So, you're looking for whos in the mlb playoffs and maybe feeling a little bit like you missed the bus. Honestly, I get it. The baseball calendar is long, and if you aren't checking the box scores every single morning with your coffee, the bracket can start looking like a giant puzzle.
Right now, we are in the middle of January 2026. That means the 2025 MLB playoffs are actually in the rearview mirror. The dust has settled, the champagne is mostly out of the carpets, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are currently the two-time defending champions.
They did it. Back-to-back.
But if you want to know who was actually in the mix during that wild October run—and why it matters for the 2026 season that is literally weeks away from Spring Training—you've gotta look at the 12 teams that made the cut. It wasn't just the usual suspects.
The Teams That Made the 2025 MLB Playoffs
The 2025 field was a weird mix of powerhouse dynasties and teams that basically clawed their way in on the very last day of September.
In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays finally lived up to the massive expectations. They won the AL East with 94 wins, edging out the Yankees on a tiebreaker. It was their first division title since 2015. Joining them with a first-round bye were the Seattle Mariners, who ended a decades-long drought by winning the AL West.
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The rest of the AL field was a slugfest. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox both got in as Wild Cards, giving us a classic rivalry matchup right out of the gate. The Cleveland Guardians won the Central after a ridiculous late-season surge, and the Detroit Tigers squeezed in as the final seed.
Over in the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers were actually the best team in baseball. They won 97 games and took the top seed. The Philadelphia Phillies grabbed the No. 2 seed after winning the NL East again.
Then you had the Los Angeles Dodgers. They won the West (shocker, right?), but because their record was slightly "worse" than the Brewers and Phillies, they had to play in the Wild Card round. Rounding out the NL side were the Chicago Cubs, the San Diego Padres, and the Cincinnati Reds.
What Really Happened in the Bracket
If you just look at the final score of the World Series, you miss the absolute chaos of how we got there.
The Wild Card round was a bloodbath. The Yankees sent the Red Sox home early, which I’m sure didn't go over well in New England. But the real story was the Detroit Tigers. They came in as the "lucky to be here" team and proceeded to knock off the Guardians in a series that felt way more intense than a best-of-three usually does.
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The American League Path
- ALDS: Toronto handled the Yankees in four games. Seattle barely survived a five-game thriller against Detroit.
- ALCS: This was arguably the best series of the year. Toronto vs. Seattle. It went the full seven games. Toronto eventually moved on to the Fall Classic after an epic Game 7 win.
The National League Path
- NLDS: The Dodgers were on a mission. They swept through the Phillies, while the Brewers had to sweat out a five-game series against the Cubs.
- NLCS: This is where Milwaukee's dream season died. The Dodgers just had too much depth. They swept the Brewers 4-0.
The World Series: Dodgers vs. Blue Jays
This was a heavyweight fight. You had the Dodgers trying to be the first team to repeat as champions since the 1998-2000 Yankees. On the other side, you had a Toronto team that looked like it was finally "the team" everyone thought they would be five years ago.
It went seven games.
Game 3 was a literal marathon—18 innings of baseball that lasted well into the morning. The Dodgers won that one, but Toronto fought back to take a 3-2 lead in the series.
In the end, it came down to Game 7 in Toronto. The Blue Jays had the home crowd, the momentum, and a lead late in the game. But the Dodgers are the Dodgers for a reason. They tied it up, forced extra innings, and eventually won 5-4 in the 11th. Yoshinobu Yamamoto induced a game-ending double play to seal it.
It was heart-wrenching for Toronto, but for L.A., it cemented a dynasty.
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Why the 2025 Playoff Picture Matters for 2026
Even though we're talking about whos in the mlb playoffs for the previous season, the carryover to 2026 is huge.
The rosters are shifting. The "Big Three" in the NL (Dodgers, Phillies, Braves) are still there, but teams like the Reds and Tigers proved they aren't just "rebuilding" anymore. They are dangerous.
The 2026 projections are already out. FanGraphs and other sites are basically betting on a Toronto-L.A. rematch. But if 2025 taught us anything, it's that the "bye" doesn't guarantee a thing. The Brewers and Phillies both had the week off and both got bounced before the World Series.
Actionable Steps for the 2026 Season
If you're trying to stay ahead of the curve for the upcoming year, here is what you should do right now:
- Check the 40-man rosters: The winter meetings changed everything. The Dodgers added even more pitching, but the Mets and Yankees have been aggressive in trying to close the gap in the AL.
- Follow the injury reports: Spring Training starts in February. Keep an eye on the guys who finished 2025 on the IL. A healthy Ronald Acuña Jr. or a return to form for some of the Orioles' young arms could completely flip the 2026 bracket.
- Watch the "Bubble" teams: Look at the teams that just missed out last year—like the Royals or the Diamondbacks. They usually play with a massive chip on their shoulder the following season.
- Mark your calendar: Pitchers and catchers report in about three weeks. That is when the hunt for the 2026 playoffs officially begins.
Baseball is a long game, but the playoffs are a sprint. The 2025 season was a wild ride that ended with a familiar face on top, but the gap is closing. Get ready for April.