Reviewing World Series 2026 Picks from MLB Experts for Final Series on the Bracket

The 2026 MLB playoff field was nearly sliced in half Wednesday night.

Amid the carnage of wipe-out Wednesday, the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres were all sent packing. The Cleveland Guardians, meanwhile, were the only team trapped in a deficit to live to see another day.

The coronation of the next World Series champion forever creeps closer, but maybe it's not moving along fast enough. Impatient fans, at least, might want to know that champion's identity sooner than later, so we'll look to the latest expert predictions and oddsmakers' lines to peak into their crystal-ball readings.

Five MLB franchises remain without a World Series title. A few experts from ESPN think the Milwaukee Brewers might be removing themselves from that unfortunate bunch.

In a recent batch of bold playoff predictions , three of ESPN's experts formed their prognostications around the Brewers winning big.

Tristan Cockcroft called for Milwaukee's breakout star Jackson Chourio to "become the 10th player to win LCS and World Series MVPs." Eric Karabell predicted a combined no-hitter for Jacob Misiorowski, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill in Game 1 of the World Series. AJ Mass, meanwhile, had predicted the Brewers to "trail in every playoff game en route to a championship," though Milwaukee already torpedoed that one, as it never trailed in Wednesday's win.

That's a good amount of support for a squad that has never tasted championship glory before, but it's hard to say that it's undeserved. The Brewers, who won an MLB-best (and franchise-record) 103 games this season, have this postseason's highest OPS (.688) and second-lowest ERA (1.80).

Two-Time Defending Champs Aren't the Favorites?

Ahead of this postseason, The Athletic had "more than 20" of its MLB experts make World Series predictions. That group did not make the Los Angeles Dodgers—winners of the past two World Series—the most popular pick.

The Brewers ran away with the poll and garnered 56 percent of the vote. The Tampa Bay Rays took second with 24 percent, while the Dodgers received just 16 percent of the vote. The Brewers and Rays are both viable picks, but that's still less support than you'd expect for a club with this much star power and this level of recent dominance.

"No team carries as much October hype as Los Angeles," Katie Woo wrote. "There are rightful concerns over the drop-off in production from Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, but their rotation of aces should carry them through any qualms on the offense. It's the Dodgers' title to lose, and they know it."

Oddsmakers agree with that assessment, but if the majority of Woo's colleagues are right, this year's title won't make it back to L.A.