2024 MLB postseason predictions: Staff picks for entire playoff bracket, including World Series champion

The 2024 MLB postseason field is set and all that’s left is all the glory. The Wild Card Series begin Tuesday afternoon with four best-of-three matchups. From there, those four winners will move onto the League Division Series, where the top two teams in each league will join the mix after a first-round bye. 

The winners of the best-of-five Division Series move on to the best-of-seven League Championship Series, and, of course, the best-of-seven World Series. (You can check out the full playoff bracket and schedule here.)

By the end of the day on Nov. 2, we’ll have a World Series winner and plans for a parade. Here’s a look at the playoff set up:

American League

First-round 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

First-round byes
No. 1 Dodgers, No. 2 Phillies

Wild Card Series
No. 3 Brewers vs. No. 6 Mets
No. 4 Padres vs. No. 5 Braves

And now here are our staff picks for the 2024 postseason from CBS Sports MLB writers and editors. We’re predicting every round of the bracket from the Wild Card Series through the World Series.

R.J. Anderson’s bracket

World Series pick: Astros over Dodgers

Explanation: I picked the Astros to win the World Series when we did this back in the spring. I had them going against the Braves. While I think Houston remains a reasonable pick to hold up their end of the bargain, I have qualms about the injury-ravaged Atlanta roster. (It doesn’t help that the Braves will have to get creative with their pitching staff right out of the gates.) I suppose my most surprising pick is Kansas City over Baltimore. To be clear: although the Orioles have scuffled since the All-Star Game, I think they still have the talent to make a real run; sometimes you just have to make a pick for the sake of keeping things interesting. 

Mike Axisa’s bracket

World Series pick: Padres over Yankees

Explanation: I picked the Phillies to win the World Series before the season but I really like the team the Padres are taking into the postseason. Four good to great starters (Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish, Michael King, Joe Musgrove), the deepest bullpen in the game, and a sneaky-deep lineup that has power and also had the lowest strikeout rate in baseball (by a pretty big margin too). The AL is more wide open. I’m going with the Yankees because they have Aaron Judge and Juan Soto and other teams do not. So many nights this year that was the difference for them. They had the two best hitters on the field and the other team didn’t, and that was that. I love San Diego’s team and think the Yankees are the best bet to come out of a pretty wide open AL. The Padres get revenge in a 1998 World Series rematch.

Kate Feldman’s bracket

World Series pick: Mets over Yankees

Explanation: I’m not ashamed to admit that I kind of back-fitted this to get us a Subway Series World Series, but I think we all deserve it. Every team in this bracket has weaknesses, to the point that I don’t even know if there’s a real favorite. The Tigers and Dodgers barely have starting pitchers. The Orioles and Royals have been in a slump for weeks. The Yankees’ offense is relying almost entirely on Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, and the former forgot how to hit home runs for most of September. The Mets are nowhere near perfect but the vibes are immaculate. Good enough for me.

Dayn Perry’s bracket

World Series pick: Phillies over Yankees

Explanation: I’m generally riding with the favorites. The exception is the Padres’ upset of the Dodgers in the NLDS. I think the Dodgers’ pitching situation is a mess right now, and I think San Diego has a roster that’s well constructed for a deep run. Otherwise, yes, I’m favoring teams that got to skip the first round. Last year’s absurd narratives notwithstanding, yes, being a bye team confers a major advantage in the playoffs. That’s in part why I’m predicting a Yankees-Phillies World Series. I like the Phillies’ front-end starters, their balanced lineup, and their solid relief situation. My confidence in these selections is low, of course, because baseball is inherently unpredictable. Still, it says here the Phils will edge out the Yanks for the belt and the title.

Stephen Pianovich’s bracket

World Series pick: Phillies over Orioles

Explanation: Predicting baseball is a fool’s errand, and a picture is worth a thousand words.

Matt Snyder’s bracket

World Series pick: Phillies over Yankees

Explanation: I had the Phillies over the Orioles in spring training and that’s the main reason I’m sticking with the Phillies here. I’d love to be right from way back in March. I just couldn’t stick with the Orioles, not with the state of their pitching staff and how poorly they’ve played the last three-plus months. The Phillies haven’t looked great this past month, either, but they have all the pieces needed: A strong and deep lineup, four starting pitchers capable of throwing like aces and a stable of power arms in the bullpen. On the Yankees’ end, they are getting to the playoffs looking the best of any of the AL teams and once the Astros get bounced early, no one really strikes me as a team that’ll take the Yankees down.