2025 MLB Playoffs: Division Series Predictions and Expert Picks for Every Matchup

The 2025 Division Series lineup is a tasty one: four pairings that manage to feel both inevitable and unpredictable. Let’s break this down like a sabermetrician with a poet’s heart.

Dodgers vs. Phillies

This is the heavyweight fight everyone wanted — stars, swagger, and two fanbases that believe destiny wears their colors. The Dodgers’ rotation has finally stabilized, which is terrifying on paper. But paper doesn’t close games, and their bullpen might still be a heart-attack factory. The Phillies, meanwhile, are the postseason equivalent of a bar fight: chaotic, emotional, and somehow effective. With Bryce Harper swinging like he’s trying to split atoms and Wheeler/Nola anchoring the front, it’s easy to see why most experts leaned Philly.
Prediction: Phillies in 5. The Dodgers will look better statistically, but the Phillies will simply feel more inevitable.

Brewers vs. Cubs

The Midwest matchup smells of beer, bratwurst, and existential dread. Milwaukee’s methodical approach — pitching, defense, and quiet execution — makes them dangerous in short series. The Cubs, on the other hand, have that streaky, slightly unhinged energy that can ruin a dominant season in a weekend. The experts are split, but the Brewers’ pitching depth and organizational efficiency probably give them the edge.
Prediction: Brewers in 5. The Cubs will swing hard, but the Brewers will grind them down.

Mariners vs. Tigers

Seattle might be baseball’s most balanced team right now. Their rotation is deep, their bullpen precise, and their offense finally has enough pop to match their pitching. Detroit is scrappy — and Tarik Skubal is a legitimate ace — but they’re too reliant on everything breaking right. The experts all went Seattle, and it’s hard to argue.
Prediction: Mariners in 4. The Tigers will make it competitive but not consequential.

Blue Jays vs. Yankees

The series most likely to produce a tabloid war. Toronto’s offense can hang with anyone, but their rotation is held together by tape and optimism. The Yankees, meanwhile, look scary again: Soto, Judge, and a bullpen that’s rediscovered its venom. The Jays will slug, but the Yankees’ depth and star power are hard to bet against.
Prediction: Yankees in 5. Expect at least one 10–8 scoreline and several new conspiracy theories about Yankee Stadium wind patterns.

In essence: