Less than a week remains in the 2025 MLB regular season, and the Major League Baseball playoff picture is coming into a sharper focus. Six teams have secured their spots in the postseason, as the Padres became the latest club to pop champagne thanks to a walk-off win on Monday night. Five of the six clinched spots are in the National League. The Blue Jays, as of Tuesday morning, are the only team to secure their playoff spot in the American League.

The Brewers, Phillies, Dodgers and Cubs are joining San Diego in the NL postseason bracket. Milwaukee and Philadelphia have clinched their respective divisions. The third and final NL wild card spot is up for grabs, and three teams are in the mix. The Reds and Mets entered the week with identical records, but Cincinnati is in playoff position because the team owns the tiebreaker against New York. The Diamondbacks are hanging around the playoff chase, just one game behind the Reds and Mets.

There's a lot more to be decided in the American League. The Jays will now try to hold off the Yankees to capture the AL East title. The Yankees, whose magic number to clinch a playoff spot is down to one, have a firm grip on the top wild card spot, and the Mariners have the inside track on the AL West crown after sweeping the Astros in a key series last weekend. After that, it gets more complicated. There are four teams battling for the three other spots, and a few crucial series this week.

The Tigers, Red Sox, Guardians and Astros all entered the week with either 85 or 84 wins. The Tigers, trying to avoid a historic collapse, are battling the Guardians this week in Cleveland. Then Detroit finishes the regular season in Boston against the Red Sox.

The Yankees, by the way, will clinch a playoff spot with their 89th win. Since the Tigers play the Guardians and Red Sox this week, it is not possible for Detroit, Cleveland and Boston to all get to 89 wins.

What's at stake in final week of MLB regular season? Where things stand with six games left

R.J. Anderson

As a reminder, MLB now grants 12 playoff berths -- a total of six to the division winners and then three wild card berths in each league. The top two division winners in each league as measured by overall record are rewarded with first-round byes, which means they won't have to play in the best-of-three Wild Card Series that functions as that first round. The 2025 MLB postseason gets started on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Now let's get you caught up on the bracket, standings and more. All division and postseason projections referenced in the standings come from SportsLine.

2025 MLB playoff picture

If the season ended today...
AL byes: No. 1 Blue Jays and No. 2 Mariners
AL Wild Card Series: No. 3 Tigers vs. No. 6 Guardians
No. 4 Yankees vs. No. 5 Red Sox

NL byes: No. 1 Brewers and No. 2 Phillies
NL Wild Card Series: No. 3 Dodgers vs. No. 6 Reds
No. 4 Cubs vs. No. 5 Padres

Tuesday's MLB playoff clinch scenarios

• The Yankees clinch a playoff spot with a win.
• The Mariners clinch a playoff spot with a win and a Yankees win.
• The Phillies clinch a first-round bye with a win and a Dodgers loss.

Notable tiebreakers

American League

• The Blue Jays have secured the tiebreaker against the Yankees.
• The Mariners have secured the tiebreaker against the Astros.
• The Guardians currently have the tiebreaker against the Tigers and have secured the tiebreaker against the Astros.
• The Tigers currently have the tiebreaker against the Red Sox and have secured the tiebreaker against the Astros.
• The Red Sox have secured the tiebreaker against the Yankees, Guardians and Astros.
• The Astros have secured the tiebreaker against the Yankees.

National League

• The Brewers have secured the tiebreaker against the Phillies.
• The Phillies have secured the tiebreaker against the Dodgers.
• The Dodgers have secured the tiebreaker against the Padres.
• The Padres have secured the tiebreaker against the Cubs and Mets.
• The Reds have secured the tiebreaker against the Mets and Diamondbacks. 
• The Diamondbacks have secured the tiebreaker against the Mets.

A two-team tiebreaker is determined by head-to-head record. If the teams split the season series, it is decided by intradivision record (record within their own division), even if the teams do not share a division.

A three-team tiebreaker is determined by the highest winning percentage among three tied teams in intradivision games.

American League standings

National League standings

x - clinched division
y - clinched wild card spot
z - clinched playoff berth
e - eliminated

MLB wild card standings

2025 World Series odds

(All odds via Caesars as of Sept. 22)

• Philadelphia Phillies: +450
• Los Angeles Dodgers: +500
• Seattle Mariners: +500
• Milwaukee Brewers: +650
• Toronto Blue Jays: +875
• New York Yankees: +900
• San Diego Padres: +1200
• Chicago Cubs: +1400
• Detroit Tigers: +1500
• Boston Red Sox: +2200
• New York Mets: +2400
• Houston Astros: +2500