MLB Playoff Picture 2024: Updated Standings, Wild Card Seedings and Bracket Outlook
September 15, 2024
The Major League Baseball playoff focus is closing on the wild-card races in both the American and National Leagues.
Five teams are still realistically alive in the AL wild-card hunt, while four ball clubs are battling for the three wild-card spots in the NL.
All six of the divisions have leads of at least three games going into Monday. Of course, that can change within the span of a week, but right now, there should be a more intense focus on the wild-card races.
Projected Playoff Brackets
American League
1. New York Yankees (bye)
2. Cleveland (bye)
No. 6 Minnesota vs. No. 3 Houston
No. 5 Kansas City vs. No. 4 Baltimore
National League
1. Philadelphia (bye)
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (bye)
No. 6 Atlanta vs. No. 3 Milwaukee
No. 5 Arizona vs. No. 4 San Diego
American League
AL East
1. New York Yankees (87-63)
2. Baltimore (84-66)
3. Boston (75-75)
4. Tampa Bay (73-77)
5. Toronto (72-78)
AL Central
1. Cleveland (86-64)
2. Kansas City (82-68)
3. Minnesota (79-70)
4. Detroit (77-73)
5. Chicago White Sox (35-115)
AL West
1. Houston (81-68)
2. Seattle (77-73)
3. Texas (71-79)
4. Oakland (65-85)
5. Los Angeles Angels (60-89)
AL Wild-Card Race
1. Baltimore (84-66)
2. Kansas City (82-68)
3. Minnesota (79-70)
4. Detroit - 2.5 games behind
5. Seattle - 2.5 GB
6. Boston - 4.5 GB
The results in Minnesota, Detroit and Seattle this weekend closed up the gap in the AL wild-card race.
The Minnesota Twins dropped two of three to the Cincinnati Reds, while the Detroit Tigers picked up two of their three matchups with the Baltimore Orioles.
The Seattle Mariners had the best weekend of the three wild-card battlers with a sweep over the Texas Rangers at home.
All three teams face crucial tests this week against teams in playoff positions. Minnesota visits the Cleveland Guardians, Detroit goes to Kansas City and the Mariners host the New York Yankees.
The Mariners and Tigers should root for the Guardians so that the race gets even tighter going into the weekend.
Seattle may be best positioned to leapfrog Minnesota because it plays Texas three more times next weekend.
The Yankees, Guardians and Houston Astros are all three games or more ahead in their respective divisions, and if those leads hold over the next week, the wild-card race will be under the brightest spotlight in the AL.
National League
NL East
1. Philadelphia (90-59)
2. Atlanta (81-68)
3. New York Mets (81-68)
4. Washington (68-81)
5. Miami (55-95)
NL Central
1. Milwaukee (86-63)
2. Chicago Cubs (76-73)
3. St. Louis (74-75)
4. Cincinnati (73-78)
5. Pittsburgh (71-78)
NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (88-61)
2. San Diego (84-65)
3. Arizona (83-66)
4. San Francisco (72-77)
5. Colorado (57-93)
NL Wild-Card Race
1. San Diego (84-65)
2. Arizona (83-66)
3. Atlanta (81-68)
4. New York Mets - 0 GB
5. Chicago Cubs - 5.5 GB
The National League has seven teams for six playoff spots.
The Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, who play this week, are cruising toward division titles.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are still a few games in front of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers should pull away with two straight series against the Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies.
San Diego should be exclusively fighting for a wild-card spot by the time the Dodgers host the Padres in the last week of the regular season.
San Diego faces Houston, the Dodgers and DBacks in nine of its final 12 games, while the DBacks have seven games left with the Padres and Brewers.
Atlanta and the New York Mets meet for a three-game set on September 24 that could decide the final wild-card position.
Atlanta visits the Reds and Marlins next week, while the Mets play seven against Washington and Philadelphia at home this week.
Brian Snitker's side should enter the Mets series with a slight advantage because of how the schedule matches up in the next week.