The 2025 MLB playoffs are underway and we’re headed into the League Division Series after three of four Wild Card Series went to do-or-die Game 3s. The Philadelphia Phillies will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers, who swept the Cincinnati Reds to advance. The Milwaukee Brewers, owner of MLB’s best regular-season record, will face the division rival Chicago Cubs. In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays will face their AL East rivals in the New York Yankees, while the Seattle Mariners get the Detroit Tigers.
As such, your CBS Sports MLB experts are here to predict how each of the best-of-five series will go.
Bet the MLB playoffs at DraftKings Sportsbook, where new users get $200 in bonus bets with a winning $5 wager:
Below are picks from our five MLB writers for every League Division Series, plus odds for each series from FanDuel.
Dodgers vs. Phillies
(FanDuel odds: Dodgers -124, Phillies +106)
Anderson: This is the NL version of the Yankees-Blue Jays series for me. Two really good clubs, both quite capable of winning here and then winning the whole thing. I had the Dodgers taking the NL pennant, so, again, I’m standing by that selection. Their rotation is as healthy as it’s been all season, and I have to imagine that their bullpen — second in meltdowns — will be somewhat improved by the additions of starters Clayton Kershaw, Emmet Sheehan, and Roki Sasaki. Pick: Dodgers in 5
Snyder: These are the two best teams in the playoffs. It’s a toss up for me and it’s too bad it isn’t a seven-game series. I’ll go with the Phillies here simply due to the Dodgers’ bullpen issues. If Roki Sasaki keeps throwing like he did in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, though, all bets are off. Pick: Phillies in 5
Brewers vs. Cubs
(FanDuel odds: Brewers -116, Cubs +100)
Axisa: This is purely a vibes pick. The Brewers are a great, great team, but so are the Cubs, and what happened in the regular season doesn’t matter now. It’s a fresh start and a new season. I love the way Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki are swinging the bat right now — they seem to be barreling everything up — and the bullpen is surprisingly great. I’m going with the Cubs here. Should be an exciting and chaotic series either way. Pick: Cubs in 4
McWilliams: If this were a seven-game series I would be inclined to pick the Cubs. But I think that Milwaukee is dangerous enough in a short series to take this. The Brewers play fundamental baseball, they pitch, and do all the little things right. Pick: Brewers in 5
Mariners vs. Tigers
(FanDuel odds: Mariners -172, Tigers +146)
Anderson: To be clear, this is not an overreaction to the Tigers’ past month. I just think the Mariners have the better team — they had the better record and run differential during the regular season — and that’s especially true if Bryan Woo is available to pitch. I see no need to get cute. Pick: Mariners in 4
Perry: I just think the Mariners are the better team right now, especially on offense and in terms of rotation depth. The Tigers are going to get only one regular-rest start from Tarik Skubal in this series, which is also notable. Pick: Mariners in 5
Blue Jays vs. Yankees
(FanDuel odds: Blue Jays +132, Yankees -156)
McWilliams: I question the Blue Jays’ ability to get through this round with their pitching issues. They lack a true ace, and I believe the Yankees will slug enough to get them through and onto the ALCS. Pick: Yankees in 5
Snyder: The offenses are going to have a few big innings in this series and it’ll be so fun. I love the Blue Jays offense, but the Yankees have a bit more firepower and also have an advantage in the rotation, so I’ll take them. Pick: Yankees in 5
