Yesterday, our staff dusted off our crystal balls and revealed who will advance past the Wild Card round. Now, we really take on a challenge and look a month into the future to see who will be taking home the ultimate MLB prize. More than 20 The Athletic MLB staffers weighed in with their picks. Do you agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments!

Who will win the American League pennant?

The Seattle Mariners have produced some of the greatest players of baseball’s modern era but have never punched their ticket to the World Series. Are Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez and company set to do what Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodríguez, Randy Johnson and others couldn’t before them? Or will the Yankees repeat as AL champs? Can the Blue Jays revive the magic of the 1990s? Or will one of the AL Central teams play deep into October? Our staff weighs in:

Staff vote — AL pennant

Andrew Baggarly (SEA): “Power plays in October. The Mariners are peaking at the right time and their rotation depth can be deployed to make their bullpen even better.”

Tyler Kepner (NYY): “I think this is the year Aaron Judge just takes over a postseason, and they have enough pitching to get by.”

Eno Sarris (SEA): “They’ve got the pitching and the power to finally make it to the biggest series. Could they make more contact? Is there the risk that Cal Raleigh’s incredible season might leave him gassed? Of course, but they have other bats to pick up the slack, and that rotation could turn it on and be unhittable at any time.”

Mitch Bannon (TOR): “No American League team played good teams better than the Blue Jays this season. They own the AL’s top record against opponents over .500 (49-41). Few teams will benefit more from a bye to the DS, too, with Toronto getting back Chris Bassitt and potentially Bo Bichette for the second round. The bye also allows Toronto to line up Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber to make as many October starts as possible — they’ll need to lean heavy on that pair to make it deep in the postseason.”

Grant Brisbee (BOS): “They’re a balanced team that nobody is talking about. A perfect cocktail for postseason nonsense.”

Johnny Flores Jr. (CLE): “It’s time to stop doubting Cleveland. The Guardians’ lineup is what it is, their rotation doesn’t have Corey Kluber at the top and the bullpen is without baseball’s best closer. Doesn’t matter. Every stop of the way the Guardians have made it their mission to prove everyone wrong by playing their own brand of baseball.”

Chad Jennings (SEA): “Six months ago, I made fun of colleague Sam Blum for picking the Mariners. He was wrong then, but he’s right now because the Mariners did exactly what they needed to do to improve their lineup at the trade deadline. Now, this looks like one of the deepest pitching staffs and most dangerous lineups in the game. The Mariners defense worries me, but there’s not an American League team that doesn’t have a glaring flaw. So, M’s all the way. Sam knew it all along.”

Andy McCullough (NYY): “They are clicking at the right time, and they tied for the most wins in the American League. Plus, at some point, Aaron Judge has to get hot in October. He’s too good not to, right? Right?”

Fabian Ardaya (SEA): “We deserve to have ‘Mr. Rager’ as an October anthem. More importantly, they might be the most balanced team in the AL field.”

Levi Weaver (SEA): “Why not. It’s not like any of the other teams look particularly invincible. With no defensible ‘they’re just better than everyone else’ pick available, let’s go with the best story: the Mariners are the only team in baseball that has never been to a single World Series. But also, this isn’t ONLY a sentimental pick. I like their rotation, I like their bullpen, and Cal Raleigh has been historically good this year.”

Who will win the National League pennant?

Bryce Harper and the Phillies are our NL favorite to reach the World Series. (Tom Wilson / MLB Photos via Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Dodgers seemingly printed their name on the World Series ticket in the offseason when they signed Roki Sasaki and practically every high-profile free-agent reliever. It hasn’t been an easy regular season, but the Dodgers are in position to defend their title. Can they pull it off? Will the Milwaukee Brewers translate their No. 1 seed into their first World Series trip as a National League team? Or will the Phillies, Padres, Cubs or Reds steal the show?

Staff picks — NL pennant

Chandler Rome (PHI): “Don’t underestimate the lift a dominant closer gives to an entire club, especially one with as much postseason experience as the Phillies. Jhoan Duran is what they’ve missed the last two playoff runs.”

Andy McCullough (LAD): “For as frustrating as this season has been, the Dodgers still possess more talent than any other team. If Dave Roberts can find some relievers he can trust, the team should be favored over any opponent.”

Eno Sarris (SD): “You’d like this Padres team to have more power to really crown them as the most well-rounded team in baseball, but there are some power sources that might be coming online late in the season in Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill. If that’s the case, they make contact better than anyone and have the best bullpen, both incredibly important in October.”

David O’Brien (MIL): “Brewers are long overdue to make a deep run, and I just like how fundamentally sound they are and the vibe they have under manager Pat Murphy. Plus, Freddy Peralta is 9-2 with a 2.47 ERA in 16 starts since the beginning of July, including a 1.76 ERA in his past 10.”

Jayson Stark (PHI): “No one in the National League was playing better than the Phillies in August and September. It’s still mind-blowing that they had the best record in the NL after losing Zack Wheeler.”

Fabian Ardaya (LAD): “They still have the most talented club, even if they haven’t played like it for large stretches of this season.”

Levi Weaver (MIL): “Do I believe in this pick? No. But I didn’t believe in the Brewers in spring training either, and they went out and won more games than anyone. I didn’t believe in the Brewers at the All-Star break, and guess what: I was wrong again. Apologies to Brewers fans if our collective disbelief was the juju holding it all together and this pick jinxes it.”

