Welcome to the 2025 MLB Postseason

Greetings, baseball nerds! The 2025 MLB Postseason has finally arrived. We love witnessing outstanding plays and history being made. If you're nor passionate about baseball, especially in October, then you might be the problem. You are definitely missing out on all the action. I'll be breaking down each of the matchups and share my thoughts about them.

I didn't fill out this bracket, because I felt like it wasn't necessary for me to do so. Instead, I'll do a breakdown of each matchup to make things easier for me and for you to understand.

If you're new to baseball in general or October Baseball, here's how the Postseason works.

Twelve teams (six from the American League and six from the National League) compete to see who will reach the World Series. Two of the six teams from both leagues who has the best two records will receive first round byes. In other words, they'll bypass the Wild Card round and play in the League Division Series, or LDS. For example, the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, and Milwaukee Brewers have received first round byes for having the best records in baseball. The Wild Card round is a best-of-three series, where a team has to win two out of three games to advance to the League Division Series. The League Division Series (LDS) is a best-of-five series, where a team has to win three out of five games to reach the League Championship Series, or LCS. In the LCS, it's a best-of-seven series. The team who wins four out of the seven games will play in the World Series, which is also a best-of-seven series. Just like the League Championship Series, a team to reach four wins win the World Series title and a player is named World Series MVP. The World Series is like the baseball version of the Super Bowl. You hope that your own team makes it to the World Series and possibly win it it all. What I've described so far is the beauty of October Baseball and the reasons why we're so passionate about it. It's a tradition to millions of baseball fans like me. I've previously shared my own experiences of witnessing my team, the Texas Rangers, winning their first World Series title back in 2023. I'll have a link to my story down below, so you can read what that night was like for me.

https://customer-opinion.top/unbalanced/texas-rangers-a-world-series-story%3C/a%3E

Now onto my predictions for the 2025 MLB Postseason...

Let's start with the American League and the first Wild Card matchup between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians defeated the Texas Rangers on Saturday night to clinch a playoff berth.

My pick: Guardians

Last year, the Guardians made it to the ALCS, where they lost to the New York Yankees. Will that same Postseason magic from last year propel them further into the playoffs?

Second Wild Card matchup: Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees

The decades-long rivalry between these two teams may not be as relevant as it once was 20 years ago, but fans of their respective teams know that anytime they go against each other, the matchups are going to be intense.

The Red Sox are in the playoffs for the first time since 2021, while the Yankees are trying to reach the World Series for the second consecutive year.

My pick: Yankees

Aaron Judge is competing with Cal Raleigh of the Mariners for the AL MVP Award. Just to remind everyone that he made a few errors during Game 5 of last year's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He'll and the Yankees will have to overcome last year's struggles and step their game up.

ALDS Prediction: New York Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays were expected to have another losing season in 2025, but surprisingly, they weren't going to go away quietly. They haven't won a World Series title since 1993. Remember, they also won it all back in 1992. So, they won back-to-back championships. Will Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer win his third World Series title? He's currently 41 years old and based on his stats and accomplishments, he's definitely a shoo-in to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the future. Would it be his final Postseason that he participates in? We shall see.

My pick: Blue Jays

It has been over three decades since their last World Series title, but I'd love to see them go further into the Postseason.

ALDS Prediction: Seattle Mariners vs Cleveland Guardians

My pick: Mariners

I love a good underdog story, and the Mariners will be an example of that. They won their first AL West title since 2001, the year and team that their current manager, Dan Wilson, was part of. A former MLB catcher who played for this team that year, alongside now Baseball Hall of Famer, Ichiro. To refresh everyone's memory, Ichiro was indicted into the Baseball Hall of Fame back in July, making him the first Asian-born player to be inducted into Cooperstown. Plus, his number 51 was retired by the Mariners earlier in the second half of the season. Since the firing of their previous manager Scott Servais last season, Dan Wilson deserves a lot of credit for turning this team around. He has a legitimate case to win the American League Manager of the Year. Cal Raleigh has had such an outstanding season. Breaking records and being part of baseball history. He's one of two candidates for the AL MVP Award. It would be great to see him add both a World Series title and the World Series MVP Award to his resume. While their bats have been scorching hot, the pitching has to improve. Nevertheless, my pick is the AL West Champions.

ALCS Predictions: Seattle Mariners vs Toronto Blue Jays

My pick: Mariners

Once again, I love a good underdog story. Both of these teams have been making a lot of noise this season. They have some of the best players in the league. The main reason for my pick is because I want the Mariners to be the 2025 version of the Texas Rangers, where they surprised everyone by winning their first World Series title in 2023. I see the Mariners in the World Series and Cal Raleigh becoming ALCS MVP.

Onto the National League...

NLCS Wild Card matchup: Cincinnati Reds vs Los Angeles Dodgers

Prediction: Reds

I know it's a bold prediction and a long shot, but it would be satisfying to see the Reds upset the Dodgers. After clinching the final Wild Card spot on Sunday, the Reds are in the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Remember, 2020 was a pandemic year. Legendary manager Terry Francona has plenty of Postseason experience, especially during his time with the Boston Red Sox, where he won two World Series titles. Defeating the defending World Series Champions won't be an easy task, but they can overcome anything. They have Elly De La Cruz, who's known for his sharp speed and stealing bases.

