lock? It's very simple: Whoever faces them will have to get through Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and, if necessary, Tyler Glasnow. No team can match the potential dominance of that group from top to bottom. The Dodgers are not perfect, of course. There are questions going in about the health of Shohei Ohtani, the production of Kyle Tucker and the reliability of Edwin Diaz, among other issues. But at the end of the day, the Dodgers will roll out essentially four aces. That's tough to beat. -- Alden Gonzalez
NLDS: Winner of Cubs-Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers 22
San Diego Padres 2
You were one of just two voters to pick the Padres over the Brewers. Why do you think that San Diego can pull off the upset? The Brewers were tied for the second-best record in the majors with the Rays after July 23. The only team better? The Padres. San Diego went 41-18 during a stretch that coincided with the offense flipping from one of the worst in baseball to one of the best behind Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill. The Padres' starting rotation is concerning, but they have a top-tier bullpen built for October with Mason Miller looming in the ninth inning and October-tested stars in the lineup. Two years ago, they nearly knocked off the Dodgers, the NL's No. 1 seed, in the NLDS. This year, they get it done against top-seeded Milwaukee. -- Jorge Castillo
American League Championship Series
Tampa Bay Rays 18
New York Yankees 4
Boston Red Sox 2
Tampa Bay holds only a one-game lead over the Yankees in head-to-head competition in 2026, but the Rays are our voters' overwhelming favorite to win the pennant. Why will New York come out on top? It's the Yankees' pitching, which presents them with a greater advantage than any postseason team New York has had in quite a while. The team ERA is the Yankees' best since 1978, and their ERA+ (130) is their second-best mark ever, thanks to a stout four-man rotation of Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon (the latter of whom might not even be needed for a five-game division series).
New York's toughest matchups come in the first two rounds -- versus the 87-win Red Sox and the 1-seed Rays -- but those short series give the Yankees the luxury of mixing and matching their pitching, which is something they haven't been quite as able to do in recent years. This year, I see the Yankees being tough to beat in the tighter, more pitching-oriented games of October. -- Tristan Cockcroft
National League Championship Series
Milwaukee Brewers 16
Los Angeles Dodgers 7
San Diego Padres 1
In last year's NLCS, the Dodgers swept the top-seeded Brewers. A majority of our voters, including you, have Milwaukee advancing this time around. Explain your reasoning. This is a significantly better Brewers team than last year's -- and one more equipped to handle the Dodgers' starting-pitching gauntlet. Jackson Chourio is better. Brice Turang is better. Garrett Mitchell is better. Jake Bauers is way better. And while the offense does matter (remember, the Brewers hit .118/.191/.193 in the NLCS last year), Milwaukee's pitching is improved too.
Between Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson, the Brewers boast two of the toughest-to-hit starters in baseball. And the bullpen, a strength in 2025, is every bit as good this year and might actually get some leads to hold onto. Yes, the Dodgers finished seven games ahead of where they were in 2025, so it's not like they're flailing, particularly with how strongly they wrapped up the regular season. The Brewers are simply surging more; now is their time. -- Jeff Passan
World Series
Milwaukee Brewers 14
(Buster Olney, Tim Kurkjian, David Schoenfield, Brendan DeAngelis, Jeff Passan, Dan Mullen, AJ Mass, Jesse Rogers, Tim Keown, Tristan Cockcroft, Eric Karabell, JJ Post, Kiley McDaniel, Bradford Doolittle)
Los Angeles Dodgers 6
(Sean Coyle, Jorge Castillo, Jacob Nitzberg, Gregg Colli, Matt Marrone, Liz Finny)
Tampa Bay Rays 4
(Paul Hembekides, Scott Gustafson, Alden Gonzalez, Doug Glanville)
The Brewers were our most popular pick, even though they've faltered the past few postseasons they've played in. Why is this year different? The Brewers are the most well-rounded team in the majors -- pitching, offense, defense, speed, manager. They play hard and execute small ball when needed, and this is a better team than previous editions. The Brewers obviously have an ace in Misiorowski, but they also have the most underrated No. 2 starter in baseball in Henderson. Critics point to Milwaukee's lack of power -- after finishing tied for 28th in home runs -- but the team was second in the majors in runs, and Chourio (.917 OPS over the final two months), Bauers (third in the majors in OBP) and Turang (61 extra-base hits, 100 RBIs) can do enough damage in the middle of the lineup. -- Schoenfield
Los Angeles was the favorite in our preseason predictions to win the World Series. Now, entering October, only six voters out of 24 picked the Dodgers. What makes you think they'll secure the three-peat? I picked against the Dodgers the last two years, so I've decided I'm not going to do that again. Yes, they have the oldest roster in the majors, and it has shown throughout the season. Yes, Ohtani and others are banged up. Yes, the bullpen has questions and the offense was inconsistent all year. People around the sport put those facts together and say they believe they're vulnerable. And yet the Dodgers won 100 games to run away with another NL West title. They're still the most talented team in baseball with stars everywhere. I've learned my lesson: Don't pick against the Dodgers. -- Castillo
Most of our voters had an NL team raising the trophy, but you were one of four to pick Tampa Bay. How can the Rays come out victorious in the Fall Classic? There are many great NL clubs this season, but only one team wins the trophy -- and the Rays are every bit as good as the best teams out there. When asking a range of players, managers and announcers which teams were the toughest they played this year, the Rays always come up.
The theme I hear a lot is that the Rays have a nightmare lineup, especially at the top: In the 3- or 4-spot you have Caminero, a game-changing power hitter, and the rest of the order is the definition of contact, chameleons and havoc. No easy outs, and they present challenges in different ways. Hard to defend. Like always, they pitch well and catch the ball -- but any year the Rays get offense, like this one, watch out. And let's not forget, manager Kevin Cash has been doing this forever. He is smart, prepared and knows his team and organization as well as anyone knows theirs. So, why not the Rays? -- Glanville