It is mid-January 2026, and if you walk into any sports bar from Toronto to Los Angeles, people are still arguing about what went down a few months ago. The dust has finally settled on the 2025 season. We’ve seen the champagne stains dry and the rings get sized. But honestly, if you’re asking who is on the baseball playoffs list right now, you’re looking at a history book of one of the wildest Octobers in recent memory.
The Los Angeles Dodgers did it again. They didn't just win; they repeated. They became the first team since the turn-of-the-millennium Yankees to go back-to-back. It’s kinda terrifying how good they are. But the path there wasn't a straight line. It was a jagged, stress-inducing mess for everyone involved.
The teams that actually made the 2025 MLB playoffs
When the regular season ended on September 28, 2025, the bracket was a mix of "the usual suspects" and a few teams that basically crashed the party. In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays stood at the top. They finished with 94 wins and took the AL East crown, barely edging out a New York Yankees squad that had the exact same record but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Seattle Mariners finally grabbed the AL West. They finished with 90 wins, while the Cleveland Guardians (88 wins) took home a surprisingly scrappy AL Central.
Then you had the Wild Cards. The Yankees, the Boston Red Sox (89 wins), and the Detroit Tigers (87 wins) rounded out the AL field. Seeing Detroit in there felt like a throwback. They basically clawed their way in during the final week, leaving teams like the Orioles and Royals wondering what went wrong.
The National League Side of the Bracket
Over in the NL, the Milwaukee Brewers were the regular season kings with 97 wins. They looked unstoppable for about six months. The Philadelphia Phillies were right behind them with 96 wins, taking the NL East.
The Dodgers? They actually "underperformed" by their standards, winning "only" 93 games and taking the NL West. But as we've learned, the regular season is just a long warm-up for Dave Roberts' crew.
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The Wild Card spots in the NL went to:
- Chicago Cubs (92 wins)
- San Diego Padres (90 wins)
- Cincinnati Reds (83 wins)
The Reds making it was the story of the summer. It was their first postseason berth in a full season since 2013. Elly De La Cruz spent most of the year doing things that shouldn't be physically possible, and it actually translated into October baseball.
How the 2025 Postseason shook out
The Wild Card round was a blur. It’s a best-of-three sprint, which is basically a heart attack in jersey form. The Yankees managed to exercise some demons by knocking out the Red Sox in three games. It wasn't pretty. Cam Schlittler became an overnight legend in the Bronx by throwing eight shutout innings in the clincher.
Out west, the Tigers kept their momentum going by upsetting the Guardians.
In the NL, the Dodgers made quick work of the Reds, sweeping them 2-0. It was a "welcome to the big leagues" moment for a young Cincinnati roster. The Cubs and Padres had a dogfight at Wrigley Field, with the Cubs eventually moving on after a 3-1 win in Game 3.
The Division Series: When things got weird
By the time the ALDS and NLDS rolled around, the tension was through the roof.
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The Blue Jays absolutely dismantled the Yankees. They won that series 3-1, and honestly, it felt even more one-sided than that. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a grand slam in Game 1 that people are still talking about. It set the tone for the entire series.
Meanwhile, the Mariners and Tigers went the distance. Five games. Game 5 was a 15-inning marathon in Seattle that ended with the Mariners surviving by the skin of their teeth.
The NLDS saw the Dodgers beat the Phillies 3-1. For Phillies fans, it was the same old story—the bats went cold at exactly the wrong time. Milwaukee moved on past the Cubs in a five-game battle that ended at American Family Field.
The World Series: A North-of-the-Border Heartbreak
The 2025 World Series was a heavyweight bout: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays.
It went seven games.
It had everything.
Toronto actually led the series 3-2 heading back to Los Angeles. Blue Jays fans were ready to throw the biggest parade in Canadian history. But you can never count out the Dodgers at home. They took Game 6 in a tight 3-1 contest, and then Game 7 happened.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who eventually won World Series MVP, was a surgeon on the mound. The Dodgers won 5-4. It was a gut-punch for Toronto, but for LA, it was a legacy-definer. Nine championships now for that franchise. They’re basically the final boss of baseball.
Looking ahead: Who is on the baseball playoffs radar for 2026?
Now that we are in the 2026 offseason, the conversation has shifted. If you’re looking at who is likely to be on the playoff list this coming October, the odds-makers have some very specific ideas.
FanGraphs and BetMGM are already putting out projections for the 2026 season. The Blue Jays aren't sulking after their loss. They’ve been the most aggressive team this winter, committing over $330 million to players like Dylan Cease and Kazuma Okamoto. They are the early favorites to win the AL again.
The Dodgers, of course, remain the favorites in the NL. With a payroll that looks like the GDP of a small country, it’s hard to bet against them. But keep an eye on the Atlanta Braves. Ronald Acuña Jr. is healthy, and everyone expects them to bounce back after a mediocre 2025.
2026 Key Dates to Remember
- Opening Night: March 25 (Yankees at Giants)
- Opening Day: March 26 (The earliest in MLB history)
- All-Star Game: July 14 (Philadelphia)
- Postseason Starts: September 29
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Season:
- Watch the AL East Bloodbath: With the Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles all projected to be high-win teams, the division title might be decided by head-to-head tiebreakers again.
- Follow the Pitching Markets: Keep an eye on the injury reports for the Mets and Braves. Both teams have the offensive firepower to make the playoffs but are currently leaning on "iffy" rotations.
- Draft Early in Fantasy: If you play, 2026 projections suggest a heavy tilt toward power hitters in the early rounds as pitching depth across the league remains a major concern.
The 2025 playoffs gave us a repeat champion and a Canadian Cinderella story that fell just short. As we move into the 2026 spring training cycle, the real question isn't just who made the list, but who has the pitching depth to survive the grind all the way to next November.