Matt Johnson
Who will make the MLB playoffs in 2026? Another Major League Baseball season is right around the corner, with first pitch and Opening Day 2026 closing in. With rosters largely set, it’s time for more projections on what we could see in baseball this year.
Ahead of Opening Day, let’s dive into our MLB playoff predictions this season. We’ll start with round-by-round projections for the American League and then the National League, followed by the World Series.
AL Wild Card Round: (4) Baltimore Orioles vs (5) New York Yankees, (3) Seattle Mariners vs (6) Boston Red Sox
We see three teams from the American League East making it into the MLB playoffs this season, delivering a head-to-head matchup in October. The Baltimore Orioles should rebound nicely following their offseason additions after an underwhelming 2025 campaign. We do think the New York Yankees will get off to a slower start as their starting rotation overcomes injuries, but they will round into form by the summer. In winner-take-all game, New York advances with a road win at Camden Yards.
Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox will face the challenge of trying to take down the AL West champions. It would be an outstanding series, with both AL clubs boasting excellent postseason rotations and great pitching depth to pair with it. However, the Seattle Mariners boast the better lineup and timely hitting sends them to the American League Division Series.
- Prediction: Mariners and Yankees advance
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American League Division Series: (2) Toronto Blue Jays vs (3) Seattle Mariners, (1) Detroit Tigers vs (5) New York Yankees
We think we’ll be getting a rematch of the 2025 American League Championship Series, just a round earlier in the MLB postseason. The Toronto Blue Jays fortified their pitching staff after last season’s heartbreak in the World Series, whereas Seattle responded to its Game 7 defeat in Toronto by acquiring Brendan Donovan. While sequels are almost never as good as the original, a Mariners vs Blue Jays matchup in the ALDS will be close. This time, however, Seattle’s postseason rotation is healthier and that proves to be the difference-maker.
Elsewhere in the AL, it will be a rematch of the 2012 American League Championship Series. The real test will be just how successful the Yankees lineup can be versus Detroit Tigers rotation. Aaron Judge and Max Fried will each be responsible for New York winning two games in the series, but it will be the Tigers who punch their ticket to the ALCS, led by Tarik Skubal and Riley Greene.
- Prediction: Mariners over Blue Jays in four games, Tigers over Yankees in five games
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ALCS: (3) Seattle Mariners vs (1) Detroit Tigers
The American League pennant comes down to a battle between the Tigers and Mariners in the ALCS. We saw this matchup last October, when Seattle had the home-field advantage and won the winner-take-all Game 5 in the 15th inning. It’s going seven in the ALCS. Skubal will deliver Detroit a pair of wins, but he’ll only be available out of the bullpen for that pivotal Game 7 at home. Led by a spectacular performance on the mound from ace Bryan Woo and a home run by Julio Rodriguez off Framber Valdez, the Mariners head to the World Series for the first time in franchise history.
- Prediction: Mariners over Tigers in seven games
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NL Wild Card Round: (4) Atlanta Braves vs (5) Arizona Diamondbacks, (3) Chicago Cubs vs (6) Philadelphia Phillies
We’ve got two National League teams who missed the MLB playoffs last year getting in this season, facing off in the Wild Card games. The Arizona Diamondbacks get here on the backs of Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte carrying the lineup, while improved defense leads to a bit more overall consistency. However, in a do-or-die game at Truist Park, it’ll be Drake Baldwin and Mike Yastrzemski’s bats that help the Atlanta Braves reach the National League Division Series.
Fittingly for playoff baseball, it’ll be a must-see clash between the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies that should generate huge ratings. We’ll see Cristopher Sanchez outshining Matthew Boyd in a pitcher’s duel, with Jhoan Duran preserving a two-run lead in the ninth at Wrigley Field for Philadelphia to move on.
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National League Division Series: (2) New York Mets vs. (4) Atlanta Braves, (1) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (6) Philadelphia Phillies
Maybe there is a bit of wishcasting here with the hopes that we get these two matchups in the National League Division Series. The most buzz would be for the Braves against the New York Mets, a battle for bragging rights between the two NL East rivals. Atlanta has reached this point thanks to a great lineup with timely hitting, but the magic runs out at Citi Field. Nolan McLean delivers a pitching masterclass in a pivotal game, with Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor both going deep in the series to send the Mets to the NLCS.
By now, we’ve seen the Phillies against the Los Angeles Dodgers a few times in October. Philadelphia can at least make things interesting with the playoff rotation of Sanchez, Zack Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo and Andrew Painter. It’s just not going to be enough. The Phillies lineup goes cold again in a critical playoff series, getting blanked by Yoshinobu Yamamoto and struggling against Tyler Glasnow as the Dodgers go back to the NLCS.
- Prediction: Dodgers in four games, Mets in four games
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National League Championship Series: (2) New York Mets vs (1) Los Angeles Dodgers
The best teams that money can buy square off for the National League pennant. To the delight of MLB and its TV partners, this series would also feature the two biggest media markets in the country. Unfortunately for Mets owner Steve Cohen, the Dodgers simply have more pitching depth and a deeper lineup than what New York is trotting out there. This is the type of series that many around baseball can point to as evidence that MLB needs a salary cap, with the super team that has a $400 million payroll beating the one that has a $360 million roster. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Kyle Tucker propel the Dodgers back to the World Series.
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World Series 2026: Dodgers Win the World Series
The Dodgers will become only the third franchise in MLB history–joining the Yankees (three times) and the Oakland Athletics (1972-74)–to three-peat as World Series champions. Los Angeles needs to go all-in on 2026 because a salary cap is coming and a lockout will be looming over the Fall Classic. Ohtani will add to his legacy as one of the all-time greats, winning World Series MVP for the first time in his career.
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