After 162 games, six months and 30 teams battling it out for a spot in the playoffs, October is finally here. Will the Dodgers continue their reign and go back-to-back as World Series Champions? Will the Blue Jays continue their streak of comeback wins? What about the Milwaukee Brewers (97-65) and their best regular season finish? With the 2025 MLB playoffs beginning, the sports section debates who will be the champions.
New York Yankees
The difference between this postseason and previous years is the depth of the Yankees lineup. Beyond Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, the lineup didn’t offer much outside the top four in 2024. Jazz Chisholm has established himself as one of the best second basemen in the league. Trent Grisham has been admirable in replacing Soto’s production. Cody Bellinger erased the hole that was the left field. The bench offers real options for the first time in a while, with Jose Cabellero leading the league in stolen bases and Ben Rice being deployed as a lefty pinch hitting threat. Max Fried and Carlos Rodón are a top one-two punch in the MLB, and the presence of closer David Bednar shortens games for New York. This Yankees roster is more well-rounded compared to last year.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays lineup can produce from top to bottom, which will be dangerous for any competition they face. Beyond the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer, Toronto has had numerous clutch moments from Addison Barger, Daulton Varsho, Alejandro Kirk, Nathan Lukes and many others enjoying career seasons. Even with Bo Bichette recovering from injury and Guerrero and Anthony Santander facing recent struggles, the Blue Jays find ways to win games. The emergence of top prospect Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber returning from Tommy John surgery bolsters the playoff rotation with Kevin Gausman, and the bullpen — while shaky at times — has proven it can get the job done at its best. It may not always be flashy, but Toronto leads the league with 49 comeback wins, so you can never truly count them out.
Boston Red Sox
As Jon Bois richly illustrated in his series “Pretty Good,” there is nothing more pointless and meaningless than regular season baseball. The rationale behind 162 games is to remove the sheer amount of variance that can occur within one game, ensuring only the true best teams make it to the fall dance. Yet, when the teams take the floor, they only have, at most, 22 games to crown a winner — 22 games to decide who enshrines their team into baseball history forever. The type of team that has the best chance of success in this environment isn’t the ones with the best players or records. Though they may find success, what ultimately gives a team an edge is the ability to create the most statistical variance, a.k.a. nonsense. This year, the Boston Red Sox have earned a spot in the playoffs, and they are by far the most nonsensical, powered-by-friendship team remaining. It’s theirs to lose.
New York Yankees
In recent years, the story for the New York Yankees has been the same: when they’re hot, they’re the best in the league, but when they’re not, they’re near the bottom. With them entering the postseason 18-7 through September, the Yankees are hot, and that momentum should be easy to carry with the wild card series coming right away. The fourth starter is a question, but Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Cam Schlitter make for a nasty fiwrst three. With arguably the best offense in baseball this season, the Yankees playoff success really comes down to whether Aaron Judge can figure out his playoff woes. And if he can, New York may just be the team to beat.