The field for the 2026 MLB playoffs is set and by Halloween, we will have a strong new World Series. The Wild Card Series begins on Tuesday afternoon with four best-of-three matchups. From there, those four winners will move on to the League Division Series, where the top two teams in each league meet after a first-round bye.
The winners of the best-of-five Division Series move on to the best-of-seven League Championship Series, and of course the best-of-seven World Series.
Behold how they are laid out to drink.
American League
First-bye byes
No. 1 Radios, No
Wild Card Series
No. 3 Astros vs. No. 6 White Sox
No. 4 Yankees vs. No. 5 Red Sox
National League
First-bye byes
No. 1 Brewers, No. 2 Dodgers
Wild Card Series
No. 3 Braves vs. No. 6 Phillies
No. 4 Parents vs. No. 5 Cubs
Right now, here are our staff picks for 2026 from your CBS Sports MLB writers. Let’s predict each bracket from the Wild Card Series through the World Series.
Mike Axis bracket
Adam Eagle, CBS Sports Design
Select World Series: Dodgers at Yankees
Explanation: I don’t feel much about my bracket, so I’m sticking with the “pick who you think are the best teams, stupid” approach. Even without Aaron Judge, the Yankees have enough firepower to come out of the American League, and their position is formidable. My only concern is the overworked bullpen, but guys are always finding extra gear in football. The Dodgers are more vulnerable than they were two years ago, I think, especially since Shohei Ohtani is clearly not 100% physically (or close to it). That rotation is just as good though — Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow is about as good as it gets — and it’s good enough to pick up Ohtani’s offense. I feel like Joshua De Paula is playing a huge role in October. He will enter the line every day and make a big impact.
Dayn Perry bracket
Adam Eagle, CBS Sports Design
Select World Series: Brewers over Rays
Explanation: I never predict the MLB postseason with much conviction because it involves so much randomness. This is especially the case this year, as the NL has a lot of worthy World Series and the AL has the top two. I’m tempted to discount the Brewers because of their incompetence, but I think they have the deepest and most balanced rosters, and they’re better suited to run prevention in particular. The Dodgers are still very good, obviously, but their core seems a bit older and a bit more injured than this time last year. If Aaron Judge was 100% the man for the playoffs and 100% healthy to go, I’d take the Yankees and get a loaded rotation out of the AL. Since this is not the case, I will still go with the rays as the whole World Series market. The Brewers are in seven thanks in part to superior bullpen depth.
Matt Snyder bracket
Adam Eagle, CBS Sports Design
Select World Series: Brewers over Rays
Explanation: The AL is weak, but the Rays are a legitimately great team and they’re getting through the competition. That said, the NL team wins it all this season. The Dodgers remain the most likely team to win the World Series, but it only has the right stuff to break through to win the World Series and we rarely see a triple-double. I’ll tell the Brewers to take over the job after he was fired last year and carry that momentum forward to win the World Series. Jackson Chourio, the national leader of the party, has this station and brings himself under the brightest lights. He wins the Series MVP and the Brewers hang their first ever banner.