2024 MLB playoff picture: Baseball standings, postseason projections as NL wild-card race gets even messier
Written by CBS SPORTS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on September 9, 2024
September, the final month of MLB’s regular-season calendar, has arrived. That means baseball’s stretch drive is here, and MLB playoff races have started heating up. There are plenty of intriguing postseason races happening with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros among the teams trying to secure their spot in baseball’s postseason.
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.
As for what hangs in the balance, there’s quite a bit of it. The Yankees and Baltimore Orioles remain locked in a tight struggle atop the American League East standings. Three teams — the Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesota Twins — have designs on the AL Central title, though Cleveland has started to pull away in the division. The Dodgers, Phillies and Houston Astros all have fairly comfortable leads in their respective divisions, but they haven’t buried the competition yet. The only team that has essentially wrapped up its division title is the first-place Milwaukee Brewers, who have run away with the NL Central.
On the wild-card front, the surging New York Mets have tracked down the Atlanta Braves. The Mets enter the week tied with Atlanta for the third and final NL wild-card spot. At the top of the table are the Padres and Diamondbacks, but their positions are far from secure. On the AL side, the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners are trying to stay within shouting distance, but the clubs are hovering around .500.
Now let’s get you caught up on where all these races stand right now as the final weeks of the regular season loom before us. 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 Twins, 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 Mets, No. 4 Padres vs. No. 5 D-backs
American League standings
| AL East | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N.Y. Yankees | 82 | 61 | — | 66.6% | 99.9% |
| Baltimore | 82 | 62 | 0.5 | 33.4% | 99.8% |
| Boston | 72 | 71 | 10.0 | 0.0% | 4.9% |
| Tampa Bay | 71 | 72 | 11.0 | 0.0% | 1.3% |
| Toronto | 68 | 76 | 14.5 | 0.0% | <1.0% |
| AL Central | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | 81 | 62 | — | 84.4% | 99.9% |
| Kansas City | 79 | 65 | 2.5 | 10.4% | 92.8% |
| Minnesota | 76 | 67 | 5.0 | 4.7% | 86.6% |
| Detroit | 73 | 71 | 8.5 | 0.0% | 7.1% |
| Chi. White Sox – e | 33 | 111 | 48.5 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| AL West | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 77 | 66 | — | 94.7% | 96.4% |
| Seattle | 73 | 71 | 4.5 | 5.3% | 10.3% |
| Texas | 70 | 74 | 7.5 | 0.0% | <1.0% |
| Oakland | 62 | 82 | 15.5 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| L.A. Angels | 59 | 84 | 18.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
National League standings
| NL East | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 85 | 58 | — | 95.7% | 99.9% |
| N.Y. Mets | 78 | 65 | 7.0 | 3.1% | 64.6% |
| Atlanta | 78 | 65 | 7.0 | 0.0% | 61.0% |
| Washington | 64 | 79 | 21.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Miami – e | 54 | 89 | 31.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| NL Central | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 82 | 61 | — | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| Chi. Cubs | 73 | 70 | 9.0 | 0.0% | 1.9% |
| St. Louis | 72 | 71 | 10.0 | 0.0% | <1.0% |
| Cincinnati | 69 | 75 | 13.5 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pittsburgh | 67 | 76 | 15.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| NL West | W | L | GB | Div | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.A. Dodgers | 86 | 57 | — | 98.1% | 100% |
| San Diego | 81 | 64 | 5.0 | 1.8% | 91.4% |
| Arizona | 80 | 64 | 6.5 | 0.0% | 80.9% |
| San Francisco | 71 | 73 | 15.5 | 0.0% | <1.0% |
| Colorado – e | 54 | 90 | 32.5 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
MLB wild-card standings
| AL wild card | W | L | WCGB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | 82 | 62 | +5.5 |
| Kansas City | 79 | 65 | +2.5 |
| Minnesota | 76 | 67 | — |
| Detroit | 73 | 71 | 3.5 |
| Seattle | 73 | 71 | 3.5 |
| Boston | 72 | 71 | 4.0 |
| Tampa Bay | 71 | 72 | 5.0 |
| NL wild card | W | L | WCGB |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 81 | 64 | +2.0 |
| Arizona | 80 | 64 | +1.5 |
| N.Y. Mets | 78 | 65 | — |
| Atlanta | 78 | 65 | — |
| Chi. Cubs | 73 | 70 | 5.0 |
| St. Louis | 72 | 71 | 6.0 |
| San Francisco | 71 | 73 | 7.5 |
2024 World Series odds
(As of Sept. 9)
- Dodgers: +340
- Phillies: +475
- Yankees: +600
- Orioles: +600
- Astros: +700
- Guardians: +1400
- Brewers: +1400
- Padres: +1500
- Braves: +1800
- Diamondbacks: +2000
- Mets: +2200
- Royals: +2200
- Twins: +2200
The post 2024 MLB playoff picture: Baseball standings, postseason projections as NL wild-card race gets even messier first appeared on OKC Sports Radio.
