The 2026 MLB playoff field was nearly cut in half on Wednesday night.
Amid the carnage, the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres were all sent packing. The Cleveland Guardians were the only team trailing in their game that managed to live to see another day.
The coronation of the next World Series champion draws closer with each round, but fans eager for an answer may want to know who it will be sooner rather than later. To get a sense of the likely winner, we turned to the latest expert predictions and oddsmakers’ lines.
A First-Time Title in Milwaukee?
Five MLB franchises remain without a World Series title, and a few experts from ESPN think the Milwaukee Brewers could remove themselves from that group.
In a recent batch of bold playoff predictions, three of ESPN’s experts built their forecasts around the Brewers winning big. Tristan Cockcroft called for Milwaukee’s breakout star, Jackson Chourio, to “become the 10th player to win LCS and World Series MVPs.” Eric Karabell predicted a combined no-hitter from Jacob Misiorowski, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill in Game 1 of the World Series. AJ Mass had predicted the Brewers would “trail in every playoff game en route to a championship,” although Milwaukee has already disproved that one, as it never trailed in Wednesday’s win.
That is considerable support for a side that has never tasted championship glory, and it is hard to argue it is undeserved. The Brewers won an MLB-best and franchise-record 103 games this season. They also boast this postseason’s highest OPS (.688) and second-lowest ERA (1.80).
Two-Time Defending Champs Aren’t the Favourites?
Ahead of this postseason, The Athletic asked “more than 20” of its MLB experts to make World Series predictions. The group did not make the Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of the past two World Series, the most popular pick.
The Brewers ran away with the poll, earning 56 percent of the vote. The Tampa Bay Rays took second with 24 percent, while the Dodgers received just 16 percent. The Brewers and Rays are both viable picks, but that is still less support than many would expect for a club with this much star power and this level of recent dominance.
“No team carries as much October hype as Los Angeles,” Katie Woo wrote. “There are rightful concerns over the drop-off in production from Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, but their rotation of aces should carry them through any qualms on the offence. It’s the Dodgers’ title to lose, and they know it.”
Oddsmakers share that view. However, if the majority of Woo’s colleagues are right, this year’s title will not make its way back to Los Angeles.