2023 MLB Playoff Bracket: Teams, Seeds & Schedule

MLB Playoff Seeds

Seeds if the playoffs started on August 14, 2023.

MLB Playoff Bracket Updates

• August 6: Winners of 12 of their past 15, the Chicago Cubs are now over .500 (57-54) and just one game back of the Cincinnati Reds for the final Wild Card in the NL, with the Miami Marlins in between.
• July 26: The Orioles have overtaken the Rays for top spot, not just in the AL East, but in the AL as a whole. Tampa Bay was as short as -600 to win the AL East earlier this season.
• July 18: The clock may be striking midnight on the Cinderella Reds. Cincinnati has ceded top spot in the NL Central to Milwaukee and is now two games out of a playoff spot.
• June 27: If the postseason began today, the AL playoffs would feature three teams that made it last year (Rays, Yankees, Blue Jays) and three that did not (Rangers, Twins, Orioles). The NL would only have two teams make it again (Braves, Dodgers) with the Diamondbacks, Brewers, Marlins, and Giants the newcomers.

How Many Teams Make the MLB Playoffs?

The 2023 MLB playoff bracket is different than previous seasons. This is the second year of a revised, 12-team format.

Six teams from each league make the playoffs: the three division-winners (seeded #1 through #3) plus three Wild Card teams (seeded #4 through #6). The next section outlines how bracket is formatted. Follow this link to see the latest MLB playoff odds.

How Does the MLB Playoff Bracket Work?

The division-winner with the best record receives the #1 seed and a bye to the Division Series. The division-winner with the second-best record receives the #2 seed and also gets a bye into the Division Series. The division-winner with the third-best record receives the #3 seed and plays the Wild-Card team with the worst record (#6 seed) in a best-of-three series hosted by the division-winner. The best Wild-Card team (#4 seed) plays the second-best Wild-Card team (#5 seed) in another best-of-three series, hosted by the #4 seed.

The bracket is fixed; the winner of the #4 s #5 Wild-Card series plays the #1 seed in a best-of-five series. The winner of the #3 vs #6 Wild-Card series plays the #2 seed in a best-of-five series.

The League Championship Series and World Series remain best-of-seven series.

2023 MLB Playoff Schedule

MLB Wild Card 2023

The meaning of “Wild Card round” changed significantly in 2022. Prior to that season, the Wild Card Game was a one-game affair between the two non-division winners with the best records in each league.

Now, three Wild Card teams make the playoffs and the Wild Card round will consist of two best-of-three series in each league.

As outlined above, the two division-winners with the best records in each league receive a bye to the  Division Series. The division-winner with the third-best record in each league must play the final Wild Card team in a best-of-three series hosted by the division-winner.

The #4 and #5 seeds in each league play each other in another best-of-three Wild Card series. The winner of the 4-vs-5 matchup plays the #1 seed. The winner of the 3-vs-6 matchup plays the #2 seed.

MLB Playoff Bracket FAQs

How does the new MLB playoffs work?

The new system is a 12-team format, six teams from each league, instituted ahead of the 2022 MLB season. The top-two seeds in the AL and NL advance straight to the Division Series. The bottom four teams play best-of-three Wild Card series to determine the final two teams in the Division Series. The winners of the Division Series play a best-of-seven League Championship Series for a berth in the World Series.

How is the MLB playoff bracket determined?

The three division-winners from each league get the top-three seeds. The three-best non-division-winners get the three Wild Card berths. See question above for format.

How many MLB Wild Cards make the playoffs?

Starting in 2022, three Wild Card teams from each league qualify for the MLB playoffs.