Experts give Wild Card stunners, World Series picks

162 regular season games were played. Six division champions were crowned. Six Wild Card teams found a way to sneak in. Such is the story of every MLB regular season, but a champion isn’t named until late October, while ultimately determines the narrative of the 2025 campaign. The postseason matchups are set in stone, much to the chagrin of teams like the New York Mets and Houston Astros, which narrowly missed out. Here’s the field:

National League

The NL Wild Card round matchups are as follows

• (4) Chicago Cubs vs (5) San Diego Padres
• (3) Los Angeles Dodgers vs (6) Cincinnati Reds

American League

The AL Wild Card round matchups are as follows

• (4) New York Yankees vs (5) Boston Red Sox
• (3) Cleveland Guardians vs (6) Detroit Tigers

Now, to the picks at hand.

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This week’s panel includes Adam Weinrib, Chris Landers, Zach Rotman, Mark Powell and Robert Murray.

FanSided’s MLB postseason preview

1. Freezing cold takes from the 2025 MLB regular season
2. One bold prediction for each MLB Wild Card series
3. In honor of Aaron Judge, which narratives will be flipped this October?
4. One unpredictable postseason storyline that will take MLB by storm
5. Picking a World Series winner
6. Pick a postseason MVP
7. Which player will struggle the most in October?
8. Robert Murray postseason coverage

Freezing cold takes from the 2025 MLB regular season

Adam Weinrib: I got snubbed from the official predictions (probably anti-Yankee bias), but I was really bullish on the Red Sox bringing in Walker Buehler, and somehow everything the Red Sox touched turned to gold except that. But I did have the Reds as a Wild Card, so points!

Chris Landers: Turns out that there was an AL East sleeper to keep an eye on, but it wasn’t the Rays! Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda and Brandon Lowe had the strong years I was expecting. The problem is that the pitching staff utterly imploded, whether due to injury or ineffectiveness, and now Tampa heads into what’s shaping up to be a very tricky offseason after winning just 77 games and selling at the trade deadline. But hey, at least my Wyatt Langford optimism proved well-founded? They can’t all be winners.

Robert Murray: I had the Pirates making the postseason. L. O. L. They have talent! They do! But they fired their manager midseason, once again didn’t come close to meeting expectations, and wasted another year of an extremely affordable Paul Skenes. I still am a believer in the Pirates, but they need to spend in free agency – especially on offense – for me to believe in them again.

Zachary Rotman: I had the Diamondbacks going on a deep postseason run, and while they failed to make the playoffs, I think they would’ve had they had slightly better injury luck. With that, my worst take was pegging Jackson Chourio as my NL MVP darkhorse. Chourio didn’t have a bad year, and injury did impact his season, but I thought based on how he finished his rookie year, he’d take off and put up historic numbers. He did not come close to doing that.

Mark Powell: I thought the Dodgers would break MLB! Yes, seriously, I was one of those weird Dodgers truthers who assumed they’d come close to the all-time wins record after another ridiculous offseason. However, baseball has a way of humbling us all, and the Dodgers finished with a respectable 93-69 record, good for the No. 3 seed in the National League postseason. More on that later.

One bold prediction for each MLB Wild Card series

Cubs vs Padres

Adam Weinrib: Who else but Jose Iglesias? He’ll tie a game in the ninth against the hard-charging Cubs bullpen.

Chris Landers: Kyle Tucker delivers a crucial hit late off of Mason Miller to help the Cubs survive what should be a barnburner of a series (and touches off a fresh round of will-he-stay-or-will-he-go free agency discourse ahead of the NLDS).

Robert Murray: The Padres sweep the Cubs. I just have that feeling.

Zachary Rotman: Jose Iglesias coming through with a ninth-inning hit would crush me as a Mets fan. I’m going to go with Jackson Merrill reminding the world just how good he is and leading the Padres to a sweep over the Cubs.

Mark Powell: Rather than the obvious threats of Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker carrying the Cubs lineup, it is Michael Busch who makes the biggest impact against the San Diego Padres. But will it be enough to carry the Cubs to the next round against a team that loaded up at the MLB trade deadline? My gut says no.

