Officially, the 2025 MLB season’s second half begins when the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs clash at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon.
Unofficially, teams began the second half when they played their 82nd game. But there’s no time for semantics, especially as the trade deadline and postseason rapidly approach. We’re roughly two and a half months from contenders like the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Yankees taking the next step in their World Series quest — at least, we assume all three teams will be in the playoffs, and they would be if the season ended today.
But, there’s a significant difference between how things are now and how things will look in October. Let’s try to predict which teams will make the 2025 MLB postseason and what a potential bracket could look like.
Projected 2025 American League playoff teams
Our midseason 2025 MLB playoff projections begin with the American League.
Seed | Team |
|---|---|
No. 1 (First-round bye) | Detroit Tigers (AL Central champions) |
No. 2 (First-round bye) | Toronto Blue Jays (AL East champions) |
No. 3 | Houston Astros (AL West champions) |
No. 4 | Boston Red Sox (Wild Card) |
No. 5 | New York Yankees (Wild Card) |
No. 6 | Seattle Mariners (Wild Card) |
As of July 16, the FanDuel Sportsbook gave the Tigers +700 odds (bet $100 for a $800 payout) to win their first World Series since 1984. We imagine you won’t be surprised to learn that only the Dodgers (+220) had higher odds.
The Astros entered the All-Star Break with a five-game lead over the Mariners, and we don’t see Houston giving it up so easily. That’s not a knock against the Mariners, who could make a deep playoff push if All-Star catcher and Home Run Derby champion Cal Raleigh continues his power surge.
Then, there’s the American League East. We expect the New York Yankees to squeak in as a Wild Card, despite the continued rash of injuries and manager Aaron Boone’s commitment to the likes of Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells. Could the AL East race instead come down to the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox? That’d certainly be interesting, even more so if both teams buy ahead of the trade deadline.
Projected 2025 National League playoff teams
Next, let’s look at which National League teams we believe will make the 2025 MLB postseason.
Seed | Team |
|---|---|
No. 1 (First-round bye) | Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West) |
No. 2 (First-round bye) | New York Mets (NL East champions) |
No. 3 | Chicago Cubs (NL Central champions) |
No. 4 | Philadelphia Phillies (Wild Card) |
No. 5 | Milwaukee Brewers (Wild Card) |
No. 6 | San Francisco Giants (Wild Card) |
It might be an unpopular opinion in certain parts of the East Coast, but we believe that Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and the Mets will win the NL East instead of Bryce Harper’s Phillies. Although the Phillies own a half-game lead, don’t forget that the Mets have won four of six against their rivals. Every win matters!
Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs have a one-game lead over the Brewers, but we believe in these Cubbies. If anything, we’re interested in seeing which team is the No. 4 seed: the NL East runner-up, or the NL Central’s second-place team.
But wait, you ask, what about the Giants? San Francisco currently trails the rival Padres by a half game in the Wild Card standings, so that should be the Giants’ priority. We trust San Francisco’s pitching and expect Rafael Devers to get hot soon.
As for our current World Series prediction? It’s an unoriginal pick, but we’re taking the Los Angeles Dodgers to defeat the Detroit Tigers in five games … for now. Let’s see what the Red Sox and Blue Jays do at the trade deadline.