Full MLB Playoff Lineup Set As Mets, Braves Get In: Which Teams Could Be Watching?

It took an extra day and a memorable doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets, but the full MLB playoff round is officially complete.

Here's what you need to know:

• The playoffs begin Tuesday with two Wild Card Series in each league.
• The New York Yankees are the top seed in the AL playoffs for the first time since 2012, while the Los Angeles Dodgers are the top seed in the NL for the fifth time since 2017.
• The Cleveland Guardians, the AL's second seed, and the Philadelphia Phillies, the NL's second seed, also have byes to the Division Series.
• The Mets clinched a spot on Monday thanks to a two-run home run from Francisco Lindor in an epic 8-7 win over the Braves in Game 1. The Braves then turned around and won Game 2, eliminating the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• The Tigers – who tied with the Angels for the longest playoff drought – are in the postseason for the first time in 10 years, while the Royals are in the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
• Following these best-of-three series, the Division Series round begins on Saturday, October 5th.

Full playoff round

AL Wild Card Series (No. 1 Yankees and No. 2 Guardians have byes)

• No. 6 Tigers at No. 3 Astros
• No. 5 Royals and No. 4 Orioles

NL Wild Card Series (No. 1 Dodgers and No. 2 Phillies have byes)

AL Division Series

• Orioles or Royals vs. No. 1 Yankees
• Astros or Tigers vs. No. 2 Guardians

NL Division Series

• Padres or Braves vs. No. 1 Dodgers
• Brewers or Mets vs. No. 2 Phillies

The athleteImmediate analysis:

Who should be the World Series favorite?

FanGraphs' projections on Monday favored the Phillies, giving them an 18 percent chance of winning it all. The betting markets like the Phillies, Yankees and Dodgers.

But after a regular season in which no team won 100 games for the first time since 2014, the postseason field is wide open. Last year's two League Championship Series featured three wild-card teams, and the World Series featured the fifth seed from the AL (Rangers) and the sixth seed from the NL (Diamondbacks). This came after the sixth-seeded Phillies reached the World Series in 2022, the first year the postseason was expanded to include three wild cards in each league.

How about a stealth favorite?

The field certainly won't like it, but what about the Astros?

They have the best record in baseball since April 27th and their pitching staff has the lowest ERA since May 1st.

The Astros can extend their streak of ALCS appearances to eight, tying the Atlanta Braves (1991 to 1999) for the most consecutive LCS appearances in history.

Best storyline in the Wild Card series?

Tigers manager AJ Hinch is returning to Houston, where he led the Astros to a World Series championship in 2017 before being suspended and fired in 2020 in the wake of the club's sign-stealing scandal.

Hinch returned to management in Detroit in 2021 and, after three straight losing seasons, has helped complete the rebuild and lead the Tigers back into October after a decade of drought.

“There’s nothing better than baseball in October,” Hinch said Monday at Minute Maid Park in Houston. “And I was able to experience a lot of it, in this building.

“It’s the best month to play … and baseball in October really shaped this building and this place for a while. We all watch baseball. Anyone who isn't there is stuck in front of the television. If you’re there, we often had to endure September and October here.”

Angry clock

Feel free to argue with the term “upset” in a three-game series between two postseason teams.

But watch out for the Mets.

The biggest question was whether the Mets could survive the final week of the season. But forget that. You are here now. And they took the memes, from Grimace to “OMG,” to 24-35 in early June.

The Mets posted a 65-37 record over the next 102 games, securing a playoff spot. It was the best record in baseball during that span.

They will now face the Milwaukee Brewers in a series that pits David Stearns, the Mets' president of baseball operations, against his old team.

Rematch, 10 years later

A decade ago, the Orioles faced the Royals in an unexpected American League Championship Series matchup. The series was known at the time for its contrasting managers – Buck Showalter of the Orioles and Ned Yost of the Royals.

The Royals won the series in four games, and 10 years later, only one player remains from both teams: Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who turned 34 in May.

Players to keep an eye on?

We'll have to wait until the Division Series round to see the presumptive MVP favorites – Aaron Judge of the Yankees in the AL and Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers in the NL. Juan Soto of the Yankees, Bryce Harper of the Phillies, Jose Ramirez of the Guardians and Mookie Betts of the Dodgers will also receive four more days of rest.

But there will also be plenty of star power on display on Tuesday. The playoffs begin Tuesday with two Wild Card Series in each league, giving some of the biggest names a shot at playoff glory.

• Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. makes his playoff debut and faces Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who went 6-for-12 with a home run in last year's ALDS loss to the Rangers.
• Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who will likely finish second in the NL MVP voting, will return for his second postseason go-around in New York after completing the postseason four times in Cleveland.
• Tigers ace Tarik Skubal — the likely AL Cy Young winner after posting a 2.39 ERA in 31 starts — will make his postseason debut Tuesday against the Astros in Houston. He faces Framber Valdez, who went 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA.
• We'll also see two young Jacksons – Jackson Merrill, the Padres' 21-year-old center fielder and NL Rookie of the Year candidate, and Jackson Chourio, the Brewers' 20-year-old outfielder.

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The athlete)