MLB Playoff Picture 2026
Final 2026 MLB playoff seeding: the Tampa Bay Rays (98-64) are the AL No. 1 seed and the Milwaukee Brewers (103-59) the NL No. 1 seed. Byes: Rays, Guardians, Brewers, Dodgers. Division winners hold seeds 1-3, wild cards fill the rest. Every seed, the round-one pairings and each team’s status are below; the bracket shows the full path.
AL Playoff Picture
Final seeding
Tampa Bay RaysAL East · L1Clinched division · Bye98-64+862
Cleveland GuardiansAL Central · L1Clinched division · Bye85-77+113
Houston AstrosAL West · W2Clinched division81-81-324
New York YankeesAL East · W1Clinched93-68+1385
Boston Red SoxAL East · L1Clinched87-75+786
Chicago White SoxAL Central · W1Clinched84-78+56| Seed | Team | W-L | Diff | Strk | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay RaysAL East | 98-64 | +86 | L1 | Clinched division Bye |
| 2 | Cleveland GuardiansAL Central | 85-77 | +11 | L1 | Clinched division Bye |
| 3 | Houston AstrosAL West | 81-81 | -32 | W2 | Clinched division |
| 4 | New York YankeesAL East | 93-68 | +138 | W1 | Clinched playoffs |
| 5 | Boston Red SoxAL East | 87-75 | +78 | L1 | Clinched playoffs |
| 6 | Chicago White SoxAL Central | 84-78 | +56 | W1 | Clinched playoffs |
NL Playoff Picture
Final seeding
Milwaukee BrewersNL Central · W5Clinched division · Bye103-59+2142
Los Angeles DodgersNL West · W3Clinched division · Bye100-62+2013
Atlanta BravesNL East · L1Clinched division94-68+1164
San Diego PadresNL West · W2Clinched91-71+415
Chicago CubsNL Central · W1Clinched89-73+1476
Philadelphia PhilliesNL East · W1Clinched88-74+15| Seed | Team | W-L | Diff | Strk | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee BrewersNL Central | 103-59 | +214 | W5 | Clinched division Bye |
| 2 | Los Angeles DodgersNL West | 100-62 | +201 | W3 | Clinched division Bye |
| 3 | Atlanta BravesNL East | 94-68 | +116 | L1 | Clinched division |
| 4 | San Diego PadresNL West | 91-71 | +41 | W2 | Clinched playoffs |
| 5 | Chicago CubsNL Central | 89-73 | +147 | W1 | Clinched playoffs |
| 6 | Philadelphia PhilliesNL East | 88-74 | +15 | W1 | Clinched playoffs |
Division Races
Rangers 80-82Seeds 1-3 division winners · 4-6 wild cards · Seeds 1-2 have byes · Clinch/eliminated flags use games remaining, not the full tiebreaker list.
Wild Card Series Matchups
White Sox at 3AstrosCWS wins 2-0AL5Red Sox at 4YankeesNYY wins 2-0NL6Phillies at 3BravesATL wins 2-1NL5Cubs at 4PadresSD wins 2-0Byes: Rays (AL No. 1), Guardians (AL No. 2), Brewers (NL No. 1), Dodgers (NL No. 2) go straight to the Division Series.
How the MLB Playoff Picture Is Calculated
Three division winners take seeds 1-3 by record, the three best remaining records are wild cards. A team is marked clinched when no result can drop it out of the top 6, and eliminated when it can no longer catch the last spot. Magic numbers count the wins and rival losses still needed. Tiebreakers follow the league order.
The MLB playoff picture is recalculated after every game from the full standings, so seeds, magic numbers and games back are always current. Check the tiebreaker rules for how close races are settled, and the projected bracket to see what today’s seeds would produce.
MLB playoff picture FAQ
Who is the No. 1 seed in the AL playoff picture?
The Tampa Bay Rays (98-64), clinched.
Who are the AL wild cards?
No. 4 New York Yankees (93-68), No. 5 Boston Red Sox (87-75), No. 6 Chicago White Sox (84-78).
Which AL teams have a bye?
Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians skip the Wild Card Series and host in the Division Series.
Who is the No. 1 seed in the NL playoff picture?
The Milwaukee Brewers (103-59), clinched.
Who are the NL wild cards?
No. 4 San Diego Padres (91-71), No. 5 Chicago Cubs (89-73), No. 6 Philadelphia Phillies (88-74).
Which NL teams have a bye?
Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers skip the Wild Card Series and host in the Division Series.
What is a magic number?
The total of that team’s wins plus losses by the first team outside the playoff line that guarantees a berth. It drops by one with each of those results; at zero the spot is clinched.
How are ties in the playoff picture broken?
No Game 163 since 2022. Ties are settled by head-to-head record, then intradivision record, then interdivision record, then second-half intraleague record. This page applies win percentage, head-to-head, league record and run differential.