MLB Playoff Picture 2020: Latest Postseason Bracket and World Series Odds

The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees have been viewed as the favorites to win the World Series since the start of the 60-game Major League Baseball season.

The Dodgers followed up on that status by clinching the National League West crown and the No. 1 seed in the NL. Dave Roberts' team owns the most victories in the league and could finish as the only franchise with 40 wins depending on how well the 37-win Tampa Bay Rays finish.

The Rays denied the Yankees hopes of finishing on top of the American League East and are in line to enter the AL playoffs as the top seed. Although the Yankees have dealt with injuries and slumps, they are still listed as the second favorite to win the Fall Classic, but they may face the most difficult first-round matchup against the Chicago White Sox. 

World Series Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Los Angeles Dodgers (+350; bet $100 to win $350)

New York Yankees (+600)

Tampa Bay (+650)

Oakland (+1000)

San Diego (+1000)

Chicago White Sox (+1100)

Atlanta (+1200)

Minnesota (+1200)

Chicago Cubs (+1500)

Updated Postseason Bracket

Standings after Wednesday's games.

American League

No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. No. 8 Toronto

No. 2 Oakland vs. No. 7 Cleveland

No. 3 Minnesota vs. No. 6 Houston

No. 4 Chicago White Sox vs. No. 5 New York Yankees

If the White Sox and Yankees find themselves in a first-round matchup, it should be the most intriguing wild-card series in MLB. The Yankees are four games ahead of the Houston Astros for the No. 4 seed, and the White Sox hold a two-game lead on Cleveland for the second spot out of the AL Central. 

The White Sox have all the ingredients to neutralize the Yankees' pitching strengths over a three-game series. Lucas Giolito, who had 11 strikeouts and allowed two earned runs in his Wednesday showdown with Cleveland's Shane Bieber, can go head-to-head with Gerrit Cole in a battle of aces. After allowing seven earned runs in his first start, Giolito has not conceded more than four earned runs in a mound appearance. 

Cole has been fantastic in his last outings by allowing three earned runs over 27 innings, but the Yankees ace has allowed 14 home runs, and the White Sox rank third in long balls behind the Dodgers and Atlanta.  If Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez or any other power hitter in the Chicago order gets a hold of one pitch and sends it over the fence, it could make the difference in a low-scoring battle.

The bats could also be a difference-maker in the other games of the potential series. Masahiro Tanaka is coming off a horrific outing against Toronto on Wednesday, as he conceded eight hits and five runs in four innings. 

Toronto's win over the Yankees moved it three games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels in the win column. Barring a losing run to end the season, the Blue Jays should lock up the No. 8 seed.

However, advancing past the wild-card round will be difficult for the Blue Jays if they are matched up with the top-seeded Rays. Tampa Bay has a terrific rotation led by Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow that can dominate any foe in their three-game series. 

Snell has 15 strikeouts and two earned runs allowed in a pair of starts against Toronto. Glasnow did not face Toronto in the regular season, but he has 34 strikeouts and conceded 10 earned runs in his last four starts. 

Tampa Bay's pitching staff could be the key to it landing a World Series berth over the White Sox, Yankees and other contenders. At the moment, the Rays have the third-best World Series odds and that total could shift lower if they look strong in the wild-card round. 

National League

No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. No. 8 Cincinnati

No. 2 Atlanta vs. No. 7 San Francisco

No. 3 Chicago Cubs vs. No. 6 Miami

No. 4 San Diego vs. No. 5 St. Louis 

Earning the No. 1 seed may not come with the favorable matchup the Dodgers want in the first round. In fact, Los Angeles could face what is arguably the most dangerous team in the National League in the wild-card series. 

Cincinnati took a lead over Milwaukee in the hunt for the No. 8 seed by winning two of three games this week, the second of which was taken by Trevor Bauer on short rest. 

The Reds are not in the clear yet with Philadelphia and Milwaukee one and two games back in the win column, respectively, but they appear to be positioned well to land the final playoff spot and potentially surprise the Dodgers. 

Cincinnati possesses a tremendous three-man rotation in Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray and Trevor Bauer that can go head-to-head with any set of starters in the majors. 

The Reds rank ninth in team ERA at 3.85. The Dodgers top that list at 3.08, but they have not received a single complete game from their starters. The Reds have three. 

Even if Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and others shut down the Reds, their path to the World Series seems incredibly difficult, with the San Diego Padres potentially waiting for them in the second round. The Padres went 4-6 against the Dodgers in the regular season and have one of the best batting orders in baseball with Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer hitting consecutively. 

San Diego also possesses a solid one-two punch on the mound in Dinelson Lamet and Zach Davies, who combined to go 10-5 and allowed 36 earned runs in 22 starts. 

Atlanta also has the bats to match anyone in the NL. Ronald Acuna Jr., Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna all rank in the top six in the majors in OPS, while Freeman and Ozuna have both recorded over 50 RBI.

The NL East champion needs its bats to be on fire to make up for the struggles on the mound, which could be further complicated by the injury suffered by Max Fried on Wednesday. Fried tweaked his left ankle, per an update from the team.

The Braves already lost Mike Soroka for the season, and if Fried is not 100 percent, they may have trouble winning low-scoring games.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from MLB.com.