The MLB playoffs are right around the corner. The weather hasn't quite reckoned with autumn's approach yet, but October looms all the same and with it, the promise of memorable baseball and a new World Series champion.
We have reached the point in the season where the contenders are firmly separated from the pretenders. The list of teams truly in the mix for a postseason spot dwindles by the day. The New York Yankees, for example, are dead in the water. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Houston Astros continue to surge in the wild card races.
Per MLB rules, six teams from the National League and six teams from the American League will make the playoffs. Every division winner is guaranteed a top-three seed, but only the first and second seeds get a first-round buy.
Here's how the bracket shapes up as of Monday, Aug. 28.
MLB playoff bracket if season ended today: National League
1. Atlanta Braves (84-45)
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (80-49)
3. Milwaukee Brewers (73-57) vs. 6. Arizona Diamondbacks (69-62)
4. Philadelphia Phillies (72-58) vs. Chicago Cubs (69-61)
After a slow start out of the All-Star break, the Braves have rounded into form. There's simply not a better team in the MLB right now. The playoffs are a game of chance — anything can and will happen — but the Braves are unavoidable favorites. There's power top to bottom in the lineup, elite gloves peppered across the field, and several aces in the bullpen.
That said... the Dodgers have new MVP favorite Mookie Betts, with Freddie Freeman similarly gaining steam in the awards race. What once felt like a Ronald Acuña Jr. cakewalk has turned into a contested debate and the Dodgers, who are only four games behind Atlanta in the standings, can't be ignored.
Atlanta and Los Angeles leading the National League isn't exactly new, though. What is (relatively) new is the ascent of Milwuakee and Philadelphia. The Brewers have been leading the NL Central all season, but with Cincinnati or Chicago always on their tail. A recent hot streak has the Brewers with a decent cushion for the first time in months.
The Phillies, meanwhile, are the reigning NL champs. It took a while for it all to click, but the team is indeed clicking. Trea Turner looks more like Trea Turner. Bryce Harper is bombing again. Kyle Schwarber comically has more home runs (36) than singles (29). It's hard to ignore the creeping sensation that Philadelphia might do it all again.
MLB playoff bracket if season ended today: American League
1. Baltimore Orioles (81-49)
2. Seattle Mariners (74-56)
3. Minnesota Twins (68-63) vs. 6. Houston Astros (74-58)
4. Tampa Bay Rays (80-52) vs. 5. Texas Rangers (73-57)
How 'bout them Mariners?
For a while, it felt like the Texas Rangers were penciled into the No. 2 seed as NL West winners. Not so fast. Julio Rodriguez and company are 18-5 in August with an opportunity to break the franchise record for wins in a single month (20). Seattle is the hottest team in the American League.
The Orioles and Rays are locked in a tight battle atop the AL East, while the division's more historic franchises grapple over last-place honors.
The Twins feel like pretenders, sure, but there's something to be said for being the only half-decent team in the AL Central. That'll get you home-field advantage in the first round.
The American League wild card picture is laughably crowded. There's a legitimate case to be made that Tampa, Texas, and Houston are the favorites. The Rangers and Astros both bolstered their pitching staffs at the trade deadline. The Rays are loaded across the board. Houston has won two very recent World Series with the same core.
This could get very, very interesting.