The 2026 MLB playoff field was nearly cut in half on Wednesday night. The Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres were all eliminated in the carnage. The Cleveland Guardians were the only team trailing in their series that survived to play another day.
The crowning of the next World Series champion is getting closer, but some fans may want to know the answer sooner. To get a head start, we turned to the latest expert predictions and oddsmakers’ lines.
A First-Time Title in Milwaukee?
Five MLB franchises remain without a World Series title, and a few experts at ESPN think the Milwaukee Brewers could remove themselves from that group.
In a recent batch of bold playoff predictions, three of ESPN’s experts built their forecasts around the Brewers winning big. Tristan Cockcroft called for Milwaukee’s breakout star, Jackson Chourio, to “become the 10th player to win LCS and World Series MVPs.” Eric Karabell predicted a combined no-hitter from Jacob Misiorowski, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill in Game 1 of the World Series. AJ Mass predicted that the Brewers would “trail in every playoff game en route to a championship,” but Milwaukee already broke that forecast, as it never trailed in Wednesday’s win.
That is considerable backing for a franchise that has never tasted championship glory, and the support is hard to dispute. The Brewers won an MLB-best and franchise-record 103 games this season. They also boast this postseason’s highest OPS (.688) and second-lowest ERA (1.80).
Two-Time Defending Champs Aren’t the Favourites?
Before the postseason, The Athletic asked more than 20 of its MLB experts to make World Series predictions. The group did not make the Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of the past two World Series, the most popular pick.
The Brewers ran away with the poll, earning 56 percent of the vote. The Tampa Bay Rays took second with 24 percent, while the Dodgers received just 16 percent. The Brewers and Rays are both credible choices, but that is still less support than you might expect for a club with so much star power and such recent dominance.
“No team carries as much October hype as Los Angeles,” wrote Katie Woo. “There are rightful concerns over the drop-off in production from Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, but their rotation of aces should carry them through any qualms on the offense. It’s the Dodgers’ title to lose, and they know it.”
Oddsmakers agree with that assessment. However, if most of Woo’s colleagues are right, this year’s title won’t return to Los Angeles.