2025 MLB playoff picture: Baseball standings, projections, odds as Yankees, Mets, Dodgers jostle for position
Written by CBS SPORTS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on September 8, 2025
Three weeks remain in the 2025 MLB regular season. As September rolls along, the Major League Baseball playoff picture is coming into focus. No team has clinched a playoff spot, but the MLB-leading Milwaukee Brewers are closing in on one. The Brewers maintain a sizable lead in the NL Central, and will likely have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers are the other two division leaders in the National League as they look to hold off the New York Mets and San Diego Padres, respectively. The Padres, Mets and Cubs are currently in wild card position in the NL. The San Francisco Giants are making a late-season push, but it might be too little, too late.
The biggest logjam is in the American League wild card race. The scuffling Seattle Mariners were clinging to the sixth and final AL playoff spot entering Sunday, but there are four teams behind them within three games. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are comfortably in wild card position in the AL, but they both still trail the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. The Detroit Tigers hold baseball’s biggest divisional lead in the AL Central and are closing in on their first division title since 2014. The Houston Astros, meanwhile, are trying to hold off the Mariners and Texas Rangers in the AL West.
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 Astros vs. No. 6 Mariners
No. 4 Yankees vs. No. 5 Red Sox
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 | 82 | 61 | — | 67.4% | 100.0% |
| New York Yankees | 80 | 63 | 2.0 | 28.0% | 100.0% |
| Boston Red Sox | 79 | 65 | 3.5 | 4.6% | 95.5% |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 71 | 72 | 11.0 | 0.0% | 1.3% |
| Baltimore Orioles | 66 | 77 | 16.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| AL Central | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers | 82 | 62 | — | 99.5% | 99.9% |
| Kansas City Royals | 73 | 70 | 8.5 | 0.0% | 6.2% |
| Cleveland Guardians | 72 | 70 | 9.0 | 0.0% | 9.8% |
| Minnesota Twins | 63 | 80 | 18.5 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Chicago White Sox – e | 55 | 89 | 27.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| AL West | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 78 | 66 | — | 41.9% | 77.4% |
| Seattle Mariners | 75 | 68 | 2.5 | 53.6% | 88.6% |
| Texas Rangers | 74 | 70 | 4.0 | 4.1% | 21.1% |
| Los Angeles Angels | 67 | 76 | 10.5 | 0.0% | <1.0% |
| Athletics | 66 | 78 | 12.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
National League standings
| NL East | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | 83 | 60 | — | 98.7% | 100.0% |
| New York Mets | 76 | 67 | 7.0 | 1.3% | 81.7% |
| Miami Marlins | 66 | 77 | 17.0 | 0.0% | <1.0% |
| Atlanta Braves | 64 | 79 | 19.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Washington Nationals | 58 | 84 | 24.5 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| NL Central | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Brewers | 89 | 55 | — | 99.4% | 100.0% |
| Chicago Cubs | 81 | 62 | 7.5 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
| Cincinnati Reds | 72 | 71 | 16.5 | 0.0% | 6.7% |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 72 | 72 | 17.0 | 0.0% | <1.0% |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 64 | 80 | 25.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| NL West | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 79 | 64 | — | 61.9% | 97.5% |
| San Diego Padres | 78 | 65 | 1.0 | 37.6% | 97.9% |
| San Francisco Giants | 72 | 71 | 7.0 | 0.0% | 10.4% |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 72 | 72 | 7.5 | 0.0% | 5.0% |
| Colorado Rockies – e | 40 | 103 | 39.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
MLB wild card standings
| AL wild card | W | L | WCGB |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New York Yankees |
80 |
63 |
+5.0 |
|
Boston Red Sox |
79 |
65 |
+3.5 |
|
Seattle Mariners |
75 |
68 |
— |
|
Texas Rangers |
74 |
70 |
1.5 |
|
Kansas City Royals |
73 |
70 |
2.0 |
|
Cleveland Guardians |
72 |
70 |
2.5 |
|
Tampa Bay Rays |
71 |
72 |
4.0 |
| NL wild card | W | L | WCGB |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Chicago Cubs |
81 |
62 |
+5.0 |
|
San Diego Padres |
78 |
65 |
+2.0 |
|
New York Mets |
76 |
67 |
— |
|
San Francisco Giants |
72 |
71 |
4.0 |
|
Cincinnati Reds |
72 |
71 |
4.0 |
|
Arizona Diamondbacks |
72 |
72 |
4.5 |
|
St. Louis Cardinals |
72 |
72 |
4.5 |
2025 World Series odds
(All odds via Caesars as of Sept. 8)
- Los Angeles Dodgers: +375
- Milwaukee Brewers: +650
- Philadelphia Phillies: +650
- Detroit Tigers: +750
- New York Yankees: +800
- Toronto Blue Jays: +1000
- San Diego Padres: +1200
- Houston Astros: +1400
- Chicago Cubs: +1400
- New York Mets: +1400
- Boston Red Sox: +1500
- Seattle Mariners: +1600
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