Sam Blum (PHI): “This is the Phillies’ last real shot in the current iteration of their championship window. Sure, they could be great again next year. But this kind of feels like the now or never time to get it done. They certainly have the roster to make it happen, and the Brewers don’t feel like a particularly significant threat. That is, however, kind of what makes them dangerous.”

Chad Jennings (PHI): “It’s a lot harder without Zack Wheeler, but the Phillies do everything pretty well. Cristopher Sánchez is a legit Game 1 starter, Jhoan Duran might be the best closer in the league, and Kyle Schwarber is a proven performer leading a lineup that can impact the game from top to bottom. A lot of experience, too. I think I just trust this team more than the other frontrunners in the National League.”

Andrew Baggarly (PHI): “Losing Zack Wheeler really hurts, but no team grabs and keeps momentum better than the Phillies, who have the pitching and lineup depth to prevail.”

And the World Series champion for the 2025 season is…

Could two of the game’s most fearsome sluggers meet in the World Series? (Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)

Only four teams received votes to be World Series champions in our staff poll — and the top-two vote-getters do not include last year’s World Series teams.

Staff picks — World Series winner

Brittany Ghiroli (PHI): “Even without Zack Wheeler, the Phillies are dangerous in October because of their veterans and a crowd that makes home games a real advantage. The window is closing on this current group. What better way to go out?”

Sam Blum (SEA): “The Mariners have an underrated resume for one of the snakebitten franchise in baseball. They haven’t even played in a World Series. If there’s any team to get it done, this feels like the team. That city will be rocking in October. Colleague Chad Jennings roasted me in March for picking the M’s. I’m looking forward to the apology, Chadwick.”

Chad Jennings (PHI): “Am I picking this team so that my friend John won’t yell at me? Maybe. But I really think the Phillies have the best blend of high-impact stars and reliable role players, and I trust them to make plays, throws strikes, put together at-bats, and hit three-run homers. The pitching scares me a little bit, but that’s true of every postseason team. Each playoff pitching staff seems fatally flawed, yet one of them has to survive to the end. Why not this one? ”

Andy McCullough (LAD): “Shohei Ohtani. Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Freddie Freeman. Do I need to keep going? OK. Blake Snell. Mookie Betts. Did I mention Ohtani? They’ve got a lot of good players.”

Eno Sarris (SEA): “‘Why not just win the whole f—ing thing?’ asked Cal Raleigh. Indeed, why not. With their trade deadline reinforcements in, this team has few holes. Starting pitching that can be dominant, a bullpen that was top three in ERA in September, and power from sources other than Julio Rodríguez and Raleigh — these are the reasons the Mariners will finally get to the mountaintop.”

Melissa Lockard (NYY): “In a weird way, the Yankees almost seem like underdogs given how much focus teams like the Phillies and Mariners have deservedly received. But they have the best hitter in baseball and plenty of other powerful hitters behind him, plus a solid rotation. The bullpen hasn’t looked like it was supposed to after the trade deadline at times but the talent is there and if it clicks, they’d be a very tough team for anyone to beat.”

Chandler Rome (PHI): “Few teams were playing better in September. Birds are good. Abbott Elementary shot an episode at the Bank. Keep the vibes going.”

Levi Weaver (LAD): “I know, I know. I picked the Brewers to win the NL pennant. But the safe pick here is still the Dodgers. It just is, right up until the last out when it isn’t (and maybe for a few hours later, until the last nerve-and-muscle twitch has made its way out of the behemoth’s body) The talent they’ve assembled is just too vast, too elaborate, too sprawling to really ever not be the favorite. And oh by the way, they’re healthier than they’ve been just about all season.”

Jim Bowden (SEA): “Because the Mariners never have won a World Series before and it would be fun for the game … even though I think the Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers and Padres are the best teams in baseball overall.”

Tyler Kepner (NYY): “1950, 2009, 2023. Stuff happens in threes, right?”

Katie Woo (SEA): “Their catcher hit 60 homers. Their rotation is legit. Their vibes? Immaculate. In the grand scheme of things, the Mariners are underdogs and probably shouldn’t be a favorite. But some teams just have an ‘it’ factor, and Seattle has flaunted it lately.”

Chris Kirschner (PHI): “The Phillies have the best starting pitching amongst all postseason teams. Combine that with their ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark, and it’s a good combination to have in October.”

David O’Brien (SEA): “It’s the year of Raleigh. And of the pitching staff he guides. Actually, it’s that pitching staff that’ll ultimately be the difference.”

Dennis Lin (PHI): “Schwarber is inevitable. Trea Turner is back. Citizens Bank Park is a bear.”

Grant Brisbee (PHI): “All of these teams are flawed, but the Phillies might be the least flawed. It’s one of most (only?) rational picks left in the postseason field.”

Johnny Flores Jr. (PHI): “Bryce Harper. It’s that simple. Is there any player that craves the spotlight more than Harper, and one that rises to the moment more than the two-time MVP? You’d be hard-pressed to find another. He was a major reason why Philadelphia made it to the World Series in 2022, and he’ll be the reason why not only do the Phillies return but why they will be the ones hoisting the trophy.”

(Top photo: Jun Sato / WireImage)