The 2026 MLB playoff field was nearly cut in half Wednesday night. The Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres were all eliminated, while the Cleveland Guardians were the only team trailing in their series that survived to play another day.
The crowning of the next World Series champion is getting closer, but fans who want to know sooner rather than later can look to expert predictions and oddsmakers’ lines for a glimpse of what lies ahead.
A First-Time Title in Milwaukee?
Five MLB franchises have never won a World Series, and several ESPN experts think the Milwaukee Brewers could end that drought.
In a recent batch of bold playoff predictions, three of ESPN’s experts built their forecasts around Milwaukee winning big. Tristan Cockcroft called for Milwaukee’s breakout star, Jackson Chourio, to “become the 10th player to win LCS and World Series MVPs.” Eric Karabell predicted a combined no-hitter from Jacob Misiorowski, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill in Game 1 of the World Series. AJ Mass had predicted the Brewers would “trail in every playoff game en route to a championship,” but Milwaukee already broke that prediction, never trailing in Wednesday’s win.
That is a lot of support for a team that has never tasted championship glory, and it is not hard to see why. The Brewers won an MLB-best and franchise-record 103 games this season. This postseason, they have the highest OPS (.688) and the second-lowest ERA (1.80).
Are the Two-Time Champs Being Overlooked?
Ahead of the postseason, The Athletic asked “more than 20” of its MLB experts to make World Series predictions. The Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of the past two World Series, were not the most popular pick.
The Brewers led the poll with 56 percent of the vote. The Tampa Bay Rays placed second with 24 percent, and the Dodgers received just 16 percent. The Brewers and Rays are both viable picks, but that is still less support than many would expect for a club with this much star power and this level of recent dominance.
“No team carries as much October hype as Los Angeles,” Katie Woo wrote. “There are rightful concerns over the drop-off in production from Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, but their rotation of aces should carry them through any qualms on the offense. It’s the Dodgers’ title to lose, and they know it.”
Oddsmakers agree with that assessment. But if the majority of the experts are right, this year’s championship won’t be heading back to Los Angeles.
