MLB Game 162 picks, best bets: Blue Jays hang on to take AL East over Yankees, Mets go home empty-handed

The final day of the 2025 Major League Baseball season is upon us and there are actually a few things yet to be decided for the playoffs. The AL East (along with the No. 1 American League seed) and AL Central titles hang in the balance while the Mets and Reds are still fighting for that last NL wild card spot.

All odds via BetMGM

Blue Jays -1.5 (+110)

With the Yankees surging, the Jays finally got their act together over the last few days with a three-game winning streak. They have the right guy on the mound Sunday too, with Kevin Gausman getting the assignment. He wasn’t great last time out, but has a 2.37 ERA in his last nine starts. Rays rookie lefty Ian Seymour was outstanding last time the Blue Jays saw him, but that was Sept. 17. My feeling here is the players getting a second look at him 11 days later means a lot more comfortable at-bats this time around. 

The Blue Jays hold the tiebreaker over the Yankees and will get the job done Sunday, clinching their first AL East title since 2015. They’ll be the top seed in the AL.

Marlins +105

Though the Mets have won three of their last five games, the vibes remain poor and they’ll miss the playoffs with either a loss or a Reds win. I’m betting it’s a loss. 

The Mets haven’t been good for a while. They are 38-54 since June 12, when they had the best record in baseball, and that’s a large sample of playing like a 95-loss team. Lefty Sean Manaea takes the ball on Sunday and with the Mets fighting for their playoff lives, it’s a good illustration of how bad the pitching situation has gotten. Manaea has a 7.34 ERA in his last 10 outings. The Mets even used him in a one-inning relief outing earlier this week to try and get him right and he coughed up a two-run home run. 

Talented righty Edward Cabrera is the starter for the Marlins and though the Mets handled him well on Aug. 30 in Citi Field, he’s a different pitcher at home. In 13 Marlins Park starts this season, Cabrera has a 2.91 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 74 ⅓ innings. 

Here, the 2025 Mets’ demise becomes complete.

Charlie Morton 1.5 strikeouts (+105)

Morton is starting the final game of his career and going out as a Brave. It’s a great gesture from the organization, even though he won’t be in the game long, with Chris Sale set to piggyback him. My hunch is he throws one inning and then maybe one pitch in the second inning before getting pulled to an ovation. That means our margin of error is miniscule here, but I think there’s a little extra adrenaline knowing it’s his final start and that he’s only having a short outing. Plus, the Pirates‘ offense is awful and strikes out a lot. We’re gambling here, but that’s the fun of it.