Here is why each playoff team could win the World Series

The MLB postseason is a land of opportunity. Each of the 12 remaining teams' records have now reverted to 0-0, and any club could get hot at the right time and ride the wave to a World Series.

The Dodgers won their second consecutive title in 2025, the first franchise to go back-to-back since the Yankees three-peated from 1998-2000. Los Angeles has a chance to match that feat, but it certainly isn't a lock. A total of 16 different teams have won the World Series since 2000.

Here's the case for each 2026 postseason team to go all the way.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Rays

Despite being picked to finish last in their division, the Rays were clearly the best team in the American League all season. That alone should be reason to believe in them. But they also have as much of a home-field advantage as anyone at Tropicana Field, so they should benefit from having it in the ALDS and, if they advance, the ALCS. They have legitimate, game-changing All-Stars in their lineup (Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda), rotation (Drew Rasmussen, Freddy Peralta, Nick Martinez) and bullpen (Bryan Baker), plus the typical depth that Tampa Bay’s best teams possess. They can hit homers or rally with contact, speed and small ball, and what really stands out is how they don’t beat themselves with the sort of self-inflicted mistakes that often derail teams’ chances in October. -- Adam Berry

Guardians

This is a more well-rounded group than Guardians teams of recent vintage. Yes, pitching has again been Cleveland’s backbone in 2026, through both a rotation led by Parker Messick and Gavin Williams, and a bullpen fronted by All-Star closer Cade Smith. But the offense is much deeper than years’ past, when José Ramírez often had to put the team on his shoulders. In an injury-impacted year for the superstar third baseman, rookies Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana, up-and-comers Angel Martínez and Brayan Rocchio, and Trade Deadline additions Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe have made this a much deeper lineup, as has a resurgent second half for leadoff man Steven Kwan. Cleveland is eighth in MLB in runs (232) and tied for eighth in OPS (.731) post-Deadline. Assuming the Guardians pitch as well as we’re accustomed, their offense is better built to provide the type of support that could lead to a deep run in October. -- Tim Stebbins

Astros

Simply put, they have the best hitter in baseball in Yordan Alvarez. In fact, if the Astros are going to make a long postseason run, they’ll need Alvarez to carry them offensively in October, of which he’s certainly capable. Alvarez had the kind of season that will likely earn him his first American League Most Valuable Player Award, leading the AL in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, walks, extra-base hits and total bases. In 60 career postseason games, Alvarez is slashing .294/.393/.551 with 12 homers. The Astros are 8-2 in postseason games in which Alvarez homers. -- Brian McTaggart

Yankees

Elite starting pitching is often the recipe for a championship, and the Yankees have that. Cam Schlittler is going to bring home the American League’s Cy Young Award, having finished his season with a 1.95 ERA in 33 starts, and he proved his postseason mettle last year with a ridiculous 12-strikeout performance to send the Red Sox home. Max Fried, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón stand tall for a Yankees staff that has been the Majors’ best at run prevention this season. Even with Aaron Judge questionable, the Yankees have offensive thump. Ben Rice hit a career-high 41 home runs and will receive MVP votes, while Cody Bellinger and Luis Garcia Jr. are always threats to put balls in the seats. George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones have impressed in their rookie campaigns and could be primed for a big October moment. -- Bryan Hoch

Red Sox

Pitching and defense. It has been what the Red Sox have led with all season, and it has gotten them this far. The starting rotation has two battle-tested veterans with postseason experience in Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez, not to mention the electric rookie left arm of Payton Tolle, the team’s biggest personality. Boston has also built a deep bullpen, led by closer Aroldis Chapman and supplemented by key righty setup man Garrett Whitlock. Brayan Bello has become the team’s Swiss Army Knife, capable of performing in any bullpen role while also going back to starting when the occasion calls for it. The Sox have three potential Gold Glove Award winners in third baseman Caleb Durbin, center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela and right fielder Wilyer Abreu. Boston has been at its best when the offense provides at least some run support, particularly with runners in scoring position. -- Ian Browne

