The 2023 Major League Baseball postseason is upon us, and things get started with a bang -- four Game 1s of the Wild Card Series on Tuesday. Here's a look at the 2023 MLB postseason bracket.
The stakes are incredibly high in all playoff games, and that's especially the case in the best-of-three Wild Card Series. To state the plainly obvious, win the first game and you're one win away from advancing. Lose that opener, and you're one loss away from the season being over. Had we not pointed that out, you never would've realized it.
Anyhow, to prime the pump for the wall-to-wall MLB action of the wild-card round, your CBS Sports squad of baseball experts -- pseudo or otherwise -- are here to predict the outcomes of the four wild-card series. Those clashes are Rays-Rangers, Twins-Blue Jays, Brewers-Diamondbacks, Phillies-Marlins. See below for these rich natural sources of validation/outrage, and let the games begin.
Rays vs. Rangers
Anderson: This is the series I'm looking most forward to, and it's one that could go either way since both teams have compromised pitching staffs. I feel more comfortable with the relievers that Kevin Cash will be leveraging than those Bruce Bochy will be relying upon. That's all this series comes down to for me. Pick: Rays in 3
Axisa: Even with all their injuries, I think the Rays are the most well-rounded team in the AL, and manager Kevin Cash knows how to get the most out of his roster. More than anything though, I don't trust the Rangers' bullpen even a tiny little bit. Aroldis Chapman is on the short list of relievers I would not want on the mound with my season on the line. I've seen that guy give up too many back-breaking homers to trust him. We've seen Bruce Bochy work postseason magic with bullpens and I hate picking against him, but I don't trust this Rangers' bullpen. It doesn't help that Max Scherzer's hurt and Nathan Eovaldi hasn't looked quite like himself since coming back from his elbow injury. Pick: Rays in 2
Feldman: For continuity's sake, I'm going with the Rays, who I predicted to make it to the World Series in our staff picks. I do, however, think this is going to be the closest of the four Wild Card Series. The Rangers are really, really good, and I'd take them over most other teams in this round if that's how things worked (which it's not). I just can't shake the image of Randy Arozarena hitting a 500-foot walk-off home run off Aroldis Chapman. Pick: Rays in 3
Perry: These are two really good teams, and to me this is the strongest Wild Card Series. While both lineups are excellent, I think Tampa Bay's has a bit more top-to-bottom depth. The biggest factor is the Rays' big edge in the bullpen. That's huge given the way postseason pitcher usage tends to go. Pick: Rays in 3
Pianovich: For everyone's sake, I hope this Rays Wild Card Series is more exciting than last year's, when Tampa scored one run over the course of 24 innings. I think the offenses show up at the Trop and this ends up being the most entertaining first-round matchup. Randy Arozarena and Yandy Díaz will provide more clutch hits than the heart of the Rangers order. Pick: Rays in 3
Snyder: There's really no rhyme or reason with the Rangers. They get hot or cold without notice. I'll say the bats heat up just enough for them to steal two games here and advance in a season of unpredictable outcomes for this ballclub. Pick: Rangers in 3
Twins vs. Blue Jays
Anderson: Honestly, I just want the Twins to snap the streak. I think the Blue Jays are the better team, especially in light of the potential rust factor facing Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis, among others in Minnesota's lineup. That established, I could see the Twins' rotation carrying them into the second round. Pick: Twins in 3
Axisa: One of my postseason bold predictions is the Twins will snap their record postseason losing streak at 18 games, which means a Game 1 win over Toronto. I almost went Twins in two here, mostly because Toronto's offense has demonstrated a knack for going silent in crucial moments, but I picked the other three Wild Card series to end in two games, and I didn't want to pick four sweeps. I think this series is pretty evenly matched overall. I'm picking the Twins in three because the rules say someone has to win. Pick: Twins in 3
Feldman: Thanks to some late-season standings madness, the Blue Jays were able to avoid burning Kevin Gausman, who is going to play a major role in getting them deep into the playoffs. The Twins put up more of a fight if Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis can all make it into the lineup, but that's a huge if, one too big to rely on. Pick: Blue Jays in 2
Perry: This is toughest series to predict for me. While the Twins' injury situation concerns me, I still lean Minnesota because of the strength of the top of the team's rotation. Sonny Gray and Pablo López form the best one-two punch in the postseason -- at least now that the Brewers' one-two punch is down to one -- and I think they do the heavy lifting. Pick: Twins in 3
