The MLB postseason is upon us. And with less than a week left in the regular season, every team with World Series aspirations has a lot to play for.

Let’s analyze the state of MLB and the playoffs as they stand now.

Who has secured a spot in the play-offs?

On Tuesday, the Orioles secured a spot in the AL playoffs with their 5-3 win over the Yankees, combined with the Twins’ 4-1 loss to the Marlins. They still haven’t clinched their postseason seed.

Also Tuesday, the Astros clinched their postseason ticket and their fourth consecutive AL West title with a 4-3 win over the Mariners. They have yet to secure their postseason seed.

Last but not least, the Padres secured a spot in the NL postseason bracket with a 4-1 win over the Dodgers on Tuesday, a victory that ended in a triple play. They still haven’t secured their postseason seed.

The Phillies clinched their third consecutive trip to the playoffs with a 12-2 crushing win over the Mets on Friday. They secured the NL East title with a 6-2 win over the Cubs on Monday. They are battling the Dodgers for the No. 1 seed in the NL.

On Thursday, the Guardians punched their ticket to October with a 3-2 walk-off win over the Twins. Cleveland clinched the AL Central title on Saturday, and with Tuesday’s 6-1 win over the Reds, they secured either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the American League, meaning they have a bye through the wild-card round and will host the ALDS.

Also on Thursday, the Dodgers clinched their 12th consecutive postseason appearance with a 20-4 (yes, 20-4) victory over the Marlins. Ohtani delivered an absolutely historic performance to seal the first 50-50 season in MLB history. The Dodgers have yet to secure the NL West title or their postseason seed.

The Brewers clinched the NL Central title on Sept. 18, thanks to a loss to the Cubs, but have yet to secure their playoff seed.

The Yankees clinched the AL’s first postseason berth on Sept. 18 with a 2-1 extra-inning win over the Mariners. They have yet to secure the AL East title or their postseason seed.

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Who can win next?

The Royals, Tigers, Mets and Diamondbacks have the postseason within sight, with odds above 60%, according to FanGraphs, but they have a long way to go to get there. The Twins, Mariners and Braves are all still in the hunt for wild-card spots.

The Dodgers and Yankees are positioned to win their divisions, assuming their current leads hold. The Phillies, Dodgers and Yankees are in line to earn byes via the wild-card round.

What is there left to win?

Once a team has punched its ticket to the postseason, there’s still a lot to play for. Most division leaders are comfortable, but teams can still fight for a playoff spot until the final weekend of the season.

The No. 1 and No. 2 seed in each league goes to the division winners with the two best records. Those teams earn a bye through the wildcard round and hosting rights in the division series.

The No. 3 seed goes to the winner of Division 3, and that team will host a three-game wild-card series against the No. 6 seed (who goes to the third wild card). The top wild-card team earns the No. 4 seed and hosting duties against the No. 5 seed in the wild-card bracket.

The highest placed team will also get home advantage in the championship series, once we get to that point.

What would the play-off pool look like if the season ended today?

American competition

Wild Card: No. 6 Detroit Tigers vs. No. 3 Houston Astros*

ALDS: Wildcard winner vs. No. 2 Cleveland Guardians*

Wild Card: No. 5 Kansas City Royals vs. No. 4 Baltimore Orioles*

ALDS: Wildcard winner vs. #1 New York Yankees*

National League

Wild card: No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks vs. No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers*

NLDS: Wildcard winner vs. #2 Philadelphia Phillies*

Wild Card: No. 5 New York Mets vs. No. 4 San Diego Padres*

NLDS: Wildcard winner vs. #1 Los Angeles Dodgers*

(*playoff spot secured)

What are the tiebreakers?

Teams no longer play Game 163 if they end the season in a tie. Instead, tiebreakers are determined first by head-to-head records and, if necessary, second by intradivision records.

These are the tiebreakers that can come into play:

• The Yankees secured the tiebreaker against the Guardians.

• The Guardians secured the tiebreaker against the Orioles.

• The Phillies secured the tiebreaker against the Dodgers.

• The Twins secured the tiebreakers against the Tigers and the Royals.

• The Royals secured the tiebreaker against the Tigers.

• The Mets have secured the tiebreakers against the Padres and Diamondbacks.

• The Orioles will play the tiebreaker against the Yankees with two games remaining.

• The D-backs will play the tiebreaker against the Padres with three games remaining.

• The Mets will play the tiebreaker against the Braves with two games remaining.

Read more: MLB Offseason Preview 2024: What’s in Store for the White Sox, Nationals, A’s, and More?

What does the schedule for the wildcard and division series look like?

Wildcard series

Game 1: Tuesday October 1st
Game 2: Wednesday October 2nd
Game 3: Thursday October 3*

Division series

ALD’S

Game 1: Saturday October 5th
Game 2: Monday October 7th
Game 3: Wednesday October 9th
Game 4: Thursday October 10*
Game 5: Saturday October 12*

NLDS

Game 1: Saturday October 5th
Game 2: Sunday October 6th
Game 3: Tuesday October 8th
Game 4: Wednesday October 9*
Game 5: Friday October 11*

(*if necessary)