After a thrilling wild-card round, Major League Baseball’s playoffs resume Saturday with the best-of-five Division Series getting underway.
The LDS winners advance to their respective best-of-seven League Championship Series. Should the LCS’s both end by Oct. 19 − meaning neither series lasts longer than five games under the current schedule − the World Series will begin on Oct. 22, with a potential Game 7 coming on Oct. 30.
Eight teams remain. Who will be the last team standing?
The only thing we know for certain this October is that a new team will be crowned champion with the 2023 defending World Series champion Texas Rangers not in the postseason.
Here’s how USA TODAY Sports’ baseball writers and editors see the rest of the postseason shaking out:
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Bob Nightengale
- ALDS winners: Yankees, Guardians
- NLDS winners: Phillies, Padres
- AL champion: Yankees
- NL champion: Padres
- World Series winner: Padres – Mark your calendars. San Diego will defeat the Yankees in a rematch of the 1998 World Series.
Gabe Lacques
- ALDS winners: Royals, Guardians
- NLDS winners: Phillies, Padres
- AL champion: Guardians
- NL champion: Padres
- World Series winner: Padres – Rotation, bullpen, lineup – nobody’s better in all three phases
Steve Gardner
- ALDS winners: Yankees, Guardians
- NLDS winners: Phillies, Padres
- AL champion: Yankees
- NL champion: Phillies
- World Series winner: Phillies – The Phillies still have the core of the team that fell just short against Houston two years ago largely intact. They’ll get the job done this time. Phillies in 6
Jesse Yomtov
- ALDS winners: Yankees, Guardians
- NLDS winners: Phillies, Padres
- AL champion: Yankees
- NL champion: Phillies
- World Series winner: Phillies – Third time will be the charm after Bryce Harper and the Phillies have come up short the past two years
Scott Boeck
- ALDS winners: Yankees, Guardians
- NLDS winners: Phillies, Padres
- AL champion: Yankees
- NL champion: Padres
- World Series: Padres – This one’s for Peter Seidler, the former team owner who passed away last November. He brought Manny Machado to San Diego to deliver the city its first championship in franchise history.
Steve Gardner
- ALDS winners: Guardians, Yankees
- NLDS winners: Padres, Phillies
- AL champion: Yankees
- NL champion: Phillies
- World Series winner: Phillies – The Phillies still have the core of the team that fell just short against Houston two years ago largely intact. They’ll get the job done this time.
Steve Borelli
- ALDS winners: Yankees, Tigers
- NLDS winners: Phillies, Padres
- AL champion: Yankees
- NL champion: Phillies
- World Series winner: Phillies – In this rematch of the 2009 World Series, this time Philadelphia has the deeper, more complete team from top to bottom and is less reliant on its star players.
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