October is here, and that could only mean one thing: playoff baseball. The 2023 regular season came to a close Sunday afternoon as a few teams were still playing for seeding. I have you covered with a 2023 MLB Playoffs preview and breakdown. The Wild Card series begins this Tuesday at 3 pm EST, with the Rangers heading to Tampa to take on the Rays.
While the Atlanta Braves are the favorite to win the World Series at +310, can they get through the other beasts in the NL like the Dodgers, Phillies, or Brewers? Can the Baltimore Orioles turn their 100-win season into a World Series Title, or will we see another run from the defending champions, Houston Astros?
For those who don’t know or have forgotten how the playoffs are structured, let me break it down for you. The top two teams in each league receive a first-round bye. The other remaining teams in each league are paired up and play a best-of-three series. From there, the postseason goes back to its old way, a best-of-five Divisional Series, a best-of-seven League Championship Series, and a best-of-seven World Series.
Here’s a look at the playoff field from both sides:
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2023 MLB Playoffs: Odds Preview & Breakdown
American League
First-Round Byes
No. 1 Orioles, No. 2 Astros
Wild Card Series
No. 3 Twins vs. No. 6 Blue Jays
No. 4 Rays vs. No. 5 Rangers
National League
First-Round Byes
No. 1 Braves, No. 2 Dodgers
Wild Card Series
No. 3 Brewers vs. No. 6 Diamondbacks
No. 4 Phillies vs. No. 5 Marlins
American League
Baltimore Orioles
No. 1 Seed | 101-61 | AL East Champs
ALDS Opponent: Rangers or Rays
World Series Odds: +700
American League Odds: +290
Houston Astros
No. 2 Seed | 90-72 | AL West Champs
ALDS Opponent: Twins or Blue Jays
World Series Odds: +450
American League Odds: +185
Minnesota Twins
No. 3 Seed | 87-75 | AL Central Champs
First Opponent: Blue Jays (-125 favorites)
World Series Odds: +2000
American League Odds: +800
Tampa Bay Rays
No. 4 Seed | 99-63 | AL First Wild Card Spot
First Opponent: Rangers (-155 favorites)
World Series Odds: +1000
American League Odds: +475
Texas Rangers
No. 5 Seed | 90-72 | AL Second Wild Card Spot
First Opponent: Rays (+130 Underdogs)
World Series Odds: +1600
American League Odds: +750
Toronto Blue Jays
No. 6 Seed | 89-73 | AL Third Wild Card Spot
First Opponent: Twins (+105 Underdogs)
World Series Odds: +1600
American League Odds: +700
National League
Atlanta Braves
No. 1 Seed | 104-58 | AL East Champs
ALDS Opponent: Phillies or Marlins
World Series Odds: +310
National League Odds: +145
Los Angeles Dodgers
No. 2 Seed | 100-62 | AL West Champs
ALDS Opponent: Brewers or Diamondbacks
World Series Odds: +450
National League Odds: +200
Milwaukee Brewers
No. 3 Seed | 92-70 | NL Central Champs
First Opponent: Diamondbacks (-170 Favorites)
World Series Odds: +1700
National League Odds: +800
Philadelphia Phillies
No. 4 Seed | 90-72 | NL First Wild Card Spot
First Opponent: Marlins (-185 Favorites)
World Series Odds: +1300
National League Odds: +600
Miami Marlins
No. 5 Seed | 84-77 | NL Second Wild Card Spot
First Opponent: Phillies (+155 Underdogs)
World Series Odds: +3500
National League Odds: +1400
Arizona Diamondbacks
No. 6 Seed | 84-78 | NL Third Wild Card Spot
First Opponent: Brewers (+145 Underdogs)
World Series Odds: +3000
National League Odds: +1300
