Playoff races are heating up across baseball; here’s a look at what the bracket currently looks like
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2 min read
Welcome back from your (hopefully relaxing) Labor Day weekend. Less than three weeks remain in the 2026 MLB regular season, and it’s crunch time for teams in the playoff push. Little has been decided with less than 20 games left for each team, and 20 of the league’s 30 teams entered Tuesday in playoff position or within five games of a spot.
While the Brewers and Dodgers seem headed to division titles in the NL Central and NL West, respectively, there are intriguing races in all three American League divisions and the NL East. Speaking of that NL East, the Phillies rallied back to split their four-game series against the Braves and now sit four games out of first place. Can they pick up enough games down the stretch? Or will they have to settle for a wild-card spot, where they are currently locked in a tight battle with the Cubs for the top NL berth, while the Diamondbacks and Padres jostle for the NL’s final postseason seed.
In the American League, each division race is within four games. The Rays are trying to hold off the Yankees, who are finally getting Aaron Judge back, in the AL East, the White Sox have an edge over the Guardians in the AL Central and the Astros are trying to pull away from the Rangers and Mariners in the AL West. And the chase for the final AL wild-card spot is the most muddled race in baseball. The Guardians, at just one game over .500, currently hold that position, but it’s a tenuous grasp at best.
Now, let’s get you caught up on the bracket, standings and more. All division and postseason projections referenced in the standings come from SportsLine.
2026 MLB playoff picture, bracket
If the season ended today…
American League
Byes: No. 1 Rays, No. 2 White Sox
Wild Card Series: No. 3 Astros vs. No. 6 Guardians, No. 4 Yankees vs. No. 5 Red Sox
National League
Byes: No. 1 Brewers, No. 2 Dodgers
Wild Card Series: No. 3 Braves vs. No. 6 Diamondbacks, No. 4 Phillies vs. No. 5 Cubs
American League standings
| AL East | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rays | 85 | 58 | — | 81.8% | 100% |
| New York Yankees | 81 | 62 | 4.0 | 16.5% | 100% |
| Boston Red Sox | 80 | 65 | 6.0 | 1.5% | 100% |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 72 | 73 | 14.0 | 0% | 30.1% |
| Baltimore Orioles | 70 | 75 | 16.0 | 0% | 4.5% |
| AL Central | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | 75 | 68 | — | 82.8% | 94.6% |
| Cleveland Guardians | 73 | 72 | 3.0 | 17.0% | 51.4% |
| Minnesota Twins | 68 | 76 | 7.5 | 0% | 2.6% |
| Detroit Tigers | 66 | 78 | 9.5 | 0% | <1.0% |
| Kansas City Royals | 64 | 81 | 12.0 | 0% | 0% |
| AL West | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 73 | 71 | — | 72.6% | 76.9% |
| Texas Rangers | 71 | 73 | 2.0 | 23.0% | 34.0% |
| Seattle Mariners | 67 | 77 | 6.0 | 3.9% | 4.4% |
| Athletics | 58 | 87 | 15.5 | 0% | 0% |
| Los Angeles Angels | 54 | 90 | 19.0 | 0% | 0% |
National League standings
| NL East | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | 85 | 59 | — | 93.8% | 100% |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 81 | 63 | 4.0 | 6.2% | 98.7% |
| Miami Marlins | 72 | 73 | 13.5 | 0% | <1.0% |
| Washington Nationals | 67 | 79 | 19.0 | 0% | 0% |
| New York Mets | 66 | 78 | 19.0 | 0% | 0% |
| NL Central | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Brewers | 89 | 56 | — | 99.8% | 100% |
| Chicago Cubs | 81 | 64 | 8.0 | 0% | 99.4% |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 72 | 73 | 17.0 | 0% | <1.0% |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 71 | 73 | 17.5 | 0% | <1.0% |
| Cincinnati Reds | 69 | 75 | 19.5 | 0% | <1.0% |
| NL West | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 87 | 57 | — | 100% | 100% |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 77 | 68 | 10.5 | 0% | 48.1% |
| San Diego Padres | 76 | 68 | 11.0 | 0% | 52.0% |
| San Francisco Giants | 60 | 85 | 27.5 | 0% | 0% |
| Colorado Rockies – e | 55 | 88 | 31.5 | 0% | 0% |
Clinched division – x
Clinched wild-card – y
Clinched playoff berth – z
Eliminated – e
MLB wild-card standings
| AL wild card | W | L | WCGB |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 81 | 62 | +9.0 |
| Boston Red Sox | 80 | 65 | +7.0 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 73 | 72 | — |
| ——————— | ——- | ——- | ———- |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 72 | 73 | 1.0 |
| Texas Rangers | 71 | 73 | 1.5 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 70 | 75 | 3.0 |
| Minnesota Twins | 68 | 76 | 4.5 |
| Seattle Mariners | 67 | 77 | 5.5 |
| Detroit Tigers | 66 | 78 | 6.5 |
| NL wild card | W | L | WCGB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | 81 | 63 | +4.5 |
| Chicago Cubs | 81 | 64 | +4.0 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 77 | 68 | — |
| ——————— | ——- | ——- | ——- |
| San Diego Padres | 76 | 68 | 0.5 |
| Miami Marlins | 72 | 73 | 5.0 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 72 | 73 | 5.0 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 71 | 73 | 5.5 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 69 | 75 | 7.5 |
2026 World Series odds
Via Caesars as of Sept. 8
- Dodgers: +170
- Brewers: +700
- Yankees: +800
- Rays: +900
- Red Sox: +1100
- Braves: +1200
- Phillies: +1300
- Cubs: +1600
- White Sox: +1800
- Astros: +2200
- Blue Jays: +3000
- Guardians: +3000
- Padres: +4000
- Diamondbacks: +4500
- Rangers: +6000
- Mariners: +8000
- Orioles: +15000
- Cardinals: +30000
- Twins: +30000
- Pirates: +30000
- Tigers: +40000
- Marlins: +40000
