MLB’s 12-team playoff bracket predictions: Yankees, Phillies get No. 1 seeds, can anyone catch the Braves?

The 2024 Major League Baseball season is just a month away, as the final day of the regular season is set for September 29. Once the dust settles on that final day, what kind of playoff bracket will we be left with? I’m here to take a look at that.

AL East

Now the Yankees have a one game lead. The Orioles have an easier schedule the rest of the way and three head-to-head games here, but I’m inclined to go with the Yankees here because the Orioles’ pitching staff has struggled so much the last two months. It also seems likely that the winner of this division will have the best record in the AL, if not the majors.

AL Central

Even after the Guardians got a comeback win on Wednesday — pushing them to a one-game lead over the Royals and a 3.5-game lead over the Twins — I’ve given up on them. They’ve been well below .500 since late June and that’s not a small sample size. That’s just how they are right now. The Royals have three more chances at them and the Twins have beaten them four more times. I think the Guardians fall to third place here. With the Royals and Twins, it’s a toss-up, but the Royals have a much tougher schedule. I’d say the Twins will find a way to win this time.

AL West

Not only am I with the Astros, but I don’t think this will be a close contest even though there are only 3.5 games left. This is a pathetic effort from the Mariners after blowing a 10 game lead.

AL Wild Card

Whoever finishes second in the East will be the top wild-card team, which means I’m going with the Orioles here. I have no confidence in the Mariners, while I believe the Red Sox don’t have what it takes either. So the three AL Central teams will have to fight for the division title, with the two runners-up taking the wild-card spots. As I said above, the Guardians will finish third, so they’ll get the No. 6 seed, leaving No. 5 for the Royals.

Al Bye

As mentioned in the AL East, the winner of that division finishes with the best record, so the Yankees will be the top seed. I’m going to say that the AL Central teams are pretty bloody close with each other, so the Astros get the second bye.

NL East

The Braves have a chance in this case, especially with four head-to-head games remaining this weekend — the Phillies lead by five — but I think the Phillies are in the process of getting the proverbial ball rolling and will settle this one relatively easily.

NL Central

It’s all over. The Brewers have a nine-game lead and are back in control of the Central.

NL West

The Diamondbacks and Padres’ fierce second half has made this a three-team race. I’m extremely excited to watch this one. The Dodgers will face the Diamondbacks four times and the Padres three times, while the Padres and D-backs will face off three times. Ultimately, I think the Dodgers are able to hang on, but I’m totally open to being wrong here.

NL Wild Card

The Cubs are absolutely on fire right now, but I think they have a pretty deep hole to climb out of (5.5 games). I can’t see a scenario where the Padres or Diamondbacks get knocked out, so it just becomes a question of can the Braves hold off the Mets. They have three head-to-head games left and the Braves are ahead by four games. They have so many question marks with their injuries and thin lineup and possibly thin rotation, it’s hard to trust the Braves. But after the Mets’ backbreaking loss on Wednesday and the Braves playing great baseball right now, I think this matchup will be just that.

NL by

The Phillies are going to have the top record in baseball, while the winner of the NL West will likely surpass the Brewers for the second-best record, meaning I’d put the Dodgers in the two-hole.

12-team bracket

American League
Byes: Yankees (1) and Astros (2)
Wild Card Series: Guardians (6) vs. Twins (3)
Wild Card Series: Royals (5) vs. Orioles (4)

National League
Bye: Phillies (1) and Dodgers (2)
Wild Card Series: Braves (6) vs. Brewers (3)
Wild Card Series: Diamondbacks (5) vs. Padres (4)

We’ll see the actual bracket in a little over four weeks. Until then, Stay up to date with our MLB playoff picture,