White Sox

The best answer would be: Why not? Most people thought reaching .500 would be a great 2026 accomplishment for this young team coming off three straight seasons of 100-plus losses. But there they were on Sept. 24, celebrating a playoff-clinching victory in Kansas City. This team is fearless, as general manager Chris Getz has said many times. This team plays all 27 outs with high intensity, and this team has believed they were good long before anyone else felt the same. Getting more than a few home runs from Miguel Vargas, Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montgomery, who all topped 30 in the regular season, won’t hurt the cause, nor will the starting rotation giving the top-notch bullpen room to maneuver. People not believing in the White Sox, though, is nothing unusual and won't slow down the South Siders. -- Scott Merkin

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Brewers

You might think it’s the same old story. The Brewers trade away one of their best players (in this case, staff ace Freddy Peralta), storm to a National League Central title anyway, and maybe even the best record in baseball, like they have done each of the past two seasons. Only to fall short of Milwaukee’s first World Series appearance since 1982. But they genuinely believe this year’s team, the first in franchise history to top 100 wins, is better equipped to get past the heavy hitters in the NL playoff field because of the experience gained by their core of young hitters in past seasons, led by second baseman Brice Turang’s ascent to all-around player, and because the pitching is in a much better spot than postseasons past. That group is led by presumptive NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob Misiorowski, who was struggling so badly going into last October that he wasn’t even a lock to make the NLDS roster and pitched in relief. Now he’s a bona fide No. 1 starter. They might not hit a lot of home runs, but the Brewers pitch and defend with the best of them. -- Adam McCalvy

Dodgers

Last year, the Dodgers went back-to-back on the strength of their gauntlet of a postseason rotation. While their Big Four lost Shohei Ohtani, who will exclusively hit in October, it gained a two-time Cy Young Award winner in Tarik Skubal to go along with the formidable trio of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. But it's not just the rotation. Unlike last year, the Dodgers' bullpen feels like more of a strength than something to hide, with Tanner Scott, Roki Sasaki and perhaps a resurgent Edwin Díaz looking like legitimate options to close out games. With such a strong pitching staff, the loaded offense led by the MVP trio of Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman just needs to do its job to support its arms. -- Sonja Chen

Braves

Injuries have wrecked the rotation, but Robert Suarez’s return has fortified a bullpen that will carry the load during the postseason. Suarez, Raisel Iglesias, Didier Fuentes and Dylan Lee give Atlanta one of the game’s top bullpen foursomes. Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle might be the only traditional starters Atlanta uses in the playoffs. The bullpen’s quality depth will be seen both during the late innings and in the form of openers. -- Mark Bowman

Padres

Probably not a good idea to give the Padres an early lead. They have the best bullpen in baseball -- and can fully turn Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon loose at the back end in the postseason. Miller and Morejon have been lights-out (again) this season. But this elite bullpen is a lot deeper than just those two. Jason Adam is healthy. Yuki Matsui and Bradgley Rodriguez are having excellent seasons. The Padres might only need 2-3 quality innings from their starter, before they turn it over to their ‘pen. They just need to do so with a lead -- and they’ve gone from one of the Majors’ worst offenses in the first half to one of its best since the All-Star break. -- AJ Cassavell

Cubs

The backbone of the ‘26 Cubs has been their defense, which has reached historic heights this year when it comes to Statcast-tracked numbers. Chicago’s +72 Fielding Run Value and +74 Outs Above Average are the highest single-season marks since the data became available in 2016. And while there are Gold Glove-level defenders around the diamond, the anchor has been Pete Crow-Armstrong. And that gets to the other piece to this roster that could fuel a deep October run. Crow-Armstrong has turned in an MVP-level campaign (he became the seventh player in MLB history to have at least 40 homers and 40 steals) as a catalyst for one of the top lineups in the game. While the pitching has had its ups and downs, the fielding and offense could carry the North Siders. -- Jordan Bastian

Phillies

The Phillies stumbled badly to the finish, making the postseason on the final day of the season. But now that they’re in, they could take a run to the World Series. Seriously? Yes, seriously. Before the Phillies’ fade in the season’s final week, scouts from potential NL postseason opponents said the Phillies were a team they might not want to face because of their starting pitching. That group includes Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter. Wheeler had been scheduled to start Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series, until they needed him to start on Sunday. Still, if the starters put up zeroes, they’ve got a shot. -- Todd Zolecki