MLB Playoff Picture 2026
MLB playoff picture 2026: if the season ended today, these are the six seeds in each league, the teams in the hunt and the teams already out, with magic numbers for the teams closest to clinching and every division race. Clinch and elimination flags are calculated from the games remaining.
AL: the Tampa Bay Rays (92-59) hold the No. 1 seed; the Chicago White Sox (77-75) hold the last wild-card spot with 7 teams within reach. NL: the Milwaukee Brewers (95-57) hold the No. 1 seed; the San Diego Padres (83-69) hold the last wild-card spot with 4 teams within reach. Updated Sep 17, 2026 6:10 AM EDT.
AL Playoff Picture
If the season ended today · last spot: Chicago White Sox (77-75)
Tampa Bay RaysAL East · Conf 12-10 · W5Division winner · Bye92-59+712
Cleveland GuardiansAL Central · Conf 13-9 · W2Division winner · Bye78-75-73
Texas RangersAL West · Conf 11-11 · W4Division winner76-76-384
New York YankeesAL East · Conf 14-8 · L1Clinched88-64+1365
Boston Red SoxAL East · Conf 10-10 · L2Wild card82-70+826
Chicago White SoxAL Central · Conf 11-8 · L2Wild card77-75+34–
Houston AstrosAL West · Conf 9-12 · L11 game back76-76-54–
Toronto Blue JaysAL East · Conf 17-14 · W11.5 games back76-77-37–
Baltimore OriolesAL East · Conf 11-12 · W32.5 games back75-78-26–
Detroit TigersAL Central · Conf 7-15 · L15 games back72-80+76–
Minnesota TwinsAL Central · Conf 8-13 · W16 games back71-81-73–
Seattle MarinersAL West · Conf 9-13 · W16.5 games back71-82-56–
Kansas City RoyalsAL Central · Conf 16-8 · W110 games back67-85-93–
AthleticsAL West · Conf 14-17 · L2Eliminated61-91-205–
Los Angeles AngelsAL West · Conf 10-12 · L1Eliminated58-94-78| Seed | Team | W-L | Div | Conf | Diff | Strk | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay RaysAL East | 92-59 | 3-7 | 12-10 | +71 | W5 | 11 | Division winner Bye |
| 2 | Cleveland GuardiansAL Central | 78-75 | 8-5 | 13-9 | -7 | W2 | 9 | Division winner Bye |
| 3 | Texas RangersAL West | 76-76 | 6-7 | 11-11 | -38 | W4 | 10 | Division winner |
| 4 | New York YankeesAL East | 88-64 | 9-4 | 14-8 | +136 | L1 | 10 | Clinched playoffs |
| 5 | Boston Red SoxAL East | 82-70 | 6-3 | 10-10 | +82 | L2 | 10 | Wild card |
| 6 | Chicago White SoxAL Central | 77-75 | 8-4 | 11-8 | +34 | L2 | 10 | Wild card |
| Houston AstrosAL West | 76-76 | 3-6 | 9-12 | -54 | L1 | 10 | In the hunt · 1 game back | |
| Toronto Blue JaysAL East | 76-77 | 7-6 | 17-14 | -37 | W1 | 9 | In the hunt · 1.5 games back | |
| Baltimore OriolesAL East | 75-78 | 6-11 | 11-12 | -26 | W3 | 9 | In the hunt · 2.5 games back | |
| Detroit TigersAL Central | 72-80 | 4-12 | 7-15 | +76 | L1 | 10 | In the hunt · 5 games back | |
| Minnesota TwinsAL Central | 71-81 | 6-9 | 8-13 | -73 | W1 | 10 | In the hunt · 6 games back | |
| Seattle MarinersAL West | 71-82 | 7-9 | 9-13 | -56 | W1 | 9 | In the hunt · 6.5 games back | |
| Kansas City RoyalsAL Central | 67-85 | 5-1 | 16-8 | -93 | W1 | 10 | In the hunt · 10 games back | |
| AthleticsAL West | 61-91 | 10-6 | 14-17 | -205 | L2 | 10 | Eliminated | |
| Los Angeles AngelsAL West | 58-94 | 6-4 | 10-12 | -78 | L1 | 10 | Eliminated |
AL clinch watch
Any combination of that many wins and losses by the first team out (Houston Astros) clinches a playoff berth.
