We have reached the Division Series round of the 2025 postseason, and with an epic Saturday ahead on which Game 1 of each series will be played, it’s time to predict which four clubs will advance to the League Championship Series.
As we prepare for a huge day of baseball, we conducted an MLB.com staff poll in which 32 voters predicted the winners in each series:
Yankees (4) vs. Blue Jays (1)
Meanwhile, the Yankees are coming off a Wild Card Series win over the rival Red Sox in which rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler made history with an overpowering performance in the Bronx on Thursday night. Schlittler complements ace lefties Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, as well as right-hander Luis Gil (who gets the ball in Game 1) in what amounts to a formidable rotation for Toronto’s lineup to solve.
Add to that a combination of big bats and extensive postseason experience in the lineup, and the Yankees seem to have the edge.
“The Blue Jays won the AL East because they won eight of 13 against the Yankees during the regular season — including that four-game sweep at the start of July that put Toronto in first place to stay.
“Rogers Centre will be rocking this weekend, and I think the Blue Jays ride that to at least a split of the first two. I don’t think they’ll be intimidated in New York, either.” — Dan Cichalski, senior manager
Tigers (6) vs. Mariners (2)
The Mariners were the overwhelming pick here, with all but three votes going to Seattle. Why? Well, many answers prominently involved two words: Big Dumper.
As the Year of Cal Raleigh continues, the next logical step would be a big postseason following his epic 60-homer campaign. While Raleigh is going to be the headliner as the M’s look to make a deep October run and reach their first World Series in franchise history, there are other reasons our voters like Seattle.
And then there’s the home field factor — the Mariners were an MLB-best 51-30 in their home ballpark, and T-Mobile Park will be electric.
“Manager A.J. Hinch figures out a way to steal Game 1, and then Tarik Skubal creates a 2-0 lead the M’s can’t overcome.” — Mike Siano, vice president of programming, streaming and partnerships
This one was close, with Milwaukee edging out Chicago in this upcoming battle of NL Central foes by just a handful of votes.
In the Cubs’ favor, according to our panel, are factors such as being battle tested in a tough Wild Card Series against the Padres, as well as the power in Chicago’s lineup — particularly if Pete Crow-Armstrong heats up.
On the other side, the Brewers’ pitching staff, from top to bottom, will be tough to beat (even without the injured Brandon Woodruff, though that’s no insignificant loss for Milwaukee). Meanwhile, Chicago’s bullpen had to work hard to help the Cubs get past San Diego in the Wild Card Series, which could further give the edge to the Crew.
“Ball go far, team go far. The deeper we get into the postseason, the tougher it is to string hits together.” — Matthew Leach, supervising club reporter
Dodgers (3) vs. Phillies (2)
Given the strengths of these two clubs, this was another close vote, but it was Philadelphia that our panel picked to move on to the NLCS.
Both clubs have big power — with Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Trea Turner anchoring the Nationals’ lineup, and Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman the familiar trio atop the Dodgers’ batting order, these teams are pretty evenly matched when it comes to offense.
Ditto with starting pitching. The Dodgers have Ohtani — who is scheduled to make his first career postseason start on the mound in Game 1 — followed by a deep rotation featuring Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.
The Phillies’ rotation is headed by a pair of dominant lefties, Cristopher Sánchez (who will get the nod in Game 1) and Ranger Suárez. Even without ace Zack Wheeler (season-ending shoulder surgery), Philadelphia’s staff is formidable.
Where our voters see separation in favor of the Phils is the bullpen. While both bullpens finished with identical ERAs of 4.27 in the regular season, the Dodgers’ ’pen has been particularly shaky lately, even in the Wild Card Series sweep of the Reds. Philadelphia’s relief corps actually had its best month of the season in September, when it posted a 3.59 ERA.
“Ohtani being able to pitch in Game 1 is a huge plus for LA. Will Smith being healthy will also bolster a deep lineup. The Dodgers’ starting pitching is a bit deeper and that’s the difference in what should be a tight and entertaining series.” — Michael Weilamann, editorial producer
