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 eliminated. The Cleveland Guardians were the only team trailing in a deficit that stayed alive to play another day.
The crowning of the next World Series champion is getting closer, but fans who want to know the winner sooner rather than later can turn to the latest expert predictions and oddsmakers’ lines for a glimpse of what lies ahead.
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 soon leave 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 predicted the Brewers would “trail in every playoff game en route to a championship,” but Milwaukee already broke that forecast, since it never trailed in Wednesday’s win.
That is considerable support for a team that has never won a championship, and it is hard to call it undeserved. The Brewers won an MLB-best and franchise-record 103 games this season. They also boast this postseason’s highest OPS at .688 and its second-lowest ERA at 1.80.
Two-Time Defending Champs Aren’t the Favorites?
Ahead of this postseason, The Athletic asked “more than 20” of its MLB experts to make World Series predictions. That group did not make the Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of the past two World Series, the most popular pick.
The Brewers led the poll with 56 percent of the vote. The Tampa Bay Rays finished second with 24 percent, while the Dodgers received just 16 percent. Milwaukee and Tampa Bay are both legitimate choices, 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 offense. It’s the Dodgers’ title to lose, and they know it.”
Oddsmakers agree with that assessment. If most of Woo’s colleagues are right, however, this year’s championship will not return to Los Angeles.