2023 MLB season: Final-week playoff races, MVP battle, more - ESPN

With one week left to go in the 2023 regular season, there are a number of storylines to watch, as quite a few teams still have something to play for.

Will the Baltimore Orioles or Tampa Bay Rays win the American League East? Which of the four teams battling for the final two National League wild-card spots will win out? Are there any players to pay special attention to before the postseason?

The season ends Oct. 1, with the postseason to begin two days later. What should you be watching? We asked ESPN MLB experts what they're following most closely over the final week of the season. Let's get to it.

There's a four-team scrum for three playoff spots in the AL — two wild-card slots and the AL West title — and, almost miraculously, they're all pretty good teams. It's as close to an old-fashioned pennant race as we can get in the «generous» contemporary format.

Among the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers or Seattle Mariners, one will be starting the offseason in a week. It's a battle that, despite the erratic new scheduling formula, manages to feature two head-to-head clashes over the final week (Rangers-Mariners and Astros-Mariners). Plus, the Blue Jays finish the season with the New York Yankees (who are battling to avoid a losing season) and Rays (who are in a dogfight for the AL East title and top AL seed), while the Astros finish up at the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are also fighting for their postseason lives.

All of this would be enough as is, but what elevates the drama is the precarious place of the Astros, who would be on cruise control if not for a sudden inability to beat the AL's worst teams. If Houston's run of six straight ALCS appearances ends in a week because of that​, it will be one of the