2025 MLB playoff picture: Baseball standings, projections, odds as AL West, NL wild card races heat up
Written by CBS SPORTS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on September 18, 2025
Less than two weeks remain in the 2025 MLB regular season. As September rolls along, the Major League Baseball playoff picture is coming into focus. The MLB-leading Milwaukee Brewers became the first team to clinch a postseason berth on Saturday and the Philadelphia Phillies followed on Sunday, then secured the NL East title a day later.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the other division leader in the National League as they look to hold off the San Diego Padres to capture another division crown. The Padres, Chicago Cubs and New York Mets are currently in wild card position in the NL, but the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks are making September charges to try and catch New York.
There are some tighter races in the American League. The Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros are neck-and-neck as they fight for the AL West title, and there’s a logjam in the AL wild card race behind the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. The Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays lead the AL Central and East, respectively.
As a reminder, MLB now grants 12 playoff berths — a total of six to the division winners and then three wild card berths in each league. The top two division winners in each league as measured by overall record are rewarded with first-round byes, which means they won’t have to play in the best-of-three Wild Card Series that functions as that first round. The 2025 MLB postseason gets started on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
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.
2025 MLB playoff picture
If the season ended today…
AL byes: No. 1 Blue Jays and No. 2 Tigers
AL Wild Card Series: No. 3 Mariners vs. No. 6 Red Sox
No. 4 Yankees vs. No. 5 Astros
NL byes: No. 1 Brewers and No. 2 Phillies
NL Wild Card Series: No. 3 Dodgers vs. No. 6 Mets
No. 4 Cubs vs. No. 5 Padres
American League standings
| AL East | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays | 89 | 62 | — | 77.0% | 100.0% |
| New York Yankees | 84 | 67 | 5.0 | 14.7% | 99.6% |
| Boston Red Sox | 82 | 69 | 7.0 | 8.2% | 98.5% |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 73 | 78 | 16.0 | 0.0% | <1.0% |
| Baltimore Orioles | 71 | 80 | 18.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| AL Central | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers | 85 | 66 | — | 99.6% | 99.9% |
| Cleveland Guardians | 79 | 71 | 5.5 | 0.0% | 7.2% |
| Kansas City Royals | 75 | 76 | 10.0 | 0.0% | <1.0% |
| Minnesota Twins – e | 66 | 85 | 19.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Chicago White Sox – e | 57 | 95 | 28.5 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| AL West | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Mariners | 83 | 68 | — | 72.2% | 94.9% |
| Houston Astros | 83 | 69 | 0.5 | 22.4% | 61.4% |
| Texas Rangers | 79 | 73 | 4.5 | 4.9% | 37.0% |
| Los Angeles Angels | 71 | 80 | 12.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Athletics – e | 69 | 82 | 14.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
National League standings
| NL East | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies – x | 91 | 61 | — | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| New York Mets | 78 | 73 | 12.5 | 0.0% | 60.2% |
| Miami Marlins | 71 | 80 | 19.5 | 0.0% | <1.0% |
| Atlanta Braves | 69 | 83 | 22.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Washington Nationals – e | 62 | 90 | 29.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| NL Central | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Brewers – z | 92 | 59 | — | 98.1% | 100.0% |
| Chicago Cubs | 87 | 64 | 5.0 | 1.9% | 100.0% |
| Cincinnati Reds | 75 | 76 | 17.0 | 0.0% | 16.2% |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 74 | 78 | 18.5 | 0.0% | <1.0% |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 65 | 87 | 27.5 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| NL West | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 84 | 67 | — | 82.9% | 99.7% |
| San Diego Padres | 82 | 69 | 2.0 | 16.7% | 99.1% |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 77 | 75 | 7.5 | 0.0% | 4.1% |
| San Francisco Giants | 75 | 76 | 9.0 | 0.0% | 19.8% |
| Colorado Rockies – e | 41 | 110 | 43.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
z – clinched playoff berth
x – clinched division
e – eliminated
MLB wild card standings
| AL wild card | W | L | WCGB |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New York Yankees |
84 |
67 |
+2.0 |
|
Houston Astros |
83 |
69 |
+0.5 |
|
Boston Red Sox |
82 |
69 |
— |
|
Cleveland Guardians |
79 |
71 |
2.5 |
|
Texas Rangers |
79 |
73 |
3.5 |
|
Kansas City Royals |
75 |
76 |
7.0 |
| NL wild card | W | L | WCGB |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Chicago Cubs |
87 |
64 |
+9.0 |
|
San Diego Padres |
82 |
69 |
+4.0 |
|
New York Mets |
78 |
73 |
— |
|
Arizona Diamondbacks |
77 |
75 |
1.5 |
|
Cincinnati Reds |
75 |
76 |
3.0 |
|
San Francisco Giants |
75 |
76 |
3.0 |
|
St. Louis Cardinals |
74 |
78 |
4.5 |
2025 World Series odds
(All odds via Caesars as of Sept. 17)
- Los Angeles Dodgers: +460
- Philadelphia Phillies: +500
- Milwaukee Brewers: +650
- Toronto Blue Jays: +700
- Detroit Tigers: +850
- Seattle Mariners: +850
- New York Yankees: +950
- San Diego Padres: +1400
- Chicago Cubs: +1400
- Houston Astros: +1500
- New York Mets: +1700
- Boston Red Sox: +2000
The post 2025 MLB playoff picture: Baseball standings, projections, odds as AL West, NL wild card races heat up first appeared on OKC Sports Radio.
