MLB's Super Sized Postseason

As one postseason ends (what a tremendous job the NHL did with every element of the Stanley Cup Playoffs), another one is set to begin.  Remarkably, Baseball made it through the 60-game regular season.  Now it's time for the expanded postseason, something that I'm still not a fan of in a full season (we don't need 83-79 teams being rewarded for their mediocrity over the previous six months).  But for this 60-game sprint, I get it.  Although, if you look at the seedings, the six division winners very well might've been there after 162 games, too.

From the 16-team field to the best-of-three Wild Card Series to the neutral sites to the lack of off days, this postseason will be unlike any other.  Because of that, I've decided to do my MLB playoff preview a little differently, too.  Instead of breaking down each series and picking a World Series winner, I've decided to rank the teams in order of how likely I think it is that they'll end up as World Series champions.  Because, let's face it, some of these teams aren't anywhere near the same class as others.

16. Brewers: Milwaukee went 29-31 this season, but snuck into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the National League.  They're like that 36-46 NBA team that gets the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference and promptly gets swept in the first round.  Same thing will happen here.  Does anyone really think the Brewers are gonna take two out of three at Dodger Stadium against a 43-17 juggernaut that will have Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw pitching?  I didn't think so.

15. Astros: You take away their garbage can, and suddenly the Astros hitters turn into mere mortals.  Great job by Dusty Baker getting Houston back to the playoffs, but they only backed into a spot because second-place teams were guaranteed one.  Seriously, they finished below .500 in a terrible division!  With a number of key players set to become free agents after this season, this will likely be the last hurrah for the defending AL champs.

14. Marlins: Every time the Marlins qualify for the playoffs, they win the World Series!  So, let's congratulate a team that's never won its division on its third championship!  In all seriousness, though, it's remarkable that the Marlins made it after everything they've gone through this season.  Although, sadly, they'll likely no longer be undefeated in postseason series by the end of October (probably by the end of the week actually).

13. Cardinals: Just like the Marlins, the Cardinals made the postseason against all odds after having to deal with their own COVID outbreak this season.  And now that St. Louis is in the playoffs, they'll be a very tough out.  As usual.  However, I don't think the Cardinals are deep enough in a very top-heavy National League.  In fact, I'd be surprised if they beat the Padres.

12. Blue Jays: A third team that made the playoffs after overcoming some extraordinary circumstances this season.  Although, if any team's built for a bubble, it's the one that hasn't been home since July.  The Blue Jays are ahead of schedule in their rebuild, but playing division rival Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field won't be easy.  Against another team, I'd like Toronto's offense to maybe pull an upset.  But not against Rays pitching.
  
11. Reds: Cincinnati was that sleeper team that people thought might be good this season.  And they're perhaps the lower-seeded team most capable of a Wild Card Series surprise.  Why?  Because they've got three really good starting pitchers.  If they can keep the Braves in the ballpark and hit some homers of their own, look out!  I don't think that strategy will work for three rounds, though.

10. White Sox: This time last week, the White Sox were the No. 2 seed in the AL.  They're still playing in the 2-7 series, but on the road!  If the team that ended the season on an eight-game losing streak shows up, they'll be back on the South Side by the weekend.  If the team that played the season's first 52 games does, they could go all the way.  They might get swept in the Wild Card Series.  They might end up in the ALCS.  Either way, it seems unlikely they'll reach the World Series.

9. Twins: We came thisclose to another postseason series between the Twins and their perennial foil, the Yankees.  But alas, Minnesota didn't just avoid the Yankees, they won the division, which means they get to play their Wild Card Series at Target Field, where they went 24-7 this season.  At the very least, the Twins should earn their first postseason win since 2003 (the Marlins have won a postseason game more recently than Minnesota).  A World Series berth is possible, but one thing at a time.  Let them win a game, then a series first.