Guardians 78-75Rangers 76-76Red Sox 82-70White Sox 77-75AL bubble
Astros76-76 · 1 game back · 10 leftBlue Jays76-77 · 1.5 games back · 9 leftOrioles75-78 · 2.5 games back · 9 leftTigers72-80 · 5 games back · 10 leftTwins71-81 · 6 games back · 10 leftMariners71-82 · 6.5 games back · 9 leftRoyals67-85 · 10 games back · 10 leftNL Playoff Picture
If the season ended today · last spot: San Diego Padres (83-69)
Milwaukee BrewersNL Central · Conf 17-8 · W2Clinched division · Bye95-57+2002
Los Angeles DodgersNL West · Conf 17-11 · L1Division winner · Bye92-60+1733
Atlanta BravesNL East · Conf 14-11 · L1Division winner89-64+1114
Chicago CubsNL Central · Conf 11-15 · W1Wild card85-68+1435
Philadelphia PhilliesNL East · Conf 12-6 · W1Wild card84-68+316
San Diego PadresNL West · Conf 11-7 · W1Wild card83-69+23–
Arizona DiamondbacksNL West · Conf 10-9 · L23.5 games back80-730–
Miami MarlinsNL East · Conf 11-14 · W27.5 games back76-77+8–
Pittsburgh PiratesNL Central · Conf 7-10 · L28 games back75-77+21–
St. Louis CardinalsNL Central · Conf 11-15 · L28.5 games back75-78-14–
Cincinnati RedsNL Central · Conf 13-19 · W1Eliminated71-81-148–
Washington NationalsNL East · Conf 8-17 · L1Eliminated71-82+3–
New York MetsNL East · Conf 11-4 · L4Eliminated69-83-43–
San Francisco GiantsNL West · Conf 13-13 · W2Eliminated64-89-70–
Colorado RockiesNL West · Conf 6-13 · L1Eliminated56-96-170| Seed | Team | W-L | Div | Conf | Diff | Strk | Left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee BrewersNL Central | 95-57 | 10-5 | 17-8 | +200 | W2 | 10 | Clinched division Bye |
| 2 | Los Angeles DodgersNL West | 92-60 | 3-0 | 17-11 | +173 | L1 | 10 | Division winner Bye |
| 3 | Atlanta BravesNL East | 89-64 | 5-4 | 14-11 | +111 | L1 | 9 | Division winner |
| 4 | Chicago CubsNL Central | 85-68 | 6-10 | 11-15 | +143 | W1 | 9 | Wild card |
| 5 | Philadelphia PhilliesNL East | 84-68 | 7-5 | 12-6 | +31 | W1 | 10 | Wild card |
| 6 | San Diego PadresNL West | 83-69 | 5-1 | 11-7 | +23 | W1 | 10 | Wild card |
| Arizona DiamondbacksNL West | 80-73 | 2-2 | 10-9 | 0 | L2 | 9 | In the hunt · 3.5 games back | |
| Miami MarlinsNL East | 76-77 | 4-9 | 11-14 | +8 | W2 | 9 | In the hunt · 7.5 games back | |
| Pittsburgh PiratesNL Central | 75-77 | 3-5 | 7-10 | +21 | L2 | 10 | In the hunt · 8 games back | |
| St. Louis CardinalsNL Central | 75-78 | 6-5 | 11-15 | -14 | L2 | 9 | In the hunt · 8.5 games back | |
| Cincinnati RedsNL Central | 71-81 | 7-7 | 13-19 | -148 | W1 | 10 | Eliminated | |
| Washington NationalsNL East | 71-82 | 5-9 | 8-17 | +3 | L1 | 9 | Eliminated | |
| New York MetsNL East | 69-83 | 6-0 | 11-4 | -43 | L4 | 10 | Eliminated | |
| San Francisco GiantsNL West | 64-89 | 3-7 | 13-13 | -70 | W2 | 9 | Eliminated | |
| Colorado RockiesNL West | 56-96 | 3-6 | 6-13 | -170 | L1 | 10 | Eliminated |
NL clinch watch
Any combination of that many wins and losses by the first team out (Arizona Diamondbacks) clinches a playoff berth.
Braves 89-64Cubs 85-68Phillies 84-68Padres 83-69NL bubble
Diamondbacks80-73 · 3.5 games back · 9 leftMarlins76-77 · 7.5 games back · 9 leftPirates75-77 · 8 games back · 10 leftCardinals75-78 · 8.5 games back · 9 leftDivision Races
Seeds 1-3 division winners · 4-6 wild cards · Seeds 1-2 have byes · Clinch/eliminated flags use games remaining, not the full tiebreaker list.
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 (92-59), not yet clinched.
Who holds the last playoff spot in the AL?
The Chicago White Sox (77-75) are the No. 6 seed today, chased by Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers (+3 more).
Who is the No. 1 seed in the NL playoff picture?
The Milwaukee Brewers (95-57), clinched.
Who holds the last playoff spot in the NL?
The San Diego Padres (83-69) are the No. 6 seed today, chased by Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.
Which teams have clinched a 2026 playoff spot?
New York Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers.
Which teams are eliminated from the 2026 MLB playoffs?
Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies.
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.