Since 2022, Major League Baseball has had three Wild Card teams in each league, allowing 12 teams in total to reach the sport's postseason. Under this format, which gives baseball betting customers more playoff games to ponder, the top two squads in the American and National leagues earn a bye through the Wild Card round to the Divisional Series.
To see how advantageous such a bye has been, RotoWire.com broke down how each of the 12 teams that's received a first-round bye has fared, ahead of this year's postseason in the 30-team league.
How Teams With Wild Card Bye Have Fared
| Situation | Number of Teams | Percentage |
| Lost in Divisional Series | 6 (of 12) | 50% |
| Lost in Championship Series | 3 (of 12) | 25% |
| Won World Series | 2 (of 12) | 16.7% |
| Lost World Series | 1 (of 12) | 8.3% |
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How Have MLB Teams With Byes Fared?
Since the MLB expanded to three Wild Card teams in each league in 2022, for 12 playoff spots overall, only three teams with a first-round bye (25% of the total) have reached the World Series. Last season, both top seeds (the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL and the New York Yankees in the AL) won the pennant, the Houston Astros won it all as the No. 1 seed in the AL in 2022.
So when you see World Series odds, know that the teams that advance directly to the Division Series in each league are not guaranteed a deep run.
Conversely, half of the 12 teams that received byes past the Wild Card round fell flat in the Divisional Series. Both NL teams with a top-two seed were eliminated at the first hurdle in 2022 and 2023, as were the Baltimore Orioles in 2023 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 2024.
MLB 2025 Playoff Races Down To The Wire
Entering Thursday's play, the two teams in line to receive a bye in the AL were the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners. The Jays are tied with the New York Yankees for the East division lead while the Ms clinched the West on Wednesday, though not a bye yet.
The Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers in the Senior Circuit have already clinched first-round byes.
The Phillies are the current World Series favorite, per Caesars Sportsbook, at +450 odds. As of Sept. 25, the Mariners (+475) are tied with the Dodgers for second leaguewide at Caesars, followed by the Brewers (+600), Yankees (+725) and Blue Jays (+900).
As MLB wraps up the final week of regular-season play, the race for a bye is still alive because the East and Central divisions are still up for grabs. Toronto and New York enter Thursday at 90-68, tops in the AL, with the Jays holding the tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed. The Mariners are one game back of Toronto with four to play.
At MLB betting sites, the wide-open nature of the AL is reflected in the odds. The Mariners are slight favorites to win the pennant with various operators, but the Yankees, Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox all have less than +1000 odds. The Cleveland Guardians, who have erased a 15.5-game deficit to take the Central lead, have odds ranging from +900 to +1200 to reach the World Series.
Things are more cut and dried in the Senior Circuit, with the Central Division champion Brewers holding a 2.5-game lead over the East champion Phillies for the top seed. Philadelphia clinched a bye with its 11-1 victory on Wednesday over the Florida Marlins.
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MLB Playoff Brackets By Year Since 2022
2024
AL: New York Yankees: Beat Kansas City Royals (3-1) in ALDS, beat Cleveland Guardians (4-1) in ALCS, lost to Los Angeles Dodgers (4-1) in World Series; Cleveland Guardians: Beat Detroit Tigers (3-2) in ALDS, lost to New York Yankees (4-1) in ALCS.
NL: Los Angeles Dodgers: Beat San Diego Padres (3-2) in NLDS, beat New York Mets (4-2) in NLCS, beat New York Yankees (4-1) in World Series; Philadelphia Phillies: Lost to New York Mets (3-1) in NLDS.
2023
AL: Baltimore Orioles: Lost to Texas Rangers (3-0) in ALDS; Houston Astros: Beat Minnesota Twins (3-1) in ALDS, lost to Texas Rangers (4-3) in ALCS.
NL: Atlanta Braves: Lost to Philadelphia Phillies (3-1) in NLDS; Los Angeles Dodgers: Lost to Arizona Diamondbacks (3-0) in NLDS.
2022
AL: Houston Astros: Beat Seattle Mariners (3-0) in ALDS, beat New York Yankees (4-0) in ALCS, beat Philadelphia Phillies (4-2) in World Series; New York Yankees: Beat Cleveland Guardians (3-2) in ALDS, lost to Houston Astros (4-0) in ALCS.
NL: Los Angeles Dodgers: Lost to San Diego Padres (3-1) in NLDS; Atlanta Braves: Lost to Philadelphia Phillies (3-1) in NLDS.