Pianovich: Look, I am not rooting for continued Minnesota misery. But I won't believe the Twins actually snap this playoff losing streak until I see it. Pick: Blue Jays in 2
Snyder: The Twins aren't very good, but the Blue Jays are far beneath their ceiling and have been uninspiring most of the season. They'll do so again while the Twins ride Sonny Gray, Pablo Lopez and their power bullpen arms. Pick: Twins in 3
Brewers vs. Diamondbacks
Anderson: Forget the Diamondbacks, the real battle for the Brewers is between their high-quality pitching staff and their not-as-high-quality lineup. Can they find a way to score enough runs so that their arms don't have to be perfect for them to win? I think the answer is yes against the Diamondbacks pitching staff. Pick: Brewers in 3
Axisa: Pitching isn't everything, but it is a big thing, and the D-backs not getting a Zac Gallen start until Game 2 and a Merrill Kelly start until a possible Game 3 is rough. Rookie Brandon Pfaadt is impressive, but that Game 1 matchup against Corbin Burnes is a tough draw. I think the Brewers will take Game 1 behind their ace, and Freddy Peralta is plenty good enough to match up with Gallen in Game 2. Also, I think Milwaukee has the advantage in the bullpen, including the way manager Craig Counsell uses it. The D-backs are a really fun team -- if you like speed, Arizona is the team for you -- but the Brewers are built very well for short postseason series. Pick: Brewers in 2
Feldman: On Monday morning, I wrote that the Brewers' 1-2 punch of Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff is hard to beat (especially if you throw Freddy Peralta in there too) but the offense has to do their job too, and Milwaukee scored about 50 runs fewer than any other first-place team in MLB. Then Brandon Woodruff hurt his shoulder and will miss the Wild Card Series. Unfortuately for Craig Counsell's crew, that's probably a killer. Arizona isn't exactly hitting the cover off the ball either but Corbin Carroll coming through in a big way feels like the right capper to his Rookie of the Year season. Pick: Diamondbacks in 3
Perry: Obviously, the loss of Brandon Woodruff changes the calculus in a major way, but I'm sticking with my original instinct and saying Milwaukee ekes it out. The Brewers have a huge edge in the Game 1 pitching match-up, and that's in turn a huge edge in the series given that this is a best-of-three. Pick: Brewers in 3
Pianovich: The Brewers are a better team than the Diamondbacks, but this is a three-game baseball series. The Diamondbacks are the best base-stealing team in the playoffs and are facing the team that let Elly De La Cruz steal second, third and home in the blink of an eye this year. If this were a seven-game series, I'd pick Milwaukee. In three games, give me the chaos snakes. Pick: Diamondbacks in 3
Snyder: I think the Brewers can get the Corbin Burnes vs. Brandon Pfaadt start, but otherwise I love Arizona here. Corbin Carroll is going to zip around the bases while the D-Backs now have hte pitching advantage in Games 2 and 3 thanks to the Brandon Woodruff injury. Pick: Diamondbacks in 3
Phillies vs. Marlins
Anderson: This would've been a pretty interesting short series if the Marlins' best starters were healthy. They're not, so I fully expect the Phillies to roll on. I would like this series to go the distance -- the Marlins fan base deserves a longer playoff run -- but I'm not optimistic about that, either. Pick: Phillies in 2
Axisa: With all due respect, the Marlins are the weakest postseason team we've seen in quite some time. Take away Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez and it's really hard to believe they have the juice for a long run. You know what that means right? They're probably going to run the table and win the pennant. In all seriousness though, the Phillies are an excellent team with a sneaky-deep bullpen. The Marlins are just too short-handed for me to pick them. Pick: Phillies in 2
Feldman: Good vibes don't win baseball games, right? Right? The Phillies are determined to prove otherwise. Pick: Phillies in 2
Perry: The reality is that the Marlins are not a particularly good team at an underlying level. As well, their rotation is very banged up at the moment, and their best player, Luis Arraez, may not be 100% thanks to his recent ankle injury. Pick: Phillies in 3
Pianovich: The Phillies' "Four Hours of Hell" at Citizens Bank Park will have to be amended to 3.5 Hours of Hell thanks to Mr. Manfred's pitch clock. The Phillies have the best home-field advantage in these playoffs and own the upper hand on paper in pretty much every other category against the Marlins. Still, this Miami team loves to find ways to win games, and that's especially true against the Phillies. Because of that, I'll say this series goes the distance. Pick: Phillies in 3
Snyder: The Phillies are much more built for the postseason than the regular season and if they can avoid a few bullpen meltdowns, they might well make the World Series again. The Marlins are the worst playoff team and can't match the Phillies' offense here Pick: Phillies in 2