Dodgers vs Reds

Adam Weinrib: This one, unfortunately, doesn’t reach Game 3/Shohei Ohtani’s slated start. Instead, we’re treated to an endless cavalcade of Ohtani dugout shots to make up for the screen time deficit.

Chris Landers: You know what, screw it: Reds in 3. Putting literally any faith in this Reds offense (and Terry Francona’s lineup construction) fills me with terror, but Cincy has the rotation to make a short series very uncomfortable, and I still don’t trust this Dodgers bullpen if things are close late. It feels like the Wild Card round always brings at least some chaos, and here’s my pick.

Robert Murray: I don’t think the Dodgers run away with this one! I think it’ll be a tightly contested three game series with the Dodgers eventually beating the Reds. Tito Francona has the Reds back in the postseason and they’ll only be more dangerous next year.

Zachary Rotman: I’m not going to be quite as bold as Chris, but I do think the Reds steal a game and get close to winning another. The Reds’ rotation is absurdly good in a short series, and their bullpen has been as good as any down the stretch. Is a Reds team that doesn’t really deserve to be in the postseason to begin with (no, the Mets didn’t deserve it either) beating the mighty Dodgers once in October hot-takey enough? I’d say yes.

Mark Powell: I love this matchup if only due to the disparity in payrolls. However, the Dodgers biggest benefit will occur in Game 1, as starting pitcher Blake Snell can flip Elly De La Cruz to the left side, where he has an OPS well under .700. My bold prediction is that Dave Roberts can out-manage Terry Francona, and play the matchups in LA’s favor. He’ll have to, as the Reds rotation is built to prevent runs and win a short series just like this one.

Yankees vs Red Sox

Adam Weinrib: Amed Rosario gets a huge hit against Garrett Crochet (and this one goes three games anyway and comes down to Boston boy Cam Schlittler).

Chris Landers: This is more attempted manifestation than actual prediction, but nonetheless: New York steals Game 1 out from under Garrett Crochet thanks to two consecutive stolen bases from Jose Caballero.

Robert Murray: The Yankees eliminate the Red Sox, and the immediate thought from Boston media and fans turns to a potential Kyle Schwarber reunion.

Zachary Rotman: Aaron Judge sends the Yankees to the ALDS with a walk-off hit against Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning of Game 3. Give it to me.

Mark Powell: Consider me on the side of karma. Zach stole my Chapman opinion, as no one deserves a meltdown more. I think Boston is a year away – check back for our 2026 preview, Red Sox fans – as this team is in position to be good for a very, very long time. In this series, though, gimme a big moment from Anthony Volpe. The chicken parm prince has been the ire of every Yankees fan all season long. The postseason is a blank slate, and he’s been hitting…a little better lately, albeit against some woeful competition.

Guardians vs Tigers

Adam Weinrib: Tarik Skubal doesn’t get out of the fourth inning (and attempts the Tush Push on a bunt).

Chris Landers: Tarik Skubal, after a week of getting roasted on the internet, responds by throwing the first solo no-hitter in the postseason since Doc Halladay in 2010.

Robert Murray: A Guardians sweep. Is that considered bold? Well, that’s what I’m going with. I don’t buy any of what the Tigers are selling right now.

Zachary Rotman: The Tigers sweep the Guardians and neither game is close. The Tigers aren’t great, but the Guardians’ devil magic will run out once and for all. Kerry Bonds reminds the world who he is too.

Mark Powell: As a Tigers fan, the last two months have been absolute hell. The Guardians win this series in three, but only after the Tigers force a decisive game AFTER losing Skubal’s start. Yes, we’ll make it interesting. The Cleveland devil magic is a real thing, and no one seems to fall victim to it more than the best pitcher in baseball.

In honor of Aaron Judge, which narratives will be flipped this October?

Adam Weinrib: The Milwaukee Brewers will finally – FINALLY! – escape the first round (but won’t make the World Series).

Chris Landers: That a gaudy payroll is somehow a guarantee of postseason success. As the sport flirts with the adoption of a salary cap and barrels toward a potential work stoppage next winter, none of the Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs or Red Sox make the Championship Series, just one more reminder that certain Owners Who Shall Not Be Named are the real issue here.

