MLB Playoff Predictions: World Series & Pennant Picks & Best Bets
Ben DiGiacomo
Host · Writer
October baseball has arrived, and this season’s MLB postseason is shaping up to be a wild ride, so we worked up our predictions and best bets for how the entire playoffs will go.
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NL Pennant Longshot: San Diego Padres (+500)
The National League appears more concentrated at the top, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies being near equals in the odds. After that, the San Diego Padres sit at a +500 price to win the NL. Since the All-Star break, the Padres have looked far and away better than the Phillies and Dodgers, peaking at the right time as they enter the postseason. Looking at their roster, what doesn’t this team have? They have a strong group of starting pitchers, an elite bullpen, and a starting lineup that can mash from one to nine. Good on the Phillies for losing their way to the two seed, because facing the Padres in the NLDS after a week off will be a nightmare scenario for the Dodgers. Maybe their one issue is that they don’t have a pure ace atop their rotation, but Michael King has been excellent this season, especially lately, leading this rotation into October.
AL Pennant Longshot: Detroit Tigers (+1100)
In recent postseasons, it’s been all about the hot Wild Card teams hitting their stride at the right time, and no team exemplifies that more than the Detroit Tigers. After struggling throughout the season, the Tigers hit their stride over the past six weeks, winning 31 of their last 43 games. Offensively, they are a team full of unknowns that continues to mash and find ways to win ball games. On the mound, Tarik Skubal is as sure of a bet as you’ll find in baseball, and behind him, AJ Hinch is pushing all the right buttons with his bullpen and backend starters. I look for them to go on the road and give the Houston Astros a big fight in the Wild Card round, and from there, anything can happen. The American League is wide open, so why not the Tigers?
Top Contender to Fade: Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers enter October as the favorites to win it all, but I’m not buying into it. Sure, the talent atop their lineup is as good as you’ll ever see on a baseball field, so part of me feels weird looking to fade them. Still, what else does this team have? Outside of those top guys, the backend of the lineup isn’t reliable, the starting rotation is suspect, and the bullpen is average. Are you telling me I’m supposed to buy into a starting rotation led by Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler winning it all? We can’t rule out Shohei Ohtani singlehandedly leading this club to the World Series, but I won’t look to put money behind it. Going through San Diego in the NLDS is not ideal for a first taste of October.
AL Pennant Best Bet: New York Yankees (+180)
Frankly, it wouldn’t surprise anybody if any team came out of the American League. There can be an argument made for all six teams in the field, but we’ll rock chalk with our prediction and back the New York Yankees to finally get back over the hump and claim the pennant. This just feels like the Yankees’ time. The offense is doing its thing with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto leading the charge, and the starting rotation is rather deep and enters with a ton of postseason experience. A lot will come down to the bullpen not imploding, but they’ve looked good enough lately to have confidence in them entering the postseason. That said, sprinkle the Detroit Tigers and potentially other clubs to win the AL for maximum value. Don’t just bet on the Yankees and forget about it! Anything can happen, and there is plenty of value to be had with some of these long shots!
World Series and NL Pennant Best Bet: Philadelphia Phillies (NL: +175, WS: +380)
While it feels like the New York Yankees‘ time to finally win the AL, it feels more like the Philadelphia Phillies‘ time to call themselves World Series champions. This team has looked the part each of the past two postseasons, and now they enter October with their best roster on paper by far. The starting rotation may be the best in baseball, with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola bringing a ton of postseason experience to the mound. The bullpen has been shut down as they have multiple high-leverage arms to call upon, and the offense is the deepest they’ve been with the proven ability to catch fire in October. Ideally, the offense won’t go cold near the end as they did each of the past two years, but overall, the Phillies have the fewest question marks of any postseason and look the part of champions.
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