When it comes to postseason baseball, regular-season records and playoff seedings don’t seem to matter. Anyone can win the World Series, and there are never any guarantees.
Sixteen teams have won the World Series since 2000, and no club has won back-to-back World Series championships since then.
As we open the 2025 postseason, here’s a look at why each playoff team can win the World Series.
No, the last couple weeks haven’t looked great for the Detroiters, but history shows that momentum to close the regular season means little in the postseason. That includes Tigers history: The 2006 team lost the AL Central title after being swept on the final weekend of the regular season, then caught fire in the playoffs for a run to the World Series. The 2025 team that lost a 14-game lead in the AL Central is essentially the same team that headed into the All-Star break with the Majors’ best record. More importantly, Tarik Skubal is still a force to be reckoned with in a postseason game, and the Tigers play a frenetic brand of offensive baseball, baserunning and all, that is difficult to counter when they’re on. — Jason Beck
No team in baseball had as many different heroes throughout the season as the 2025 Blue Jays. It doesn’t always have to be Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette who beat you, and we all know the postseason can be home to unlikely stars. That’s the Blue Jays’ biggest strength, leaning on one of the deepest rosters in the league to creatively attack teams, especially late in games when they can play the matchup game. When this lineup is rolling, the Blue Jays can pair it with elite team defense and a rock-solid pitching staff. While some teams can just plain out-slug everyone else, the Blue Jays can win ball games in a dozen different ways, and they might need every single one of them in October. — Keegan Matheson
It hasn’t been a smooth ride for this Yankees squad, by any means. After a strong start, they slumped through June and July, prompting concern that the defending AL champions might not even make it back to the dance. But they’ve turned it on at the right time, led by a generational talent in AL MVP front-runner Aaron Judge, who seems driven to correct his postseason narrative. Max Fried and Carlos Rodón give the Bombers a pair of front-line forces capable of commanding any series. They also made smart acquisitions to add athleticism at the Trade Deadline, including closer David Bednar, utilityman José Caballero and third baseman Ryan McMahon. — Bryan Hoch
In Garrett Crochet and Aroldis Chapman, the Red Sox have arguably the best ace/closer combination of all the teams in the postseason. Both power lefties have mowed through the opposition all season, giving Boston the confidence the duo can continue to get the job done in October. In Crochet, the Red Sox have an ace who can set the tone at the start of a series, save the season in the middle of a series or punch the team’s ticket to the next round at the end of a series. Chapman, at the age of 37, has finally put it together from a command standpoint while maintaining his triple-digit fastball and lethal slider. — Ian Browne
A case could be made that their post-Trade Deadline roster might be the sport’s most complete — and also that it might be the most imposing if they play to their ceiling. Both of those components have been on full display in September, when the Mariners rattled off a 15-1 stretch to supplant the Astros atop the American League West. Cal Raleigh has been their obvious MVP in a historic season, but a huge second half from Julio Rodríguez has been just as vital. Their catalyst, though, has been Deadline acquisition Josh Naylor. And while their rotation hasn’t been among the league’s best as in each of the past two years, if that group — which features four All-Stars — is healthy and peaking, they might be the most daunting matchup in any October series. — Daniel Kramer
The Guardians have quality and quantity in their starting rotation, and the staff could carry them to their first World Series title since 1948. A six-man rotation of Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Slade Cecconi, Logan Allen, Parker Messick and Joey Cantillo has been firing on all cylinders for the past month, and that group brought Cleveland back from the brink to clinch a historic postseason berth. The Guardians went 20-7 in September while their starters recorded a 2.60 ERA. That included a 1.35 ERA from Sept. 5-24 — a stretch in which the rotation allowed two or fewer runs in 19 straight games as Cleveland went 17-2 to erase the Tigers’ 11-game division lead. — Tim Stebbins
They don’t hit for much power and they don’t have much star power (beyond the resurgent Christian Yelich), but the Brewers put together MLB’s best regular season record by being one of the league’s most balanced teams. They were 25-28 on May 24 before taking off, with winning streaks of eight, 11 and a franchise-record 14 games over a sensational stretch of 53 victories over their next 69 games to vault to the best record in baseball, with the best run differential, best baserunning (according to Statcast), third-best offense by runs per game and fourth-best defense by fielding run value. — Adam McCalvy
The Phillies have one of the most well-rounded teams in baseball, even with ace Zack Wheeler missing the rest of the season because of a blood clot near his right shoulder. They still have Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez and Jesús Luzardo in the rotation. Jhoan Duran has made a huge impact at closer. The Phillies have a top 10 offense led by Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Trea Turner. Phillies manager Rob Thomson has employed effective platoons in left field, right field and second base, which has bolstered the bottom half of the lineup. — Todd Zolecki
Not only do the Dodgers have one of the best hitters in baseball atop their lineup in Shohei Ohtani, but he’s also a part of arguably the team’s biggest strength: their rotation. Last year, the Dodgers won the World Series in spite of their injury-ravaged starting pitching. This year, the projected rotation of Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow might just be the driving force behind their title defense. This is a team that has been there and done that, with 13 straight postseason appearances and two titles in the past five years. No team has repeated as champions since the Yankees from 1998-2000, but these Dodgers were built to win. — Sonja Chen
The foundation of this Cubs team is run prevention. The North Siders have Gold Glove winners at second base (Nico Hoerner), shortstop (Dansby Swanson), left field (Ian Happ) and right field (Kyle Tucker), plus arguably the game’s best defender in center (Pete Crow-Armstrong). That helps Chicago’s pitching staff — a cast that stays on the attack and limits walks — play up. The offense has a mix of power, speed and contact to create a group that can find different avenues for scoring runs. It’s a deep, versatile roster that relies more on the sum of its parts than any one or two players. On a stage where anyone can play hero, that makes this Cubs squad dangerous. — Jordan Bastian
You want to beat the Padres? You’d better not be trailing after five. San Diego constructed one of the sport’s top bullpens — then fortified it at the Trade Deadline by adding Mason Miller, who has been lights out since his arrival. Bullpens like this one tend to play well in October, where off-days are prevalent. All-Star closer Robert Suarez will command the back end. Miller will take the highest leverage spot prior to the ninth. And Adrian Morejon will command the toughest stretch of lefties. (Not to mention meaningful contributions from Jeremiah Estrada, David Morgan and Wandy Peralta.) If the Padres’ offense — which also grew significantly deeper at the Deadline — can grab an early lead, it might be game over. — AJ Cassavell
Starting pitching. Cincinnati has boasted a deep and strong rotation throughout the season with different starters coming up big at different points of the season. Lefty Andrew Abbott emerged as an ace-worthy pitcher and earned his first All-Star nod with a dominant first half. Another lefty, Nick Lodolo was mostly healthy and set career bests in starts, innings and strikeouts. Offseason acquisition Brady Singer may have been the most consistent starter but was his most effective down the stretch. And no one can forget Hunter Greene, the Reds Opening Day starter who missed more than two months with a groin injury in the middle of the year. But Greene bookended that absence with strong performances while throwing with triple-digit velocity. Add it up and the Reds have a starting group opposing teams won’t want to face in October. — Mark Sheldon
