2026 MLB playoff picture: Current bracket, division, wild-card standings as regular season enters final month

The Wild Card Series will open on Sept. 29, while a possible Game 7 of the World Series is set for Oct. 31

Sep 2, 2026

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8:37 am ET

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2 min read

It’s crunch time for the dozens of MLB teams that remain within playoff contention as the calendar flips to September, the final month of the 2026 regular season.

This season brings us a muddled mess of the standings, more a reflection of the teams’ mediocrity than a flurry of success. As of today, only the Angels, Athletics, Nationals, Mets, Giants and Rockies seem truly out of the postseason race. What’s left? The Dodgers have a firm hold on the NL West, and the Brewers are growing their lead over the Cubs in the NL Central. The Rays have held on to the AL East as the Yankees try to overcome a litany of injuries, and the Braves are (so far) holding off the Phillies in the NL East.

The wild-card races are even more of a mess as dozens of teams jockey for a shot at October baseball.

Now, let’s get you caught up on the bracket, standings and more. All division and postseason projections referenced in the standings come from SportsLine.

2026 MLB playoff picture, bracket

American League
Byes: No. 1 Rays, No. 2 White Sox
Wild Card Series: No. 3 Astros vs. No. 6 Guardians, No. 4 Yankees vs. No. 5 Red Sox

National League
Byes: No. 1 Brewers, No. 2 Dodgers
Wild Card Series: No. 3 Braves vs. No. 6 Padres, No. 4 Phillies vs. No. 5 Cubs

American League standings National League standings

Clinched division – x
Clinched wild-card – y
Clinched playoff berth – z
Eliminated – e

MLB wild-card standings New York Yankees7960+8.5Boston Red Sox7564+4.5Cleveland Guardians7068————————————————Texas Rangers69701.5Baltimore Orioles69701.5Toronto Blue Jays68712.5Minnesota Twins67723.5Seattle Mariners65745.5Detroit Tigers63757.0Kansas City Royals62778.5Athletics538617.5Los Angeles Angels538617.5Philadelphia Phillies7960+6.0Chicago Cubs7861+5.0San Diego Padres7366———————————————Arizona Diamondbacks73670.5Miami Marlins70693.0St. Louis Cardinals69704.0Pittsburgh Pirates68715.0Washington Nationals67747.0Cincinnati Reds66737.0New York Mets627711.0San Francisco Giants578216.0Colorado Rockies538620.0 2026 World Series odds

Via Caesars as of Sept. 2

Dodgers: +170Brewers: +750Yankees: +800Rays: +950Braves: +1000Phillies: +1200Red Sox: +1500Cubs: +1500White Sox: +2000Astros: +2000Guardians: +3000Rangers: +4000Blue Jays: +4000Padres: +4500Mariners: +7000Diamondbacks: +8000Orioles: +8000Twins: +12500Pirates: +20000Marlins: +20000Cardinals: +40000Tigers: +40000