2026 MLB playoff predictions: Expert picks for entire postseason bracket, including World Series champion

The 2026 MLB playoff field is set and by Halloween, we'll have a new World Series champion. The Wild Card Series begin on Tuesday afternoon with four best-of-three matchups. From there, those four winners will move on to the League Division Series, where the top two teams in each league will join the mix after a first-round bye.

The winners of the best-of-five Division Series move on to the best-of-seven League Championship Series, and, of course, the best-of-seven World Series.

Here's a look at how the playoffs are laid out:

First-round byesNo. 1 Rays, No. 2 Guardians

Wild Card SeriesNo. 3 Astros vs. No. 6 White SoxNo. 4 Yankees vs. No. 5 Red Sox

First-round byesNo. 1 Brewers, No. 2 Dodgers

Wild Card SeriesNo. 3 Braves vs. No. 6 PhilliesNo. 4 Padres vs. No. 5 Cubs

And now here are our staff picks for the 2026 postseason from your CBS Sports MLB writers. We're predicting every round of the bracket from the Wild Card Series through the World Series.

World Series pick: Dodgers over Yankees

Explanation: I don't feel strongly about my bracket at all, so I'm sticking with the "just pick who you think are the best teams, stupid"…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/