The Major League Baseball postseason has officially arrived, and it's time to make one bold prediction for each wild card team.
The Major League Baseball postseason is here. And if the regular season is any indication, we should be in for a wild and unpredictable month of October.
There are no runaway favorites in either the National or American Leagues, with both the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles' pitching staffs flawed. The Braves' rotation should get better deeper in the postseason once Charlie Morton and Max Fried return, but they'll rely on Bryce Elder and Kyle Wright in the meantime.
The Orioles, meanwhile, have lacked pitching depth all season and failed to address the need at the trade deadline, with right-hander Jack Flaherty struggling since being acquired by St. Louis.
Let's dive into bold postseason predictions for wild card teams.
Philadelphia Phillies: make a deep postseason run
I could easily see a scenario in which the Phillies make another deep postseason run and once again eliminate the Atlanta Braves. Their lineup that features Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos, among others, is ripe to take advantage of a battered Braves rotation.
Oh, and let's not forget that the Phillies have a playoff-tested rotation that includes numerous high-priced arms, not to mention a Hall of Fame caliber closer in Craig Kimbrel for the ninth inning.
But the X-factor here is Turner, who when is locked in, is arguably the best shortstop in baseball.
Milwaukee Brewers: advance to the NLCS
The Brewers' rotation, headlined by Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta, is as good as any in baseball. Their offense has high-end pieces and has shown flashes that it can carry the team at various points this season.
But what gives the Brewers its edge is manager Craig Counsell, who finds every competitive advantage to give his team the edge. I think he does it once again and gets his team past the Dodgers for a trip to the National League Championship Series.
Miami Marlins: one and done
When the Miami Marlins lost Sandy Alcantara for the season, it put the team – especially its rotation – in a precarious position. But the team ended up rallying and clinched its fourth playoff berth in team history.
Now, they are set to face off against the Philadelphia Phillies. And the loss of Alcantara figures to be felt immediately against a lineup that features a plethora of elite hitters that include Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos.
The Marlins have talent. Their lineup is led by Luis Arraez and Jorge Soler. Midseason additions Josh Bell, Jake Burger, Ryan Weathers and David Robertson have all made impacts. Their main starting options in a wild card series will be Jesus Luzardo, Braxton Garrett, Edward Cabrera, Johnny Cueto and Weathers.
The Marlins will be a tough out, but the Phillies should ultimately prevail. But general manager Kim Ng and manager Skip Schumaker should be proud of what they build, and this should be the first of several years of contention for an impressive Marlins team.
Texas Rangers: advance to the ALDS
The Rangers and Astros fought until the 162nd game of the regular season to determine the American League West champion. But it was ultimately the Astros who prevailed, and now the Rangers have to travel to Tampa Bay for a matchup against the Rays in the wild card round.
The Rays have a depleted, yet still talented roster, and the same can be said for the Rangers with Max Scherzer and Jon Gray both on the Injured List. But they still have two veteran starters in Nathan Eovaldi and Jordan Montgomery – Eovaldi has extensive playoff experience, Montgomery has been one of the best left-handed pitchers in baseball the last 1.5 years – and they should help immensely in this series against an offense that ranks fourth in OPS (.776).
But the Rangers are third in baseball in OPS (.789) and have one of baseball's premier hitters in Corey Seager, who finished the season hitting .330/.393/.628 with 33 home runs and 96 RBI.
It will be Seager and the Rangers' starting pitching that gives them the edge, and would set them up for a matchup against the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS.
Not to mention an offense that's led by Corey Seager that ranks third in baseball in OPS.
Minnesota Twins: one and done
When the Twins signed Carlos Correa in the offseason, it sent shockwaves throughout the industry and ended one of the most bizarre free agencies in baseball history. But it also underscored that they were serious about winning a World Series.
But they aren't ready quite yet, and this will be a crucial offseason for the team in upgrading its roster. One area that I expect the team to target is the bullpen, as they had their eyes on the Angels' relievers when they were placed on waivers in August.
Tampa Bay Rays: early playoff exit
The Rays, even with one of the smallest payrolls in baseball, have found a way to remain one of the elite teams in baseball. General manager Peter Bendix even called it one of the best teams in Rays history earlier this year.
That said, the Rays are flawed. They are without Shane McLanahan, one of the best pitchers in baseball. They will be without Wander Franco, one of baseball's biggest young stars as he's currently under MLB investigation. And reliever Jason Adam is currently dealing with an injury.
The Rays should never be counted out, not with the way they develop players. But the AL playoff picture is stacked with high-end teams and could result in an early playoff exit.
Toronto Blue Jays: prove to be difficult wild card matchup
The Blue Jays have the feel of a team that could make some noise in the postseason. They were on a downturn and at one point fell out of a playoff spot, but have recently turned it back up with series wins over the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays.
They entered this season with a lot of hype. They did not live up to it. But with their roster, and their home field advantage at the Rogers Centre, they will prove to be a tough out and could be primed to upset a fellow AL foe.
