2026 MLB Wild Card predictions: Expert picks and previews for every series

It’s not quite October, but we’ve got MLB playoff baseball nonetheless. There are four Wild Card Round series taking place this week starting on Tuesday, with the winners of these best-of-three series advancing to the Division Series, where teams on byes await. 

All four of these series look awfully interesting, and with SeatGeek serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, we’re going to break down each matchup and share who we think will win and advance to the next round of the postseason. 

2026 MLB Wild Card Round matchups and playoff bracket

Here’s how the 2026 postseason bracket looks entering the Wild Card Round, including the four teams that earned first-round byes and what awaits each series winner.

American League playoff picture

• Tampa Bay Rays: First-round bye and home-field advantage in American League

• Cleveland Guardians: First-round bye

• Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros: Winner faces Cleveland in ALDS

• Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees: Winner faces Tampa Bay in ALDS

National League playoff picture

• Milwaukee Brewers: First-round bye and home-field advantage in postseason

• Los Angeles Dodgers: First-round bye

• Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves: Winner faces Los Angeles in NLDS

• Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres: Winner faces Milwaukee in NLDS

AL Wild Card expert predictions

The American League gives us one familiar October rivalry and one matchup almost nobody would have predicted a few months ago.

Red Sox at Yankees

The best rivalry in baseball gets another big chapter written this week with the Red Sox visiting the Yankees. These clubs have a lot of familiarity with one another, and unlike past years where the focus was on the bats, these clubs are carried by their pitching. New York is No. 1 in team ERA and Boston is close behind at third. 

Now, the bats will obviously play a big role here. The Yankees’ lineup is better known, and the X-factor is Aaron Judge’s health as he ended 2026 on the IL with a calf injury after missing most of the year due to a fractured rib. But the Sox caught fire this summer and have a lineup that complements its pitching staff very well.

The pitching will be great here. Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler will start Game 1 for New York against standout rookie Payton Tolle. Sonny Gray takes the ball for Boston in Game 2 against Max Fried, and former Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole would start a Game 3 if necessary against former Philly postseason hero Ranger Suarez. Buckle up.

New York has the better rotation, the better bullpen and the better roster, even if Judge doesn’t play. The Yankees play host as well, where they went 46-34 this year, and they went 7-6 against Boston with a plus-17 run differential. 

The Red Sox getting here after such a bad start is incredible, but I expect a one-and-done deal for Boston here. 

Winner: Yankees

White Sox at Astros

This is the strangest postseason series I can remember. I mean, who saw this one coming? The White Sox made the postseason after three straight 100-loss campaigns, and the Astros are AL West champs after going just 81-81. These teams combined went 165-159. 

The Astros have the pedigree here. Their lineup is loaded at the top with proven playoff heroes and the likely AL MVP in Yordan Alvarez. They have a true ace in Hunter Brown, a lockdown reliever duo in Bryan Abreu and  Josh Hader. They went 5-2 against the White Sox. 

But this White Sox team is young enough to not know the odds are stacked against them. They hit homers and walk a lot. They have big bats with pop all across the lineup, they have enough pitching to work through a series and have proven everyone wrong to date.

This is definitely a “vibes” pick, but I can’t pick against the White Sox after the year they’ve had. I also can’t pick a division winner that finished exactly .500. Regardless, I think the winner here loses against the Guardians next round – though I’d prefer to see an AL Central matchup there. Winner: White Sox

NL Wild Card expert predictions 

The National League side features two very different series, with one decided by a battle of strengths and the other setting up our biggest upset pick of the Wild Card Round.

Cubs at Padres

I love the Cubs’ lineup, I really do. Pete Crow-Armstrong is the presumptive NL MVP, Alex Bregman got hot and is a proven playoff performer, and there are other big bats in the mix like Ian Happ and Michael Busch that will have the Padres sweating. But I think the Padres’ pitching will get the job done.

I think these rotations are pretty even, though I give San Diego a slight edge with Michael King set for Game 1. But it’s the bullpen that has me backing the Padres.

Mason Miller is the best and most dominant reliever in baseball. If the Padres have a late lead, the game is likely over. Adrian Morejon is a dominant lefty who can pitch multiple innings, Bradgley Rodriguez had a breakout year with a low-2 ERA and Wandy Peralta is a proven arm. If the games stay close, the Padres have the ability to shorten games more so than the Cubs do.

Now, the Cubs did go 5-1 against the Padres this year, but these teams haven’t squared off since early July, and that was before San Diego got its lineup really rolling. Plus, the Padres were one of the best home teams in baseball this year, going 51-30 at Petco Park. The stadium will be buzzing this series, and ultimately, I’ll back the Padres’ arms over the Cubs’ bats.  

Winner: Padres

Phillies at Braves

This is certainly my “hottest take” of the first round – and yes, it is hot. The Phillies limped into the postseason after looking like they’d have the top or at least second Wild Card spot. Instead, they had to win Sunday to avoid getting caught by Arizona. Plus, the Braves took nine of 13 from the Phillies. 

I just like this roster, man. It’s a deep group with top-end talent. The duo of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are among the best sluggers in baseball, and each have a knack for big moments and huge homers in the playoffs. And while it hurt to have to use Zack Wheeler for Game 162, having Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo as options for Games 1 and 2 doesn’t hurt. Plus, Wheeler could start Game 3 if the need arises. 

Atlanta has Chris Sale ready for Game 1, and Tyler Mahle has been excellent since being traded to Atlanta and is in line to pitch Game 2. I’m just worried about the lineup. Ronald Acuna Jr. has been more good than great, Matt Olson slowed down in the second half and Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley had poor years at the plate. 

This one should be a very fun series, but I’ll roll with an upset here as I back the Phillies’ high-end talent and postseason pedigree. Winner: Phillies