The 2026 MLB playoff field was nearly cut in half Wednesday night. Amid the carnage, the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres were all eliminated. The Cleveland Guardians were the only team facing a deficit that survived to play another day.
The coronation of the next World Series champion draws closer with each round, but fans eager for an answer may not want to wait. To get a early glimpse, we turned to the latest expert predictions and oddsmakers’ lines.
A First-Time Title in Milwaukee?
Five MLB franchises remain without a World Series title, and a few experts from ESPN think the Milwaukee Brewers could soon leave that group.
In a recent batch of bold playoff predictions, three ESPN experts built their forecasts around a Brewers championship. Tristan Cockcroft predicted that Milwaukee’s breakout star, Jackson Chourio, would “become the 10th player to win LCS and World Series MVPs.” Eric Karabell foresaw a combined no-hitter from Jacob Misiorowski, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill in Game 1 of the World Series. AJ Mass predicted that the Brewers would “trail in every playoff game en route to a championship,” but Milwaukee already broke that forecast, never trailing in Wednesday’s win.
That is considerable support for a club that has never won a championship, and it is hard to argue the backing is undeserved. The Brewers won an MLB-best and franchise-record 103 games this season. They also boast this postseason’s highest OPS (.688) and second-lowest ERA (1.80).
Two-Time Defending Champs Aren’t the Favorites?
Before the postseason began, The Athletic asked “more than 20” of its MLB experts to make World Series predictions. The group did not make the Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of the past two World Series, the most popular pick.
The Brewers led the poll with 56 percent of the vote. The Tampa Bay Rays finished second with 24 percent, and the Dodgers received just 16 percent. Milwaukee and Tampa Bay are both credible picks, but the Dodgers’ low share is still less support than one might expect for a club with this much star power and 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 share that view. Still, if most of Woo’s colleagues are right, this year’s championship will not return to Los Angeles.