8. Athletics: If not for Minnesota's playoff woes, we'd be talking about the A's and their lack of postseason success.  That could change this season, though.  Because Oakland, which has been surprisingly good for a few years now, put it all together and wrestled the AL West crown away from the Astros.  And they're plenty capable of making a deep run, even though it'll likely fall short of the World Series.  (Although, as I said earlier, I can just as easily see the White Sox winning that series.)

7. Padres: After San Diego's electric regular season, what do the Padres have in store for their first playoff appearance in 14 years (the 2007 NL Wild Card Game against Colorado was a tiebreaker, so it doesn't count)?  As you know, I've been high on the Padres all season.  And they made moves at the deadline to set themselves up for the playoffs.  Only to see two of those additions--Mike Clevinger and Mitch Moreland--go down with injuries.  Which leaves San Diego with the team it had for most of the season, which is still pretty damn good!  Good enough to beat the Dodgers in the Division Series, though?  Probably not.

6. Cubs: Don't sleep on the Cubs.  They've got plenty of star power and plenty of postseason experience.  Most importantly, they've got the starting pitching, which takes on extra significance this year.  Although, Yu Darvish will have to pitch the way he did in the 2020 regular season, not the way he has in his previous postseason appearances.  Throw in co-ace Kyle Hedricks and grizzled veteran Jon Lester, and that's as good as any rotation in the National League east of Los Angeles.  If nothing else, the Cubs should make MLB history as the first team ever to win a playoff series against the Marlins.

5. Indians: Shane Bieber, Carlos Carrasco and Zach Plesac.  They're the reason Cleveland was the team nobody wanted to draw as their postseason opponent.  And the Indians will go as far as that pitching trio will take them.  Which could be pretty far.  Especially if Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor and Franmil Reyes hit the way they can.  The Indians and Yankees, in fact, are very similar.  Whoever wins that series could easily win the pennant.

4. Yankees: Talk about a streaky team.  The Yankees started 16-6, then lost 15 of 20, then won 10 straight, then lost six of their last eight.  So it really depends on which team shows up.  Because everyone agrees that they can beat anybody if the one that went 10-0 shows up.  And Gerrit Cole is pitching like the ace he's paid to be.  Although, one of the craziest things about this Yankees team is that they were so good at home and so terrible on the road.  And it's because of that that they'll have to go on the road.  They could easily lose to the Indians.  They could just as easily get hot and make their way to Arlington for the World Series.

3. Rays: It's a great time to be a Tampa Bay sports fan.  The Lightning just won the Stanley Cup, the Bucs are in first place, and the Rays are coming off arguably the best season in franchise history.  They went 40-20 and enter the playoffs as the favorites for the AL pennant.  They'll only have their biggest advantage--Tropicana Field--in the first round, but the Rays were such an adept road team that the playoffs being played mainly at neutral sites shouldn't faze them much.  They've got the pitching to beat anybody.  The question is: Will they hit enough?
 
2. Braves: In my opinion, there's only one team in the National League that belongs in the same conversation as the Dodgers.  And that team is Atlanta.  Sure, the Braves have some question marks in the starting rotation, but they have an incredibly strong bullpen and we all know how good their lineup is.  They'll score plenty, so the pitching staff's job is really just to make sure the Braves outscore their opponent.  It's been a long time since they've won a playoff series, and Cincinnati is a tough draw.  If they get by the Reds, though, the Braves have all the tools to play deep into October.

1. Dodgers: The Dodgers have had a singular focus for the past few seasons.  We all know what that is, so I don't need to say it.  And this season they played like what they are--the best team in baseball.  It really is a shame that we didn't get to see what they might do over the course of 162 games.  Because they might've challenged the MLB record of 116 wins.  It's seriously kinda unfair how much better the Dodgers are than everybody else, and adding Mookie Betts only made them better.  They aren't just the favorites.  They're the overwhelming favorites.  It's not just World Series or bust.  It's World Series title or bust.  After some close calls and painful playoff losses in recent years, it's finally time.  The 32-year championship drought will come to an end.  The Dodgers are simply too good.