As for the Dodgers, they've infuriated me and plenty of baseball fans this season and past offseason. From having multiple players (some who weren't deserving of the honor) being selected to play in the MLB All-Star Game that took place in Atlanta back in July to gatekeeping Japanese talent from other teams, those are the reasons that influenced my pick. With Clayton Kershaw retiring, which I've wrote a story about recently, I don't see this team repeating as champions. That feat hasn't happened in almost 30 years. The last team to do this are the New York Yankees back in 2000 and their final three-peat. The Dodgers have been upset in the playoffs, and it definitely won't be the last. We need someone new to advance in the playoffs. The Dodgers sense of entitlement and selfishness has since turned me off. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: the world doesn't revolve around the Dodgers or Shohei Ohtani. Translation: it's not always about you.

Second Wild Card Matchup: San Diego Padres vs Chicago Cubs

This is a matchup for the ages and worth watching. These two teams had to overcome their own struggles to reach the playoffs. The Padres have Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis, Jr. while the Cubs have Pete Crow-Armstrong and the ever-stoic Ian Happ. The Padres are one of a few handfuls of teams who have never won a World Series title, while the Cubs last championship was back in 2016. Speaking of that, next season, they'll celebrate 10 years of their historic win. In case you've been living under a rock, the Cubs broke their 108-year-old curse by defeating the then Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) after being behind in the World Series three games to none. The recently retired Anthony Rizzo was part of that World Series team. Their 108-year-old championship drought was the longest in Major League Baseball history at the time. So which team is my pick, you ask?

My pick: Padres

Say what you want about the Padres, but they have to potential to go further in the playoffs and maybe reach the World Series. Never underestimate their talent.

NLDS Predictions: Cincinnati Reds vs Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have won another National League East title, but this is the final year of manager Rob Thomson's contract. They may have some of the best players on the team, but my biggest gripe with them is that they're too much of a home run happy team. Translation: they go for the long balls as opposed to hitting for singles or doubles. Home runs are always nice to see, but it's okay to play small ball. Plus, they lack discipline at the plate. If they were to overcome those issues and return to the World Series for the first time since 2022 and possibly win it all, would the whispers of them not winning a championship finally dissolve? The chances of that happening are 50/50.

My pick: Reds

I want to believe in the Phillies so badly, but I just don't see them as a championship caliber team. Unless they overcome the aforementioned issues, the window of them winning a World Series title will remain closed. It had been closed since their painful loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 7 of the 2023 NLCS. I do predict that Rob Thomson will be fired. The Phillies need a manager who really wants to win and not someone who's boring and gives canned answers in interviews.

NLDS Predictions: San Diego Padres vs Milwaukee Brewers

This is a matchup I'd love to see. Both teams have never won a World Series title in their respective franchises, so it would be interesting to see who would reign superior. Bob Uecker, the long-time announcer for the Brewers, passed away earlier this year and hit the baseball world hard. The man affectionately known as Ueck was the Brewers announcer for nearly 55 years and he also had a role in the movie Major League, starring Charlie Sheen. The Brew Crew have been eliminated from the Wild Card round two consecutive years in a row and believe that their third attempt might finally go their way.

My pick: Brewers

Performance-wise, the Brewers have won my vote of confidence in them. This team is letting everyone know in the league that they're the real deal. They're determined to try to win a World Series title for Bob Uecker.

NLCS Predictions: Cincinnati Reds vs Milwaukee Brewers

My pick: Brewers

The Brewers hot bats might be too difficult for the Reds to handle. My pick for NLCS MVP will be Christian Yelich.

World Series Matchup Prediction: Seattle Mariners vs Milwaukee Brewers

This would be my dream World Series matchup. Two teams who have never won a World Series title would be the talk of the baseball town. Imagine this: Cal Raleigh vs Christian Yelich. The battle of power hitters aiming to hoist the Commissioner's Trophy up high.

World Series Winner: Mariners

It would be a shame to let a very successful season go to waste for the Mariners. Their storybook season has been remarkable and the reason for my pick is because they should've won a World Series title back in 2001. That year, they won 116 games and Ichiro won the American League MVP Award. The farthest the Mariners have gone way back in 2001 was the ALCS, where they lost to the Yankees. Fast forward to now, my pick for World Series MVP would be, you guessed it, Cal Raleigh. Mariners wins the World Series in six games.

You've just seen my predictions for the 2025 MLB Postseason. I want to hear from you. Which teams would you like to see advance in the playoffs? Plus, who do you think will win the World Series? Be sure to like this story if you enjoyed it. Subscribe to my page on Vocal and finally, follow me on social media. Finally, if you love reading my stories, please consider sending me a one-off tip, which you can find at the end of this story. These will encourage me to continue writing and publishing new stories.