Robert Murray: The Mariners finally win a postseason series and advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2001. The Mariners have often had talent but failed to make noise in the playoffs. I think that changes now.

Zachary Rotman: I’m going to have to echo Robert here. The Mariners have been my pick to represent the AL in the World Series since the trade deadline and I’m sticking to it. They’ve always had the pitching to get it done, but now are being led by their lineup. This should be a really fun October in a city that deserves every bit of success it’s about to get.

Mark Powell: That the Yankees lost the Juan Soto sweepstakes. Technically, yes, Soto is a Met – and they ought to benefit from that in the decade to come. But New York’s front office is plenty capable of making up for the loss of one player, even a future Hall of Famer. After Soto left for another borough, the Yankees added the likes of Max Fried – their Game 1 starter – and numerous piece to this postseason team that could’ve been otherwise overlooked had they spent the $765 million. New York finished the 2025 season with a record of 94-68, which is the same as 2024. I’d consider that a victory for Brian Cashman.

One unpredictable postseason storyline that will take MLB by storm

Adam Weinrib: Watch out for Connelly Early in Game 4 of the ALDS.

Chris Landers: There might not be a single bigger pivot point in the entire bracket than “how does Trey Yesavage handle his first taste of the postseason?”

Zachary Rotman: Chris stole my pick, so I’m going to go with Devin Williams redeeming himself and salvaging his season by putting together the first strong October performance of his career.

Mark Powell: The Dodgers didn’t spend enough this past winter. Even with Snell and Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles’ bullpen is short a few arms and their rotation has some question marks. If the Dodgers don’t repeat, it’ll be because of their pitching. What else is new?

Picking a World Series winner

Adam Weinrib: Phillies over the Blue Jays. Somehow, “Trey Yesavage and ???” is enough to get them there.

Chris Landers: Phillies over Mariners. 

Robert Murray: Padres over Blue Jays.

Zachary Rotman: Mariners over Dodgers.

Mark Powell: Mariners over Phillies

Pick a postseason MVP

Adam Weinrib: Kyle Schwarber. Say it loud.

Chris Landers: With Schwarber already off the board, I’ll go with Cristopher Sanchez, who puts an exclamation point on that All-Star Game mini-controversy involving Jacob Misiorowski this summer with an epic October run.

Robert Murray: Manny Machado. The Summer of George, er, I mean The Fall of Machado!

Zachary Rotman: Julio Rodriguez. It’s not April or May anymore.

Mark Powell: Pick a Mariners starting pitcher. If the Mariners win the World Series, it will be because of their pitching, This rotation has been among baseball’s deepest for the past few years. Woo has a 2.94 ERA in 30 starts this season. Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo and George Kirby 2.72 ERA at home. Yes, I know Woo is injured, but he could be part of the ALDS rotation. It’s time the general baseball fans got to know some household names in the pacific northwest.

Which player will struggle the most in October?

Adam Weinrib: Blake Treinen.

Chris Landers: Daniel Palencia.

Robert Murray: Tanner Scott.

Zachary Rotman: Robert Suarez.

Mark Powell: Javier Baez

Share something you wrote this week

Adam Weinrib: The Yankees charged hard, but they only have themselves to blame for their playoff position.

Chris Landers: I wrote about why I think the expanded playoff format did us a bit of a disservice this season, and why it might be time for a change.

Zachary Rotman: I have no idea how the Mets didn’t make the playoffs. I blamed many (somehow not enough) people for their collapse.

Mark Powell: I wrote about how the Tigers picked the wrong time to leak an AJ Hinch contract extension.

Robert Murray postseason coverage

I’ll be in Milwaukee for the NLDS, where the Brewers will face off against either the Padres or Cubs. The Brewers are very dangerous with great pitching and the ability to consistently put the ball in play. But will the lack of home runs, as well as Brandon Woodruff’s injury and Jacob Misiorowski’s struggles, lead to an early playoff exit once again? We’ll see. But regardless, they are going to be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams.

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