2025 MLB Postseason Preview

by Joseph McLaughlin 9/30/2025 Sportz Nation

162 games have come and gone, and another regular season of Major League Baseball is in the books. In its wake, 12 ball clubs emerged, all fixated on one goal: to win the World Series. 

In 2024, it was the Los Angeles Dodgers who took home the coveted Commissioner’s Trophy after defeating the New York Yankees in five games. Both teams made it back to the dance and aim to return to the Fall Classic, but will there be a new champion in October? Let’s take a preview of each series to see what to expect.

No. 5 Boston Red Sox vs No. 4 New York Yankees

Another October chapter will be written for Baseball’s biggest rivalry. Despite their long history, it is only the sixth time the bitter rivals have met in the playoffs, the first being in 1999. Since that point, the Red Sox have won the last three meetings, the 2004 American League Championship Series, the 2018 ALDS, and the 2021 AL Wild Card. Now they look to repeat history once again.

For the Red Sox, the monkey is finally off their back. The ball club makes its first postseason appearance since 2021, when they bowed out to the Houston Astros in six games during the ALCS. They will not be at their best with Roman Anthony out with a strained oblique. They do have MLB strikeout leading pitcher Garrett Crochet on the mound for Game 1, which plays in their favor. 

The Yankees will counter with Max Fried, who has been stellar this season. He holds a 19-5 record with a 2.86 ERA. He has been tested against the Red Sox, however, going 1-1 in three appearances, with two appearances resulting in losses. The Yankees, however, have a great offensive supporting cast with Ben Rice, Giancarlo Stanton, and, of course, Aaron Judge. 

The Yankees are favored to win this series; however, the Red Sox won the regular season series, winning nine of 13 games against their rival. They also have other great pieces offensively, such as Trevor Story, Jarren Duran, and Ceddanne Rafaela, who could lift Boston over New York once again.  

No. 6 Detroit Tigers vs No. 3 Cleveland Guardians

An American League Central rivalry will kick off the MLB postseason. Cleveland ended the season with the AL Central crown, winning seven of their last ten games to leapfrog the Tigers. Detroit, on the other hand, stumbled into the postseason, losing eight of its last ten, falling to the six-seed.

Detroit’s recent struggles are a cause for concern; however, they were the best team in the American League for a good stretch of time. A big part of that was their ace starting pitcher, Tarik Skubal, who has been the best pitcher in baseball in 2025. He gets the game one start against the Guardians, which will be a tough task to start with in a best-of-three series.

The Guardians, however, have José Ramirez leading their offense, which looked potent this September. They also have solid pitching, posting a 2.25 ERA for the month, and have been the backbone of their run to the postseason. 

Detroit is heavily favored in Game 1 simply because of Skubal; however, this series will come down to the rest of the Tigers’ starting rotation and whether or not they can match Skubal’s production. If Cleveland can wear down Skubal and ride the momentum that got them to October, the Guardians could easily find themselves in the next round.

No. 5 Chicago Cubs vs No. 4 San Diego Padres 

For the first time since 1984, yes, it’s been that long, the Padres and the Cubs will square off in the MLB postseason. The last time they faced one another in October was the 1984 National League Championship Series, when the Padres came back from a 2-0 series deficit to win the series three games to two. 

This edition of Padres/Cubs will not include 1984 NLCS MVP Steve Garvey or 1984 NL MVP Ryne Sandberg; it will instead include the likes of Kyle Tucker for the Cubs and Manny Machado for the Padres. 

The Cubs hold the advantage, not only being at Wrigley, but also holding a tremendous defensive team. They are tied for second in the Majors for best fielding percentage, holding a .989 mark with only 61 errors on the season. Tucker, coming back from a calf strain, to energize their offense, and Daniel Palencia, looking great out of the pen, gives Chicago a lot of hope. 

The Padres, however, have a superpen, with six relievers capable of throwing 98 mph. They also have three key anchors to their offense in Fernando Tatis, Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill, who began to heat up in the second half of the season. 

This series is in favor of the Cubs; however, their response to injuries will be put to the test. The Padres also present great pitching and a roster built for the modern postseason, which they will need, being primarily on the road. 

No. 6 Cincinnati Reds vs No. 3 Los Angeles Dodgers 

This series will be an interesting one as these teams have only met once before in the playoffs. It was in the 1995 NLDS and the Reds swept the Dodgers, 3-0. The Reds made it back to the postseason for the first time since 2020 during the MLB’s shortened season, and before that, it was 2013. 

The Reds have solid starting pitching, with Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott taking the first two games of the series on the mound. This alone will be a challenge for the Dodgers, but the Reds also have Elly De La Cruz, who has become a franchise player for Cincinnati.

Los Angeles does have the experience, however. They have a similar team to the one that won it all just a year ago, and they are more than equipped to deal with any challenge. Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Clayton Kershaw, and Mookie Betts are just a few names that have a lot of postseason experience and are ready to run it back. 

This series will likely fall the Dodgers’ way, but do not underestimate the Reds. They are young, hungry, and are equipped with hitters and pitchers who can make some noise.

The remaining four teams: the No. 1 Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers, and No. 2 Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies, all start with a bye. They will wait on the result of each of these wild-card series, but each of them has a superstar roster capable of making a run to the championship. 

The MLB postseason starts today with the Tigers and the Guardians at 1:08 p.m.. October baseball is back, and the field looks to be very competitive. Will it be Yankees/Dodgers again, or will two new contenders battle for baseball glory? Only time will tell. 

Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for more postseason coverage as the playoffs unfold.

@JoeMclaughlin04 on X.

-Joseph McLaughlin