1) Los Angeles Dodgers
Strengths: Shohei Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a regular season (he finished with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases) and behind him are former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. And behind those hitters is Teoscar Hernández, who finished sixth in the National League with 33 home runs. This is an extremely powerful lineup capable of torturing any big league pitching staff.
Weaknesses: The starting rotation, which finished with a 4.57 ERA in the second half of the season and is missing its veteran ace Clayton Kershaw for at least the Division Series. Rookie Japanese hurler Yoshinobu Yamamoto is one of baseball’s most prized young arms, but he missed three months with an injury and has not thrown more than 79 pitches in a game since June.
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Key player: Starting pitcher Walker Buehler was once expected to succeed Kershaw as the Dodgers’ next great ace. Instead, he had a challenging recovery from Tommy John surgery and struggled to an unsightly 1-6 record with a 5.38 ERA over 16 starts in 2024. If he is unable to rediscover his former self – the pitcher with two top-10 Cy Young finishes – then the Dodgers will struggle to make a deep run.
2) New York Yankees
Strengths: Even in a world where the Dodgers lead off a game with three former MVPs, the Yankees’ combination of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto may be the most fearsome one-two punch in all of baseball. Judge just completed a season that evoked prime Barry Bonds (.322/.458/.701 with 58 home runs and 144 RBI) while Soto led the American League in runs scored (128) in his first season in the Bronx.
Weaknesses: After a strong start to the season, outfielder Alex Verdugo had just 12 extra-base hits in the second half of the season. The fans will clamor for hyper-talented youngster Jasson Dominguez to replace the veteran, but Dominguez has just 100 plate appearances in his MLB career.
Key player: Relief pitcher Luke Weaver seized the closer’s job from ground-ball specialist Clay Holmes in September and finished the month with a 1.50 ERA, four saves and 25 strikeouts in 12 innings. Every team wants a dominant relief pitcher entering the postseason, and Weaver has stabilized what was a struggling New York bullpen.
3) Philadelphia Phillies
Strengths: The Phillies are probably the deepest and most balanced team in MLB. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are two of the game’s most powerful and disciplined hitters while $300m shortstop Trea Turner is one of the most dynamic speed-power threats in the game. Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler is an established ace: he was one of four pitchers to throw 200 innings this season, tied for third in baseball with 224 strikeouts and finished second in the National League with a 2.57 ERA.
Weaknesses: There aren’t many. If any of their starting pitchers struggle, then the middle of the bullpen may be one of the weaker units of the playoff teams. But the back end is top-shelf.
Key player: Left fielder Brandon Marsh anchors the bottom of this potent lineup with strong defense, an excellent eye and good speed. In a lineup full of sluggers like Schwarber, Harper, Turner and Nick Castellanos, Marsh is a secret weapon who likes to tire out opposing pitchers.
4) Cleveland Guardians
Strengths: Cleveland’s elite bullpen features four pitchers who appeared in at least 74 games and finished the season with an ERA under 2.00. Closer Emmanuel Clase was arguably the most dominant pitcher in baseball all season, finishing with 47 saves and a 0.61 ERA. On offense, Josh Naylor provides a nice power complement to José Ramírez, who will likely finish in the top-five for AL MVP.
Weaknesses: Like a couple of other teams in the playoffs (Los Angeles and Detroit), the Guardians are heavily reliant on their bullpen and are inclined to lift their starting pitchers fairly early in games. The bullpen often works as early as the fifth or sixth inning.
Key player: Ramírez was one long ball short of becoming the seventh player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season. At age 31, he remains one of the most electric players in baseball.
5) San Diego Padres
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Strengths: The Padres enter the playoffs with a 43-20 record since the All-Star Break and strong final months from starting pitchers Dylan Cease (2.97 ERA in five September starts), Joe Musgrove (2.51 ERA and 38 strikeouts in five September starts) and Michael King (1.57 ERA over four September starts). San Diego’s pitching staff also allowed the fewest home runs of any team in the second half of the season, which is a positive indicator for close playoff games with high pressure. Star hitters Manny Machado and Fernando Tatís Jr are reliable players with postseason experience.
Weaknesses: The Padres lack a deep bench and they will struggle without every day shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, who will miss the playoffs after shoulder surgery. If Machado and Tatís don’t hit well, there will be significant pressure on 21-year-old outfielder Jackson Merrill, who had a brilliant season but is entering his first playoff series.
Key player: Closer Robert Suárez struggled in September after a dominant first five months of the season. Three of the seven home runs he surrendered this season have occurred over his last nine outings. If he can rediscover his All-Star form, then the Padres will be one of the most complete teams in the playoffs. If he can’t, they may struggle to get out of the wildcard round.
6) Houston Astros
Strengths: The Astros have won a playoff series every year since 2017. There are no shortage of stats to demonstrate their dominance: Jose Altuve leads all active players with 27 postseason home runs (his teammate Alex Bregman is third with 19) and he is the only active player with more than 100 career postseason hits. Altuve, Bregman along with sluggers Yordan Álvarez and Kyle Tucker are unfazed by the big stage and are often at their best when the lights are bright.
