The 2025 MLB playoffs get underway Tuesday as the Wild Card Series kicks off with the first four games of the postseason.On the National League side of things, the No. 3 Dodgers will face the No. 6 Reds, while the Cubs, the No. 4 seed, will host the No. 5 Padres. In the American League, the No. 3 Guardians square off against the No. 6 Tigers and the No. 4 Yankees will take on the No. 5 Red Sox.
As such, your CBS Sports MLB experts are here to predict how each of the best-of-three series will go.
Below are picks from our five MLB writers for every Wild Card Series, plus odds for each series from FanDuel.
Yankees vs. Red Sox
(FanDuel odds: Yankees -178, Red Sox +150)
Anderson: Most of the time, I make my picks according to an odd philosophy: take the better team. That’s all I’m doing here. I know the Yankees have the hitters and the starting pitchers to repeat as the pennant winners. I’m not going to pretend I can predict what any team’s bullpen is going to do over the next few weeks either, so I’m OK rolling the dice here and hoping for the best. Pick: Yankees in 3
Axisa: This has a chance to be a chaotic (complimentary) series. The Yankees and Red Sox seem incapable of playing normal games, especially in the postseason. Brayan Bello has looked worn down the last few weeks and Boston has looked a bat short since a) Roman Anthony went down and b) mid-June (wonder what happened then?). The Yankees are liable to make a dopey defensive play(s) that costs them a game or a series. They can hit the ball out of the park though, they have very good starting pitching, and the bullpen has been much better the last few weeks. I think this one will go the distance and New York will eke it out at home. Pick: Yankees in 3
McWilliams: Garrett Crochet is lined up to start Game 1 against Max Fried, and his dominance over the Yankees gives Boston a shot to steal the opener. But beyond Crochet, the Red Sox rotation thins out quickly. With New York’s deeper roster and stronger overall balance, the Yankees are the safer pick to take the series. Pick: Yankees in 3
Perry: Yes, the Red Sox dominated the season series against the Yankees, but on paper I just see the Yankees as a notably stronger team. It’s also worth noting that rookie phenom Roman Anthony will not be playing for Boston in this series thanks to an oblique injury. At a fundamental, forward-looking level, you can argue the Yankees are the best team in the AL. Pick: Yankees in 3
Snyder: The Yankees are on fire at the right time. That offense is a force and will find a way against Garrett Crochet, setting the table for a sweep in Game 2. Pick: Yankees in 2
Guardians vs. Tigers
(FanDuel odds: Tigers -124, Guardians +106)
Anderson: I know the Guardians won the season series against the Tigers, and there’s no denying how impressive their comeback was to win the Central. Still, I can’t talk myself into picking a team with a lineup this bad. Cleveland’s staff has to work with just the thinnest margin of error every night. Don’t get it twisted: the Guardians can really pitch, but they’re playing on too high of a difficulty setting for me to feel confident in them lasting deep into the tournament. Pick: Tigers in 3
Axisa: With all due respect, Cleveland is the weakest postseason team in recent memory. They can really pitch, but the offense just isn’t good enough to make noise in October, and I say that fully acknowledging it has been better the last few weeks. Detroit’s pitching beyond Skubal worries me. I still think they have enough in the tank to wrap this series up quickly though. Pick: Tigers in 2
McWilliams: Cleveland’s been on a heater and right now there isn’t much that looks capable of slowing them down. Their pitching depth runs deep, and the club has the ultimate X-factor in José Ramírez. Pick: Guardians in 3
Perry: Detroit has Tarik Skubal lined up, and even though Cleveland will play at home I can’t get past the fact that they were out-scored by the opposition this season. Really, this one comes down to Skubal’s being available after being (wisely) held out of Game 162. For that reason, I lean Tigers. Pick: Tigers in 3
Snyder: The Tigers get a measure of revenge here. I think getting a mental break from worrying about the standings helps them relax a little bit and head into the series playing freely without pressure. Obviously, it’s good to have Tarik Skubal starting one game and the Guardians have the worst offense in the playoffs. Pick: Tigers in 3
Dodgers vs. Reds
(FanDuel odds: Dodgers -270, Reds +220)
Anderson: The Reds are sort of the NL version of the Guardians: they can pitch — I am thrilled that Hunter Greene gets a national stage to perform on — but they can’t hit. The Dodgers are more dangerous than their win-loss record suggests because they have a healthy stable of starting pitchers to trot out there — so healthy, in fact, that a few of the extras should help boost a struggling bullpen. Pick: Dodgers in 3
Axisa: The Reds give the Guardians a run for that “weakest postseason team in recent memory” title I mentioned earlier. Like Cleveland, they can really pitch. Game 1 could be Hunter Greene’s national coming out party. It feels like he’s underrated among casual fans. The Dodgers are just too good though. Their rotation is actually healthy this year and the stars in their lineup are playing like stars. The bullpen is sketchy, but they’ll figure it out. I expect this series to be very close. Closer than the prediction of a sweep might otherwise suggest. Pick: Dodgers in 2
McWilliams: The Reds aren’t that far off from being one of the best teams in the National League, under legendary manager Terry Francona. But the Dodgers are the Dodgers. And with Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani lined up to start these three games, this could be a quick series. Hunter Greene could be dominant, and perhaps, they could steal a game. But I’m betting on talent in this one. Pick: Dodgers in 2
Perry: I’m going with the shocking upset in this one. I think Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, and Nick Lodolo as the Cincy rotation in this series creates some real problems for an L.A. lineup that lacks depth and is without Will Smith. Pick: Reds in 3
Snyder: The Reds are one of the worst playoff teams in history and the Dodgers are still the most talented team in baseball. Los Angeles closed really strong too. Even with the Reds having good starting pitching, they just don’t have enough offense to keep up here. Pick: Dodgers in 2
Cubs vs. Padres
(FanDuel odds: Cubs -126, Padres +106)
Anderson: This is the closest thing I have to a true upset in this round. It’s nothing against the Cubs — if you told me Chicago won in two it wouldn’t stun me. I can just envision the Padres leveraging that impressive bullpen and “stealing” one en route to the NLDS. At minimum, this is probably the series I’m most looking forward to because I enjoy a lot of the players involved. Pick: Padres in 3
Axisa: I would pick the Padres if I were confident Michael King was fully healthy, but he hasn’t looked like the guy we saw in 2024 since coming back from his shoulder and knee issues. Also, the Cubs are very well-rounded. The Cade Horton injury is a tough one, as he might’ve been their Game 1 starter otherwise, but they can hit, their rotation should be good enough to get through a San Diego lineup short on power, and there’s enough quality in the bullpen to close it out. I tend to bet on the superior offenses in October and the Cubs have it in this series. Pick: Cubs in 3
McWilliams: This might be the toughest series to call. But the Padres made all those deadline moves for this very moment. They’ve got the stars, and that’s something you can’t bet against. Pick: Padres in 3
Perry: I think the Padres’ advantage in the rotation is the separator here, what with Nick Pivetta, Dylan Cease, and Michael King likely to be Mike Shildt’s Wild Card Series rotation. If the Cubs had Cade Horton available for this series, I’d probably give them the nod to advance. Alas for their purposes, that’s not the case. Pick: Padres in 3