MLB.com experts pick Wild Card Series winners

September 30th, 2025

The 2025 postseason is officially here as MLB's best teams battle it out for a shot at a World Series title.

All four Wild Card Series begin today, starting with the Tigers and Guardians (1 p.m. ET on ESPN) at Progressive Field. The Padres and Cubs will square off for a spot in the Division Series (3 p.m. ET, ABC), as will the Red Sox and Yankees (6 p.m. ET, ESPN) and the Reds and Dodgers (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Ahead of these exciting matchups, we asked a number of MLB.com experts to weigh in and make their predictions on how the Wild Card round of the 2025 postseason will turn out. Check out their picks for each series below.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Tigers (6) at Guardians (3)

The pick: Guardians

These two AL Central rivals will meet in a rare postseason rematch after Cleveland took a thrilling AL Division Series from Detroit in five games in 2024. ’ go-ahead grand slam off Tarik Skubal in Game 5 sent the Guardians to the ALCS, where they lost to the Yankees in five games.

It’s remarkable that Cleveland is even hosting this series as the AL Central winner after trailing Detroit by as many as 15 1/2 games in early July. But the Guardians roared back, pulling off the largest comeback for a division or league title in history. They finished a game ahead of the Tigers to earn the right to host the three-game Wild Card Series.

Our voters were pretty split on their predictions for this series. A slight majority picked the Guardians to stay hot and take down the Tigers for the second straight year, but plenty chose Detroit (with Skubal pitching Game 1) to recapture its first-half success and advance to the Division Series.

  • “The Guardians are 5-1 against Detroit in the past two weeks and have momentum on their side heading into the playoffs.” -- Jacob Gurvis, producer
  • “As we saw in 2024 with the Mets, momentum heading into October means a lot.” -- Doug Gausepohl, social media editorial director
  • “Are the Guardians a Team of Destiny? It sure feels like it after their rotation made one heck of a turnaround in September.” -- Allison Waxman, producer

The dissenting view

“Losing 41 of their last 69 games won't give them momentum, but the Tigers have the perfect setup to advance: Win with the AL's best pitcher and split the remaining two games.” -- Tom Vourtsis, editor

Red Sox (5) at Yankees (4)

The pick: Yankees

MLB’s most famous rivalry is about to be renewed in the postseason. For the second time in the past five seasons, the Red Sox and Yankees will face off in the playoffs, where they have a perfectly even 12-12 record against each other dating back to their first postseason matchup in 1999. The Red Sox won their most recent clash, the 2021 AL Wild Card Game, en route to the ALCS -- their most recent postseason experience.

If the Sox are to get deep into October once again, they’ll have to start by beating a Yankees team against which Boston enjoyed considerable success in 2025. The Red Sox went 9-4 against their division rivals, including eight straight wins and a 5-2 record at Yankee Stadium.

But roughly two-thirds of our voters expect the Yankees to flip the script. Even without all year, they managed to close the season strong with 94 wins, losing the AL East to the Blue Jays on a tiebreaker. , , and AL MVP candidate lead the way in the Yanks’ potent lineup, and lefties and are a tough 1-2 punch in the rotation. The Game 1 matchup between Fried and Boston southpaw should be a treat.

  • “The Red Sox played well at Yankee Stadium in the regular season, but I think it's a tall order to win two of three in the Bronx for this year's Boston club.” -- David Venn, reporter
  • “The Yankees simply have too much firepower, and Judge is bound to finally deliver in the postseason.” -- Rhett Bollinger, reporter
  • “If Roman Anthony was healthy, this would be a different answer.” -- Matt Meyers, vice president, content

The dissenting view

“The Red Sox have the better Game 1 starter and the league's sixth-ranked bullpen since the Trade Deadline. The Yankees' bullpen ranks 26th over that same stretch.” -- Anthony DiComo, reporter

NATIONAL LEAGUE

(6) Reds at Dodgers

The pick: Dodgers

Winners of their 12th NL West title in the past 13 seasons, the Dodgers are playing in the Wild Card round of the postseason for the first time since 2021. The defending World Series champions are heavy favorites against the Reds, who claimed the final NL Wild Card berth on a tiebreaker with the Mets.

With flamethrower and lefties and , the Reds will rely on their pitching to pull what would be a considerable upset. A big series from , who appeared to rediscover his power late in the regular season with three homers in his final nine games, could help Cincinnati advance to the Division Series against the Phillies.

But for as good as De La Cruz and Cincinnati’s top arms are, the Dodgers roster is downright scary. Los Angeles has and slated to start on the mound in Games 1 and 2, and looms for a potential Game 3. With Ohtani, , and leading the lineup and a talented -- if mercurial -- bullpen, it’s hard to pick against the Dodgers in any round. By a large majority, our voters chose them to beat the Reds and advance to the Division Series.

  • “While you never want to discount David, this is one Goliath that most certainly will win.” -- Jonathan Mayo, national prospects reporter
  • “It's a mismatch on paper, and I'm less worried about the Dodgers' bullpen with Emmet Sheehan, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki out there.” -- Alan Rittner, producer
  • “The Dodgers' superstar lineup, along with their superior rotation, are too much for a fun Reds club to overcome.” -- Brian McGrath, editor

The dissenting view

“It's easy to think of the Dodgers as a massive favorite here, but there really is no such thing in a best-of-three series, especially given the starting pitchers the Reds can put on the mound.” -- Andrew Simon, national content director

(5) Padres at (4) Cubs

The pick: Padres

Coming off last year’s heartbreaking NLDS loss to the Dodgers in five games, the Padres are back in the postseason for the fourth time in six seasons. They’ll face the Cubs -- making their first trip to the playoffs since 2020 -- in a best-of-three at Wrigley Field for the right to play the top-seeded Brewers in the NLDS.

The Padres challenged the Dodgers in the NL West for much of the season, eventually finishing three games out. San Diego made some big moves at the Trade Deadline, notably acquiring reliever Mason Miller from the Athletics, and bolstered both its lineup and its bullpen. (Key acquisition is out with a fractured finger, though.)

With and in the lineup and a stacked relief corps, the Padres were our voters’ clear pick to advance. But don’t count out the Cubs, who possess one of the best lineups in the Majors and have lefty starters and set to pitch. If Chicago had rookie (rib fracture) healthy, the results of our poll might have been quite different.

  • “The difference-maker here is San Diego's suffocating bullpen, which can shorten games dramatically and maybe shorten the whole series.” -- Andy Werle, editor
  • “The Cubs lost momentum offensively and consistency in their rotation down the stretch, which might play in favor of the Padres.” -- Kenny Van Doren, producer
  • “Padres stars have the experience in the postseason and are destined for a Dodgers rematch.” -- Mike Siano, vice president, programming, streaming and partnership

The dissenting view

“Two of the Cubs’ most important bats -- and -- are heating up at the perfect time, and that will prove to be the difference-maker in what’ll surely be a loud few days at the Friendly Confines.” -- Casey Drottar, producer