Who has the best starting rotation in the MLB playoffs? (1:49)Jeff Passan gives the Dodgers the edge over the Phillies and Mariners with the best starting rotation in the postseason. (1:49)
After an exhilarating finish to the regular season, the 2025 MLB playoffs kick off Tuesday afternoon with 12 teams vying to hoist this year’s World Series trophy.
Who will win each round? And which squad will be the last standing at the end of the postseason? We asked 25 of our MLB experts — from ESPN.com, TV, Research and more — to give us their predictions.
Below are their picks for the wild-card winners (two teams will make it out of each league), division series winners, league championship series winners and World Series champion.
The Red Sox are an underdog in the eyes of our voters. How do you think they pull off the upset? In Game 1, they ride the powerful left arm of Garrett Crochet — and a save from Aroldis Chapman — to a low-scoring victory. Then, the Red Sox have to win just one of the next two games to advance. Just as easy as that!
Our voters are pretty evenly split between Cleveland and Detroit. Why are the Tigers your pick? It’s really not any more complicated than taking the coldest team in September and projecting a run. Perhaps it lasts one series, but when you can nearly count on at least one win behind Tarik Skubal, I’ll take my chances with the Tigers. Yes, the Guardians beat him twice in the final weeks — all the more reason to bet on him this time. If any team can point to a restart in the playoffs as an energy lift, it’s Detroit. The team’s 7-17 record in September will be long forgotten with just two wins this week. — Jesse Rogers
Cincinnati barely snuck into the playoffs, but you have the Reds upsetting the reigning World Series champs in the first round. Tell us why. Because someone has to lean into the randomness of October here. Every March, we see No. 14 and No. 15 seeds upset the top college basketball teams. The odds of those March Madness stunners occurring are something like 80/20. Well, according to our Bradford Doolittle’s formula, the Reds have a 31.6% chance of knocking out the Dodgers this week. And they also have Hunter Greene pitching the opener. If he can deliver an ace-like performance in Game 1, this long shot pick will suddenly look a lot more realistic. — Dan Mullen
What would the Cubs need to do to knock out the Padres? The Cubs’ best chance is striking quickly. Padres manager Mike Shildt won’t hesitate to lean on his superb bullpen early, especially in a best-of-three series, but early Chicago runs flip the script. That forces a middling Padres lineup into a slugfest it isn’t built to win. The Cubs hold more pathways to victory while San Diego’s formula is narrow and volatile: Hand the ball to the bullpen with a lead and let it dominate. — Paul Hembekides
Despite dropping the final series of the regular season, the Mariners are entering October with momentum and as our clear favorite to advance to the LCS. Why is that? The Mariners make a compelling case as the deepest, most talented team in the AL. Their rotation is arguably the game’s best when it’s clicking, and that seemed to be the case over these last few weeks of the regular season. Their bullpen can pitch with anyone’s. And their lineup, headlined by two legit stars in Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez, is the deepest, most dynamic they’ve had in this era. The Mariners are the only franchise that hasn’t reached the World Series. Their fans are due. — Alden Gonzalez
A majority of our voters think the Phillies will beat the Dodgers to advance past the NLDS. Explain why you think L.A. will come out on top. The Phillies are plenty good enough to win the World Series, but I believe the Dodgers, when healthy, have the best roster in baseball. Their starting pitching is stout, and their leftover starters — Tyler Glasnow (for the wild-card series), Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki and, eventually, Clayton Kershaw — might help mask the Dodgers’ ragged bullpen. And when catcher Will Smith returns (he might miss the wild-card series because of a hand injury), the Dodgers have the best offense in the NL. — Tim Kurkjian
Make the case for Milwaukee: At the most obvious level, the Brewers have the best record and run differential and finished in the top three in scoring and preventing runs. They are a complete team, baseball’s best during the regular season. As well-balanced as Milwaukee is, however, it is vulnerable to an opponent that can out-thump it. Based on what we’ve seen over the second half of the season in the NL, that’s more likely to be problematic against potential LCS opponents (Dodgers, Phillies) than LDS foes (Cubs or, most especially, the Padres). — Bradford Doolittle
Make the case for San Diego: The Padres are built well for October. They have perhaps the best bullpen in the playoff field — even without Jason Adam. Their rotation is topped by an ace, Nick Pivetta, followed by high-ceiling options Michael King and Dylan Cease. Their lineup is anchored by All-Stars Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. They carry extensive postseason experience. Ramon Laureano’s finger injury surfaced at an inopportune time, but they’ll be difficult to eliminate if they get adequate starting pitching. And, as for the Cubs, losing Cade Horton for this series is a huge blow. — Jorge Castillo
Though the Padres, Dodgers and Brewers also received votes here, the Phillies are the favorite. Why are they your pick? If Zack Wheeler hadn’t gotten hurt, they might’ve been everyone’s pick, but even without him, the Phillies have one of the best one-through-four rotations of any of the 12 playoff teams. Since Wheeler last appeared, the Phillies are 21-10 in games started by Cristopher Sanchez, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and Jesus Luzardo, and the addition of closer Jhoan Duran, whose 16 saves since Aug. 1 are tied for the most in baseball, has significantly boosted an already solid bullpen.
Who has the best starting rotation in the MLB playoffs? (1:49)Jeff Passan gives the Dodgers the edge over the Phillies and Mariners with the best starting rotation in the postseason. (1:49)
Jeff Passan gives the Dodgers the edge over the Phillies and Mariners with the best starting rotation in the postseason. (1:49)
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ALDS: Winner of Tigers-Guardians vs. Seattle Mariners
ALDS: Winner of Red Sox-Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays
New York Yankees 15 Toronto Blue Jays 5 Boston Red Sox 5
NLDS: Winner of Reds-Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Milwaukee Brewers 13 San Diego Padres 11 Chicago Cubs 1
Seattle Mariners 14 New York Yankees 7 Boston Red Sox 2 Detroit Tigers 1 Toronto Blue Jays 1
Philadelphia Phillies 12 Los Angeles Dodgers 7 San Diego Padres 3 Milwaukee Brewers 3
(Jessica Mendoza, Jesse Rogers, Eric Karabell, Tim Keown, Paul Hembekides, Tristan Cockcroft, Liz Finny,, Karl Ravech, Alden Gonzalez, JJ Post, Bradford Doolittle, Kiley McDaniel)
(David Schoenfield, AJ Mass, Scott Gustafson, Jorge Castillo, Gregg Colli)
(Garrett Gastfield, Jeff Passan, Tim Kurkjian, Doug Glanville)