Dodgers go all in, Yankees come up short as MLB trade deadline passes
Bob Nightengale breaks down why the Dodgers won the MLB trade deadline after landing Tarik Skubal, plus other winners and losers.
Sports Pulse
The trade deadline dust has settled and the stretch drive for the MLB playoffs is now in full swing.
There are a few elite teams at the top of the heap who are primarily playing for first-round byes and home-field advantage, but for the rest of the clubs with postseason aspirations, every game could potentially be the difference between having a chance to win a World Series or watching the postseason on television.
With that in mind, we offer up a quick snapshot of where things stand in the American and National League playoff races as the new week gets underway.
Current MLB playoff picture
All records and stats are as of the start of play on Monday, Aug. 10.
Division leaders
Wild-card standings
Three teams in each league qualify for wild-card playoff spots. Here are the wild-card standings through games of Sunday, Aug. 9:
American League
National League
Postseason format
The division winners with the two best records in each league earn byes into the division series. Currently, the top seeds are the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox in the AL, and the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves in the NL.
The third division winner in each league will have home field advantage in their division series and will host the wild-card team with the worst record. Three teams in each league qualify for wild-card playoff berths.
Note: If two or more teams tie for a division title or a wild-card spot. Ties are broken by head-to-head record first, followed by intradivision record. Beyond that, things can get complicated.
The playoffs follow this format:
- Wild-card series: Best of 3
- Division series: Best of 5
- League championship series: Best of 7
- World Series: Best of 7
Key MLB postseason dates
The official 2026 MLB postseason schedule has not yet been released. However, no major changes from last year’s schedule have been announced or are expected.
Sunday, Sept. 27: Final day of 2026 regular season
Tuesday, Sept. 29: Wild-card playoff round begins
Saturday, Oct. 3: Division series begin
Sunday, Oct. 11: League championship series begin
Friday, Oct. 23: World Series begins