The 2026 postseason field is set.
Ultimately, a 30-team league has been whittled down to 12 teams: three division champions and three Wild Cards in both the American League and National League. The two division champions with the best records in both the AL and NL will enjoy first-round byes, while the other eight teams will compete in best-of-three Wild Card Series that begin Tuesday.
Here’s a look at MLB’s 2026 postseason qualifiers, in reverse chronological order of when they clinched a spot.
12. Houston Astros
Clinch date: Sept. 27 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: Clinched AL West on Sept. 27; No. 3 seed
Top players: DH Yordan Alvarez, SS Jeremy Peña, RP Josh Hader
Path to the postseason: It wasn't pretty, but the Astros got the job done. They were mired in fourth place into late June, but thanks in part to Alvarez's MVP-worthy performance, they surged in July and spent only three days out of first place over the season's final two months. They ended the year with an 81-81 record, making them the first team to reach the playoffs without an over-.500 record in a full season.
October history: After their streak of eight straight postseason berths was snapped last season, the Astros are back in the dance and back atop the AL West. Division winners for the eighth time in 10 years, Houston's dynastic run over the past decade has featured the franchise's first two World Series championships (2017, '22).
11. Philadelphia Phillies
Clinch date: Sept. 27 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: NL Wild Card; No. 6 seed
Top players: SP Cristopher Sánchez, 1B/OF Bryce Harper, DH Kyle Schwarber
Path to the postseason: The Phillies made a couple of hard charges toward the top of the NL East during midseason, but they couldn’t quite catch the Braves. Then, just when it looked like they would coast into the playoffs as a Wild Card, the Phillies’ offense went dormant, leading to a 2-6 stretch near the end of September that put their postseason hopes in danger. However, they clinched the final spot in the NL bracket with a 7-3 victory over the Rays in their regular-season finale.
October history: The Phillies will be playing in the postseason for the fifth straight year, but they haven’t advanced past the Division Series round since 2023. Philadelphia, which is aiming for the franchise’s third World Series title and its first since 2008, has lost 10 of its past 13 playoff games, dating back to ‘23.
10. San Diego Padres
Clinch date: Sept. 24 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: NL Wild Card; No. 4 seed
Top players: OF Fernando Tatis Jr., RP Mason Miller, SP Michael King
Path to the postseason: The Padres started hot out of the gate, opening the season with a 19-9 record before eventually falling back to earth. They were under .500 as recently as late July but picked things up down the stretch, getting red hot in September and truly peaking at the right time ahead of the playoffs. They earned the top NL Wild Card berth and a chance to host the Cubs in the Wild Card Series.
October history: This is the first time San Diego has reached the postseason three years in a row. The Padres fell to the Cubs in a three-game NL Wild Card Series in 2025 after losing a thrilling five-game NLDS to the Dodgers the year before. They have not won a World Series before, last reaching the Fall Classic in 1998 and being swept by the Yankees.
9. Cleveland Guardians
Clinch date: Sept. 24 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: Clinched AL Central on Sept. 26; No. 2 seed
Top players: 3B José Ramírez, SP Parker Messick, RP Cade Smith
Path to the postseason: The Guardians always seem to turn things on at just the right time, and 2026 was no exception. Sitting at 61-66 after an Aug. 19 loss, they won seven straight games to surge over .500 and have played strong baseball in September to surpass the White Sox and win the AL Central.
October history: It’s the third straight postseason appearance for the Guardians, who lost to the division-rival Tigers in three games in the 2025 AL Wild Card Series after falling to the Yankees in five games in the 2024 ALCS. Cleveland has made the playoffs in eight of the past 11 seasons.
8. Chicago Cubs
Clinch date: Sept. 24 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: NL Wild Card; No. 5 seed
Top players: OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, 3B Alex Bregman, OF Seiya Suzuki
Path to the postseason: The Cubs roared out of the gate, becoming the fifth team in MLB history to have two distinct streaks of 10 or more victories before their 40th decision of the season. A 10-game losing streak soon followed, and in a see-saw campaign, the Cubs dipped to just three games over the .500 mark on June 20. Since that date, though, Chicago has won 48 games, more than all but five teams in the Majors.
October history: The Cubs are back in the postseason for a second consecutive year. It's the club's first time making the playoffs in back-to-back years since a string of four straight postseason appearances from 2015-18. Last year, Chicago lost in five games to the Brewers in the NLDS after defeating the Padres in the NL Wild Card Series. That marked the Cubs' first playoff series win since the 2016 World Series.
7. Chicago White Sox
Clinch date: Sept. 24 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: AL Wild Card; No. 6 seed
Top players: 3B Miguel Vargas, 1B Munetaka Murakami, SP Sean Burke
Path to the postseason: The White Sox completed one of the more remarkable year-to-year turnarounds in baseball history, becoming the first team to clinch a postseason berth after losing 100-plus games in at least two straight seasons. Before this season, the White Sox had not entered a day alone in first place since April 20, 2022. They couldn't ultimately capture the AL Central, but they'll face the winner of the AL West in a best-of-three Wild Card Series.
