2024 MLB playoff picture: Bracket, baseball standings, magic numbers, tiebreakers, postseason projections

Just five days remain in Major League Baseball’s 2024 regular season, and the MLB playoff picture is coming into a clear focus, with eight teams having clinched berths and only four spots still up for grabs. The New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres have all secured a postseason spot, with seeding still to be determined.

By way of reminder, MLB now grants 12 playoff berths — a total of six to the division winners and then three wild-card berths in each league. The top two division winners in each league as measured by overall record are rewarded with first-round byes, which means they won’t have to play in the best-of-three Wild Card Series that functions as that first round.

The Brewers, Guardians, Phillies and Phillies are the first teams to clinch their division so far. While things could certainly change over the closing days of the season, the Yankees are on the brink of winning the AL East while the Dodgers and Padres duel over the NL West.

There figures to be plenty of wild-card drama, however. In the American League, the surging Detroit Tigers have overtaken the Minnesota Twins in the standings. The Tigers have not played postseason baseball since 2014, matching the Los Angeles Angels for the longest drought in MLB. In the National League, the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks are locked in a tight battle for the No. 5 seed behind the Padres. Both the Mets and D-backs are in playoff position, and they’re trying to hold off the Atlanta Braves.

Now let’s get you caught up on where all these races stand right now as the final weeks of the regular season loom. All division and postseason projections referenced in the standings come from SportsLine.

2024 MLB playoff picture

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

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

Who’s clinched?

• The Phillies clinched the NL East
• The Brewers clinched the NL Central
• The Guardians clinched the AL Central
• The Astros clinched the AL West
• The Yankees and Orioles have clinched AL playoff spots
• The Dodgers and Padres have clinched NL playoff spots

MLB magic numbers

(Entering Wednesday, Sept. 25)

• AL East: Yankees — 1
• AL playoff spots: Royals — 4, Tigers — 4
• NL West: Dodgers — 4
• NL playoff spots: Diamondbacks — 4, Mets — 4, Braves — 5

Notable tiebreakers

(Note: Two-team MLB tiebreakers are determined by head-to-head record. If teams have the same head-to-head record, intradivision record is used.)

• The Yankees have clinched the tiebreaker against the Guardians
• The Twins have clinched the tiebreaker against the Tigers, Royals and Mariners
• The Royals have clinched the tiebreaker against the Mariners and Tigers
• The Tigers have clinched the tiebreaker against the Mariners
• The Phillies have clinched the tiebreaker against the Dodgers and the Brewers
• The Mets have clinched the tiebreaker against the D-backs and the Padres
• The Padres have clinched the tiebreaker against the Dodgers and Brewers
• The D-backs currently hold the tiebreaker against the Padres
• The Braves currently hold the tiebreaker against the Mets
• The Braves have clinched the tiebreaker against the D-backs

American League standings

National League standings

Clinched division – x
Clinched wild-card – y
Clinched playoff berth – z
Eliminated – e

MLB wild-card standings

2024 World Series odds

• Dodgers: +340
• Phillies: +425
• Yankees: +450
• Astros: +700
• Guardians: +900
• Padres: +900
• Orioles: +1100
• Brewers: +1800
• Mets: +2500
• Diamondbacks: +2500
• Braves: +2800
• Royals: +3000
• Tigers: +3300
• Twins: +5000