Weaknesses: Even with dependable bullpen arms like Josh Hader and Bryan Abreu, the Astros have struggled in one-run games this year (18-27). If starting pitchers Framber Valdez and Yusei Kikuchi struggle, Houston may run out of viable starting arms for a deep playoff run.
Key player: The Astros traded three heralded young prospects to acquire Kikuchi from Toronto at the trade deadline so he could start big games in October. He has shown flashes of dominance since joining Houston (76 strikeouts in 60 innings) and is an essential piece if the Astros want to make another deep run.
7) Milwaukee Brewers
Strengths: This is a speedy team who try to steal bases, score early and smother opposing offenses with some of the best relief pitchers in baseball. The Brewers finished second in baseball with 217 stolen bases and, even more impressively, third in stolen base percentage (84%). Five Brewers stole at least 20 bases and second baseman Brice Turang was one of three players in baseball to steal 50 this season.
Weaknesses: Without star outfielder Christian Yelich, who had season-ending back surgery in August, the Brewers are missing reliable power besides catcher William Contreras and shortstop Willy Adames. If those two aren’t driving in runs, the Brewers will need to be even more aggressive on the basepaths to try and scratch out enough runs to win games.
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Key player: Adames finished second in the National League with 112 RBI and hit a career-high 32 home runs. He is going to be a free agent after the season, meaning this will probably be his one chance to take the Brewers to the World Series.
8) Baltimore Orioles
Strengths: The Orioles feature probably the best collection of young talent in baseball: 23-year-old shortstop Gunnar Henderson will finish top-five in the AL MVP voting after hitting 37 home runs in his sophomore campaign; 24-year-old Colton Cowser is a leading candidate for AL Rookie of the Year after swatting 24 homers in his first full season. And 26-year-old catcher Adley Rutschman regressed after a stellar 2023 campaign, but was still named an All-Star.
Weaknesses: Baltimore are 33-33 since the All-Star Break and their bullpen has an ERA of 4.81 in that span, the worst of any playoff team.
Key player: Right fielder Anthony Santander smashed 44 home runs this year, including a number of clutch hits late in the season. Since pitching will not be Baltimore’s strength in the postseason, the power will need to sustain the lineup.
9) Kansas City Royals
Strengths: Bobby Witt Jr would probably win the AL MVP if he wasn’t competing against Judge: the 24-year-old shortstop led all of baseball with 211 hits and a .332 batting average to go along with 32 home runs and 31 stolen bases. Starting pitchers Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans are strong anchors to a solid, if unspectacular pitching staff.
Weaknesses: The Royals have endured two separate seven-game losing streaks since 28 August, somewhat due to a lack of plate discipline (their 7.2% walk rate is the worst of any playoff team) and an injury to first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who was the team’s most promising young player after Witt.
Key player: Witt is simply too electrifying to ignore and is an utter joy to watch. Since Kansas City don’t get many national broadcasts, it’s a great opportunity to see one of the game’s bright young stars playing in a smaller market.
10) Detroit Tigers
Strengths: Some playoff models had the Tigers with less than a 1% chance of making the postseason when they were eight games under .500 with 44 games remaining. Since then, Detroit are 31-13 thanks to an extremely youthful group (five everyday players age 24 or under) and an unusual strategy that relies heavily on relief pitchers like Tyler Holton, who finished the regular season with a stellar 2.19 ERA over 94 innings.
Weaknesses: It’s not a team that hits for much power or showcases particularly good plate discipline. They Tigers are a young group, meaning they could enjoy the bright lights or be quickly eliminated by the veteran Astros.
Key player: Starting pitcher Tarik Skubal will win the AL Cy Young award after leading MLB in wins (18) and strikeouts (228) to complement a 2.39 ERA.
11) New York Mets
Strengths: The Mets surged to the playoffs behind a phenomenal campaign from shortstop Francisco Lindor, who finished the season with 33 home runs and 29 stolen bases along with playing elite defense. New York have a deep collection of veteran hitters (Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso and JD Martinez) along with Mark Vientos, who finished his first full season with 27 home runs.
Weaknesses: The pitching staff – both the starters and the relievers – surrenders too many walks (their 9.6% walk rate is the worst among playoff teams) and the offense lacks consistency despite impressive power.
Key player: Pete Alonso trails only Aaron Judge for the most home runs in baseball since 2019, but he finished this year with a career-low 34 home runs and 88 RBI (excluding the shortened 2020 season). He’s still one of the most fearsome power hitters in baseball and can carry the Mets if he heats up.
12) Atlanta Braves
Strengths: This year, it is resilience: The team lost defending NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr to a season-ending knee injury and two-time Silver Slugger Austin Riley to a broken hand. Even so, they squeezed into the playoffs thanks to a remarkable season from starting pitcher Chris Sale, the favorite to win the NL Cy Young award and an elite power campaign from designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, who finished with 39 home runs and 104 RBI.
Weaknesses: The mounting injuries have them playing aging veterans like Ramón Laureano, Gio Urshela and Whit Merrifield in critical spots. All three have been very good big leaguers during their career, but all three were released by other teams earlier in the season. Their presences demonstrate how deeply Atlanta have needed to dig to battle back from terrible injury luck.
Key player: Center fielder Michael Harris II enjoyed a brilliant September and will be expected to provide much of the spark that is missing due to Acuña and Riley’s absences.
