With less than three weeks left in the 2025 Major League Baseball regular season, the playoff race is reaching a fever pitch. Every game, every inning, and every at-bat seem to carry postseason implications, as teams across both the American and National Leagues jockey for those precious playoff berths. For some, like the Milwaukee Brewers, the postseason is already a certainty. For others, including the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners, the fight is still very much alive—and as tense as ever.
The New York Mets, once comfortably in wild card position, have hit a wall at the worst possible time. After dropping their eighth consecutive game entering Sunday, September 14, their once-secure grip on the final National League wild card spot has all but vanished. The Mets now hold just a razor-thin half-game lead over the hard-charging San Francisco Giants. Not far behind, the Cincinnati Reds sit 1.5 games back, and the Arizona Diamondbacks trail by two. What a reversal of fortune for a team that, earlier in the summer, looked like a lock for October baseball!
Despite the Mets’ struggles, their $765 million superstar Juan Soto continues to post MVP-caliber numbers. Yet, as every baseball fan knows, individual brilliance only goes so far when the rest of the club can’t string together wins. According to USA TODAY, New York has had one of the worst records in baseball since June. Still, their strong start kept them afloat—until now. The pressure is mounting, and with each loss, their postseason hopes dim just a little more. The Mets’ current 76-73 record, as of September 14, puts them 13 games behind the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies, who boast an impressive 89-60 record and are all but assured a spot in the playoffs.
While the Mets’ fortunes have soured, the National League playoff picture as a whole remains a fascinating puzzle. The Milwaukee Brewers, with a 91-58 record, have already clinched a postseason berth and top the NL Central. The Los Angeles Dodgers (83-65) and the Philadelphia Phillies (89-60) round out the division leaders. For the wild card, the Chicago Cubs (84-64), San Diego Padres (81-68), and the Mets currently occupy the three spots, but the Giants, Reds, and Diamondbacks are all within striking distance. As the calendar ticks toward the end of September, every game could spell the difference between an early vacation and a shot at the World Series.
Over in the American League, the drama is just as intense. The Seattle Mariners, who haven’t won a division title since 2001, are making a compelling case for breaking that drought. On Saturday, September 13, the Mariners notched a crucial 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels. That victory, combined with the Boston Red Sox’s loss to the New York Yankees, allowed Seattle to catch Boston in the wild card standings. Now, the Mariners, Red Sox, and Houston Astros are locked in a three-way tie for the second and third AL wild card berths. To add even more intrigue, the Mariners and Astros are also deadlocked atop the AL West, while Seattle maintains a slim two-game edge over the Texas Rangers, who staged a 3-2 comeback win against the Mets on Saturday.
“Another door is opening for the Seattle Mariners in their quest to get back to the playoffs,” noted a recent report. That door, however, comes with its own set of challenges. Should the Mariners secure the second wild card spot, they could face the Yankees—a team that dominated them during the regular season, outscoring Seattle by 17 runs and winning five of six matchups. And, if that’s not daunting enough, the first two games of the three-game series would be played at Yankee Stadium. The Mariners split their season series with the Red Sox 3-3, so any tiebreaker for wild card positioning would hinge on intradivision records. Right now, Seattle holds a .625 winning percentage against AL West foes, compared to Boston’s .600 mark against the AL East. Every win against their division—and every Red Sox stumble—could prove decisive.
The rest of the American League is no less compelling. The Toronto Blue Jays (86-62) lead the AL East, with the Yankees (83-65) three games back and the Red Sox (81-68) trailing by 5.5. In the AL Central, the Detroit Tigers (84-65) have established a 6.5-game cushion over the Cleveland Guardians. The AL West is the tightest race, with the Mariners and Astros (both 81-68) battling for the crown and the Rangers lurking just two games behind.
Postseason format has added a new layer of complexity and opportunity. MLB’s expanded playoff structure now grants 12 berths: six division winners and three wild card teams per league. The top two division winners in each league, measured by overall record, are rewarded with first-round byes, skipping the best-of-three Wild Card Series that begins Tuesday, September 30. If the season ended today, the Blue Jays and Tigers would claim those coveted byes in the AL, while the Brewers and Phillies would do so in the NL.
Projected wild card matchups, based on current standings, would see the Mariners facing the Astros and the Yankees taking on the Red Sox in the American League. Over in the National League, the Dodgers would host the Mets, while the Cubs square off against the Padres. But with so many teams bunched together in the standings and critical head-to-head series looming, it’s anyone’s guess how the final bracket will shake out.
World Series odds, as of September 14, reflect the volatility and excitement of the stretch run. The Los Angeles Dodgers are favorites at +400, followed by the Phillies (+550), Brewers (+700), Tigers (+750), Yankees and Blue Jays (both at +850), and the Mariners at +1100. The Padres, Cubs, Astros, and Red Sox all have legitimate claims as dark horses, while the Mets, despite their recent struggles, are still in the mix at +2500.
As fans look ahead to the final weeks, the big questions remain: Can the Mets halt their freefall and hang on to their wild card spot? Will the Mariners finally capture a division title after more than two decades, or will they have to battle through the wild card gauntlet? And which of the many contenders will find that perfect blend of momentum and magic to make a deep October run?
One thing’s for sure—baseball’s playoff drama is just getting started. With so much at stake and so little time left, every pitch will matter, every swing could be the difference, and every fan will be glued to the action as the postseason picture comes into sharper focus.
