Predicting the favorites and toughest challengers for the 2024 MLB playoffs

In an unexpected twist in the MLB season, there are no superteams at the top of the standings just before the postseason.

No team is on pace to win 100 games. This would be the first season since 2014 that no team reaches that mark. Although the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers have emerged in the race for first place in the standings, the situation behind them is less clear: Only four games separate the teams with the third and ninth best records in baseball.

With that in mind, we asked a panel of MLB executives, scouts and players to pick the team to beat between the National League's top two, as well as the most likely contenders that could defeat them. Which NL heavyweight is best positioned for October? Or which of the remaining contenders could spring an upset? Here's what they said. (Note: Some voters requested anonymity to speak freely about other teams.)