2024 MLB playoff picture: Baseball standings, postseason predictions as NL wildcard race gets even more chaotic

September, the final month of the MLB regular season, is here. That means the final stretch of baseball is beginning and the races for the MLB playoffs are heating up. There are plenty of exciting postseason races, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros among the teams trying to secure their spot in baseball's postseason.

As a reminder, MLB now awards 12 playoff spots — six total to the division winners and then three wild-card spots in each league. The top two division winners in each league, based on overall record, receive a first-round bye, meaning they don't have to play in the best-of-three wild-card series that acts as the first round.

The stakes are pretty high. The Yankees and Baltimore Orioles continue to engage in a tough battle at the top of the American League East. Three teams – the Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins – are eyeing the AL Central title, although Cleveland has begun to pull away in the division. The Dodgers, Phillies and Houston Astros all have fairly comfortable leads in their respective divisions, but they haven't buried the competition yet. The only team that has practically clinched its division title are the first-place Milwaukee Brewers, who won the NL Central title.

On the wild card front, the surging New York Mets have caught up with the Atlanta Braves. The Mets begin the week tied with Atlanta for the third and final NL wild card spot. The Padres and Diamondbacks are at the top of the standings, but their positions are far from secure. On the AL side, the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners are trying to stay within shouting distance, but the clubs are hovering around .500.

Now we want to bring you up to speed on all of these races as we enter the final weeks of the regular season. All divisional and postseason predictions mentioned in the standings come from SportsLine.

Picture of the 2024 MLB playoffs

If the season ended today…
American League
Byes: No. 1 Yankees, No. 2 Guardians
Wild Card Series: No. 3 Astros vs. No. 6 Twins, No. 4 Orioles vs. No. 5 Royals

Bundesliga
Byes: No. 1 Dodgers, No. 2 Phillies
Wild Card Series: No. 3 Brewers vs. No. 6 Mets, No. 4 Padres vs. No. 5 D-backs

American League table

Table of the National League

MLB Wildcard Rankings

Odds for the 2024 World Series

(As of September 9)

• Dodgers: +340
• Phillies: +475
• Yankees: +600
• Orioles: +600
• Astros: +700
• Guardian: +1400
• Brewer: +1400
• Padres: +1500
• Braves: +1800
• Diamondbacks: +2000
• Mets: +2200
• Royal: +2200
• Gemini: +2200