Do you feel that? The crisp air? October baseball is almost here.
Now that doesn’t mean that the playoff brackets are all set. The American League playoffs could look entirely different despite there being less than 10 games. Six teams are still technically alive in the race, but really three teams on the outside have a fighter’s chance. The White Sox are desperately hanging on to the third wild card, and have the Rangers trailing them in the standings by one game, the Blue Jays by two games, and the Orioles by three. Yeah, Chicago might wanna dethrone the Guardians for the AL Central (which they have the tiebreaker for).
Meanwhile the National League is all but set. The only team on the outside that’s alive is the Diamondbacks. They trail the Padres by five games with six left to play, but play their final three games against the Friars. The two teams also enter their final series with a 5-5 record against each other, leaving for a juicy end to their seasons.
The interesting aspect of the NL wild card will be home-field advantage. The Cubs, Phillies, and Padres enter Saturday with identical 85-69 records, leaving the destinations for the majority of the playoff teams up in the air. Buckle up everybody. Jumbling will soon take place.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
1. Dodgers
The Dodgers always seem to figure everything out right before October. Look no further than Mookie Betts and Kyle Tucker.
The two had been struggling the entire season. Some injury. Some lackluster play. But the two are absolutely crushing baseballs with October only two weeks away.
Betts is slashing .356/.457/.729 over his last 13 games with six homers, 18 RBIs, and 11 walks. Tucker is slashing .306/.407/.776 with six homers in his last 15 games. This team won 94 games entering Saturday without those two being factors. Imagine what they’ll do in the most important month of the season with their superstars performing.
2. Brewers
The Crew survived extra innings Friday in Baltimore to pick up their 96th win of the season.
Entering Saturday, the club holds the best record in the majors, and they’ll try to hold on to secure home-field advantage for as long as they survive October. As of now, the Dodgers are their primary threat, but they should be able to pick up wins with five of their last eight games coming against the Orioles and Cardinals.
They’ll need Kyle Harrison to bounce back, however, down the stretch and in October. The lefty was providing the club with ace-like performances in the first half, but has pitched to a 21.00 ERA in his last four starts.
3. Braves
Last week was detrimental for the Braves’ chances at an NL East crown. And they delivered.
The club took a series against the Phillies at home, including a dramatic 6-5 win on September 11. Trailing 5-4 with two outs in the 11th, Ha-Seong Kim tied the game off Brooks Raley, then Drake Baldwin doubled into the gap to walk it off.
The win propelled a series victory, and has led the Braves to a five-game lead over the Phillies entering Saturday. This club is poised to knock off the Dodgers for the 2026 pennant, especially with the offense clicking and deadline acquisition Tyler Mahle pitching to a 1.28 ERA in eight Atlanta starts.
4. Yankees
Maybe Aaron Judge should have taken that rehab assignment.
Baseball’s best slugger hit the IL again, this time with a right calf strain. The star has no timetable to return, and leaves the Yankees with a huge question mark heading into October.
Still, even without Judge, this team is dangerous. They’ve won 89 games this season with Judge missing significant time, and could pave the way for Ben Rice to lead the team through October.
This club definitely has the pitching to carry them in a short series format. We’ll see if they get the offense.
5. Cubs
Chicago might have lost the division to the Brewers, but this club is a dark horse to win the whole thing.
Pete Crow-Armstrong and company enter Saturday with the best OPS (.771) in the majors, most runs scored (821), and most homers (212). It’s easily the best offense in baseball.
The pitching also doesn’t get talked about enough. Clay Holmes and Kevin Gausman at the top of the rotation are a strong duo to contend against other playoff teams in the NL. Shota Imanaga as the three also plays.
6. Padres
A sizzling September has placed the Padres firmly in playoff contention for 2026.
The club enters Saturday in a three-way tie for the top wild card spot in the NL, and going 12-4 in September has been the culprit. The Friars seriously turned their season around, and any thoughts of San Diego missing October are behind us. Barring a major collapse in the final series of the season, San Diego will enter October with a rejuvenated offense and the best closer in baseball.
Jackson Merrill has been a driving factor during the Padres’ resurgence. The 23-year-old is slashing .303/.344/.571 with seven homers in his last 30 games, bringing his season OPS to a respectable .752 with a couple weeks left in 2026.
7. Rays
It’s weird to say Yordan Alvarez might win the triple crown and lose the AL MVP. Anyway, that’s the long-winded way of saying Junior Caminero should be the AL MVP.
The 22-year-old has carried the Rays the entire season, and will be the sole reason the Rays won the AL East. He’s slashing .277/.365/.533 with an AL-leading 41 homers. Caminero was responsible for two wins himself last week, walking off the A’s twice with homers.
Caminero is the it factor in the lineup. He’s the reason the Rays are seventh in the majors in OPS. He’s also clubbed 41 of the team’s 161 homers entering Saturday.
8. Red Sox
Boston may be eliminated from AL East contention. But they sure helped their No. 1 rival with a win over Tampa Friday.
Roman Anthony clubbed a solo homer in the first and drove in three runs in Friday’s win, leading the Red Sox to a 4-3 win on the road. It kept their hopes for the top wild card alive, and trail the Yankees by five games entering Saturday for a home series in October.
We’ll see how the club holds up with some tough series down the stretch. They finish with the Rays Sunday, then face the Guardians and Cubs to end the season.
9. Phillies
It’s go time for Philadelphia. They’re tied with the Cubs and Padres for the top wild card, and easily have the toughest schedule before the season’s end.
The Mets are a trap series on the road due to their health, and after that, the Phils take on the Brewers and Rays. They’re also without Cristopher Sanchez right now, leading to a bullpen game every five days. Yeesh.
Fortunately, Bryce Harper has heated up for this club at its most dire hour. The first baseman is slashing .333/.426/.486 with 12 RBIs over his last 30 games, and is attempting to jumpstart an expensive, struggling offense.
10. White Sox
The White Sox picked a terrible time to have a 3-8 stretch.
The losing has resulted in the club entering Saturday outside first place in the AL Central, which was emphasized by the Guardians taking two of three from the club in Cleveland. Of all the losses, the biggest came September 15. The club held a 6-5 lead entering the ninth, then Grant Taylor promptly gave up two runs to lose the game, leading to a series loss.
All hope isn’t lost, however, for the White Sox. Their end-of-season schedule has been drawn up perfectly. After a series against the Tigers, the Sox will play six straight games against the Royals and Rockies. The Guardians will also get a go at Kansas City, but face Boston as well.
Rest of the Field
11. Guardians
12. Diamondbacks
13. Pirates
14. Astros
15. Rangers
16. Marlins
17. Orioles
18. Nationals
19. Cardinals
20. Tigers
21. Blue Jays
22. Mets
23. Twins
24. Mariners
25. Reds
26. Giants
27. Royals
28. Angels
29. Rockies
30. Athletics
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