2024 MLB playoffs: World Series odds, division series preview - ESPN

The 2024 MLB playoffs are rolling along!

After the wild-card round ended with a Game 3 thriller, the division series matchups are set with all four Game 1s starting Saturday.

Will Shohei Ohtani's first playoff appearance begin with the Los Angeles Dodgers getting past the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series? Will the Philadelphia Phillies take down the NL East rival New York Mets? Will the New York Yankees go from the American League's No. 1 seed to the World Series — or will the Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals or Detroit Tigers get in their way?

MLB experts Jorge Castillo, Bradford Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez and David Schoenfield get you ready for it all with odds for every round, a predicted date of each team's last game and a name to watch for all eight remaining World Series hopefuls.

Note: World Series and matchup odds come from Doolittle's formula using power ratings as the basis for 10,000 simulations to determine the most likely outcomes.

Passan's World Series pick | Playoff bracket | Schedule | ESPN BET: Odds & more

Jump to a team:
NYY | CLE | KC | DET
LAD | PHI | SD | NYM

No. 1 seed | 94-66 | AL East champs

ALDS opponent: Royals (56.5% chance of advancing)

World Series odds: 17.4% | ESPN BET odds: +300

Predicted date of their last game: Nov. 2

If they win it all, the 2024 World Series MVP will be… Let's not get too cute here: It has to be Aaron Judge or Juan Soto, since they've carried the Yankees all season. It's hard to imagine New York winning without those two producing. Judge hasn't been great in his postseason career (.211 average, .772 OPS); Soto was terrific as a 20-year-old for the Nationals in 2019 (especially in the World Series) but didn't do much for the Padres in 2022.