The MLB Playoff Picture Is A Complete Mess

The last month of the 2024 Major League Baseball season is almost officially upon us. Normally, there'd be a clear picture emerging of what the playoff teams will be, and just as importantly, where they'll be seeded. Not this season.

In both the National and American Leagues, playoff seeding is almost entirely up for grabs, with the NL in particular presenting a bewildering number of scenarios down the stretch. While it's confusing, it's also likely to make for exciting baseball.

The race for the best record in the National League is separated by just two games; the Dodgers at 80-54 currently have the top seed, but the Philadelphia Phillies are just one back and the Milwaukee Brewers are two behind at 78-56. All three are overwhelming favorites to make the postseason, especially Milwaukee thanks to its commanding 10 game division lead. But seeding now matters for October…a lot.

The top two seeds avoid playing in the Wild Card series, getting a bye directly to the division series round. Though securing a bye hasn't seemed as meaningful in recent years as most within the game assumed, it's a guarantee that teams and front offices would much prefer to avoid playing an extra series, if possible.

And that's just the start of it.

SAN DIEGO - San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado celebrates after hitting a walk-off home run during the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park on July 5, 2024. Photo: Denis Poroy-USA TODAY Sports

Thanks to a remarkable run by the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, even those two teams aren't necessarily eliminated from grabbing a first-round bye. Since both teams sit just four and five games back of the Dodgers, respectively, were either team to catch the first