October history: This is Chicago's first postseason appearance since 2021, when it lost in the ALDS to the Astros in four games. The White Sox are still eyeing their first playoff series win since winning the World Series in 2005; this will be the club's fourth postseason appearance since '05.
6. Boston Red Sox
Clinch date: Sept. 20 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: AL Wild Card; No. 5 seed
Top players: 1B Willson Contreras, SP Sonny Gray, SP Payton Tolle
Path to the postseason: The Red Sox scuffled early in 2026, getting out of the gate with a 2-8 record and dismissing manager Alex Cora and five members of Cora's coaching staff in late April. It took a while for those changes to pay dividends, but a franchise record-tying 15-game winning streak in July lifted the Red Sox above .500, and they were off to the races from there. With a 40-26 record in the second half, the second best in the AL, Boston played itself into postseason position. A 4-3 victory over the Cubs on Sept. 25 secured the No. 5 seed, setting up a Wild Card Series rematch with the Yankees in the Bronx next week.
October history: In 2025, the Red Sox lost a thrilling three-game Wild Card Series to the Yankees, whom they will likely face again in the same postseason round this year. That was their first playoff appearance since reaching the ALCS in 2021, but they own four World Series titles this century -- in 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018.
5. Atlanta Braves
Clinch date: Sept. 18 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: Clinched NL East on Sept. 20; No. 3 seed
Top players: SP Chris Sale, OF Ronald Acuña Jr., 1B Matt Olson
Path to the postseason: The Braves led the NL East practically wire to wire, jumping into first place on April 8 and never relinquishing the lead before wrapping up the division on Sept. 20 in Houston, completing a sweep of the Astros. After a scorching start to the year -- they were 45-21 at one point in early June -- the Braves have cooled at times (particularly during Acuña's multiple stints on the injured list) but still played good enough baseball to secure a division crown.
October history: It's the eighth postseason appearance in nine seasons for the Braves, who return to the playoffs after going 76-86 during an down year in 2025. After winning the 2021 World Series, though, they have lost their past three postseason series, falling to the Phillies in the NLDS in 2022 and '23 and to the Padres in the 2024 NL Wild Card Series.
4. New York Yankees
Clinch date: Sept. 14 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: 1st AL Wild Card; No. 4 seed
Top players: SP Cam Schlittler, DH/1B Ben Rice, RF Aaron Judge
Path to the postseason: It wasn’t easy for the Yankees this year. Judge spent all of June, July and August on the injured list before returning to action on Sept. 8 and that was only the most notable of several injuries to key players. But the Yankees kept their heads above water without Judge even as they continued to play from behind against the Rays in the division race, weathering a 4-14 slide in late June and early July that included a seven-game losing streak.
October history: They’re synonymous with postseason baseball. In 32 seasons from 1995-2026, the Yankees have missed the playoffs just five times. But after winning the World Series five times in the first 15 years of that stretch, they are still searching for championship No. 28 -- their first since 2009.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
Clinch date: Sept. 14 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: Clinched NL West on Sept. 17; No. 2 seed
Top players: DH/SP Shohei Ohtani, SP Tarik Skubal, SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Path to the postseason: The two-time defending World Series champions were widely expected to dominate the NL West race and make a serious run at a third straight title. We don’t know about the latter part yet, but that first box is checked. The Dodgers have spent nearly every day of the season in first place, taking the lead for good on May 19 and spending the second half on cruise control despite their usual battles with injuries.
October history: It’s hard to remember what the postseason is like without the Dodgers, who have now made it in 14 straight seasons, tying the 1991-2005 Braves for the all-time record. That run includes 13 NL West titles. Three of the proud franchise’s nine World Series championships have come since 2020.
2. Milwaukee Brewers
Clinch date: Sept. 11 STORY >
Playoff spot/seed: Clinched NL Central on Sept. 15; No. 1 seed
Top players: SP Jacob Misiorowski, 2B Brice Turang, LF Jackson Chourio
Path to the postseason: It’s become a familiar story in recent years: The 2026 Brewers faced significant questions about their chances to compete for a division crown. Then they went out and answered all of those questions.
October history: An unprecedented run of success in Brewers history continued. From its one-season stint as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 through 2017, the franchise made four playoff appearances. Since then, it’s made eight in a nine-season span and won seven division titles. However, Milwaukee is still looking to reach the World Series for only the second time, following a 1982 loss to the Cardinals (when the Brewers were an AL team).
1. Tampa Bay Rays
Clinch date: Sept. 11 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: Clinched AL East on Sept. 22; No. 1 seed
Top players: 3B Junior Caminero, SP Drew Rasmussen, DH Yandy Díaz
Path to the postseason: Not much was expected of the Rays after the club finished under .500 and fourth in the AL East in both of the previous two seasons. (Back in March, FanGraphs’ postseason odds had them finishing last in a tough division.) But the Rays got red-hot in late April -- they went 22-4 from April 22-May 22 -- and never looked back. They took sole possession of first place in the AL East on June 28 and never relinquished it.
October history: In their 11th season since joining the AL as an expansion team, the Rays made their first playoff run in 2008. Going back to that year, they’ve now reached the playoffs nine times in 19 seasons, including World Series runs in 2008 (lost to Phillies) and 2020 (lost to Dodgers).