MLB Playoff Bracket if the season ended today

The MLB postseason is just around the corner. With the regular season just three weeks away, it's time to take a look at the playoff bracket. It will certainly be interesting to see who will be in the mix and who won't be by then.

Every year as the playoffs approach, we discuss what the standings would look like if the season ended on that day. Of course, the season doesn't end today. It ends on September 29, and that's the time to make predictions about who will advance well into October and win a World Series title.

By then, the playoff roster will be set, but now is still a good time to take a look at what the roster looks like and who would be on it if the postseason started today.

Before we look at the standings, it's important that we explain how the playoffs work. There are currently 12 postseason teams, six in the American League and six in the National League. It all starts now with the Wild Card Series, a best-of-three series where all three games are played by the higher seeded team.

The top two Wild Card teams will face off against each other, while the winner of the lowest-seeded division will host the third Wild Card. After the Wild Card round is complete, the field for the Division Series, which is played in a best-of-five format, shrinks to eight teams.

The top seed in each league will host the winner of the top two wild card seeds, while the No. 2 seed will host the winner of the game between seeds 3 and 6. From there, the League Championship Series and World Series will be played in best-of-seven format.

But let's look at the current standings. In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies would each be the top two spots, while the Milwaukee Brewers would host the third wild card team in the first round.

The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves are battling for third place, so Milwaukee would host one of those three teams. The San Diego Padres would also host the reigning National League champions, the Arizona Diamondbacks. The winner of the game between the Padres and Diamondbacks would face the Dodgers in the NLDS, while the winner of the game between the Brewers and the third wild card winner would face the Phillies.

In the American League, the New York Yankees would be the top seed, facing the winner of the matchup between the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals, who are the top two wild card teams, respectively. The Cleveland Guardians would be number two, facing the winner of the matchup between the Houston Astros (number 3) and the Minnesota Twins, who would be the third wild card team.

A lot can change in a few weeks, so it's too early to make any predictions. But it will be exciting to see how it all develops.