Where the 2026 MLB postseason race stands today. Twelve teams reach October — three division winners and three Wild Cards in each league. Below are the six division races, both Wild Card cut lines, and the magic number every leader needs to clinch, alongside the playoff probability our model gives each club from 100,000 simulations of the remaining schedule.
| Team | Record | GB | Magic # | Make Playoffs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rays | 76-50 | — | 32 | >99% | Clinched |
| New York Yankees | 71-55 | 5.0 | — | >99% | In the hunt |
| Boston Red Sox | 68-59 | 8.5 | — | 95% | In the hunt |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 62-66 | 15.0 | — | 25% | In the hunt |
| Baltimore Orioles | 61-66 | 15.5 | — | 14% | In the hunt |
| Team | Record | GB | Magic # | Make Playoffs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | 66-60 | — | 32 | 87% | In position |
| Minnesota Twins | 63-65 | 4.0 | — | 31% | In the hunt |
| Cleveland Guardians | 61-66 | 5.5 | — | 22% | In the hunt |
| Detroit Tigers | 61-66 | 5.5 | — | 12% | In the hunt |
| Kansas City Royals | 54-74 | 13.0 | — | <1% | Eliminated |
| Team | Record | GB | Magic # | Make Playoffs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 64-63 | — | 34 | 63% | In position |
| Texas Rangers | 62-65 | 2.0 | — | 33% | In the hunt |
| Seattle Mariners | 60-67 | 4.0 | — | 18% | In the hunt |
| Los Angeles Angels | 50-77 | 14.0 | — | <1% | Eliminated |
| Athletics | 49-78 | 15.0 | — | <1% | Eliminated |
The Minnesota Twins (63-65) hold the third and final AL Wild Card spot, 0.5 games ahead of the Texas Rangers.
| Team | Record | GB | Magic # | Make Playoffs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 71-55 | — | — | >99% | In position |
| Boston Red Sox | 68-59 | — | — | 95% | In position |
| Minnesota Twins | 63-65 | — | 41 | 31% | In position |
| Texas Rangers | 62-65 | 0.5 | — | 33% | In the hunt |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 62-66 | 1.0 | — | 25% | In the hunt |
| Baltimore Orioles | 61-66 | 1.5 | — | 14% | In the hunt |
| Cleveland Guardians | 61-66 | 1.5 | — | 22% | In the hunt |
| Detroit Tigers | 61-66 | 1.5 | — | 12% | In the hunt |
| Seattle Mariners | 60-67 | 2.5 | — | 18% | In the hunt |
| Team | Record | GB | Magic # | Make Playoffs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | 74-53 | — | 31 | 99% | In position |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 70-58 | 4.5 | — | 82% | In the hunt |
| Miami Marlins | 64-64 | 10.5 | — | 8% | In the hunt |
| Washington Nationals | 61-67 | 13.5 | — | 1% | In the hunt |
| New York Mets | 58-70 | 16.5 | — | <1% | Eliminated |
| Team | Record | GB | Magic # | Make Playoffs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Brewers | 78-49 | — | 31 | >99% | Clinched |
| Chicago Cubs | 74-54 | 4.5 | — | 98% | In the hunt |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 65-63 | 13.5 | — | 16% | In the hunt |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 63-66 | 16.0 | — | 2% | In the hunt |
| Cincinnati Reds | 61-66 | 17.0 | — | 1% | In the hunt |
| Team | Record | GB | Magic # | Make Playoffs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 77-51 | — | 26 | >99% | Clinched |
| San Diego Padres | 68-60 | 9.0 | — | 52% | In the hunt |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 67-61 | 10.0 | — | 41% | In the hunt |
| San Francisco Giants | 52-74 | 24.0 | — | <1% | Eliminated |
| Colorado Rockies | 50-77 | 26.5 | — | <1% | Eliminated |
The San Diego Padres (68-60) hold the third and final NL Wild Card spot, 1.0 game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
| Team | Record | GB | Magic # | Make Playoffs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | 74-54 | — | — | 98% | In position |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 70-58 | — | — | 82% | In position |
| San Diego Padres | 68-60 | — | 37 | 52% | In position |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 67-61 | 1.0 | — | 41% | In the hunt |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 65-63 | 3.0 | — | 16% | In the hunt |
| Miami Marlins | 64-64 | 4.0 | — | 8% | In the hunt |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 63-66 | 5.5 | — | 2% | In the hunt |
| Cincinnati Reds | 61-66 | 6.5 | — | 1% | In the hunt |
| Washington Nationals | 61-67 | 7.0 | — | 1% | In the hunt |
Twelve — six from each league. The three division winners are seeded 1 through 3, and the next three best records in the league take the Wild Card spots as seeds 4 through 6. The top two seeds in each league receive a bye through the Wild Card round.
A magic number is the combined total of wins by the leading team and losses by its closest rival needed to clinch a spot. It starts at 163 minus the leader's wins minus the rival's losses, and drops by one every time the leader wins or the rival loses. When it reaches zero the spot is mathematically clinched.
Games back averages the two ways a team trails: the wins it is short plus the losses it has in excess, divided by two. A team four wins behind and four losses worse sits four games back.
The playoff picture is where the standings sit today — who holds each division lead and Wild Card spot right now. Playoff odds are forward-looking: they simulate every remaining game 100,000 times and report how often each team ends up qualifying. A team can hold a Wild Card spot today and still have odds below 50% if its remaining schedule is difficult.
Every morning at 9 AM ET, after the previous day's games go final. Standings, games back, and magic numbers are recomputed, and the playoff probabilities are re-simulated from the updated schedule.
Standings and magic numbers are recalculated every morning at 9 AM ET; playoff probabilities come from 100,000 Monte Carlo simulations of every remaining game · data through 2026-08-20. How it works.