The 2026 MLB playoff field was nearly cut in half Wednesday night. In a day of elimination, the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres all were sent packing. The Cleveland Guardians were the only team trailing in a deficit that still survived to play another day.
The next World Series champion is closer to being crowned, but the wait feels long. Fans eager for an answer can look to the latest expert predictions and oddsmakers’ lines for a glimpse at who might win it all.
A First-Time Title in Milwaukee?
Five MLB franchises still have never won a World Series. Several ESPN experts think the Milwaukee Brewers could be the next to join the list of champions.
In a recent set of bold playoff predictions, three of ESPN’s experts built their forecasts around Milwaukee winning big. Tristan Cockcroft called for Brewers breakout star Jackson Chourio to “become the 10th player to win LCS and World Series MVPs.” Eric Karabell predicted a combined no-hitter from Jacob Misiorowski, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill in Game 1 of the World Series. AJ Mass predicted that Milwaukee would “trail in every playoff game en route to a championship,” but the Brewers already broke that forecast, never trailing in Wednesday’s win.
That is a strong vote of confidence for a franchise that has never tasted championship glory, and it is hard to call it undeserved. Milwaukee won an MLB-best and franchise-record 103 games this season. This postseason, the Brewers have the highest OPS (.688) and the second-lowest ERA (1.80).
Two-Time Defending Champs Aren’t the Favorites?
Before the postseason began, The Athletic asked “more than 20” of its MLB experts to make World Series predictions. The group did not pick the Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of the past two World Series, as the most popular choice.
The Brewers ran away with the poll, earning 56 percent of the vote. The Tampa Bay Rays finished second with 24 percent, while the Dodgers received just 16 percent. Both Milwaukee and Tampa Bay are viable picks, but the Dodgers’ support is still lower than many would expect from a club with this much star power and this level of recent dominance.
“No team carries as much October hype as Los Angeles,” Katie Woo wrote. “There are rightful concerns over the drop-off in production from Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, but their rotation of aces should carry them through any qualms on the offense. It’s the Dodgers’ title to lose, and they know it.”
Oddsmakers largely agree with that assessment. Still, if most of Woo’s colleagues are right, this year’s championship will not return to Los Angeles.