2025 MLB Wild Card Series Preview: Matchups, Players to Watch, and BFN picks -

The 2025 MLB Wild Card Series begins tomorrow with a slate of four games. In fact, we will get four games Tuesday, Wednesday, and (maybe) Thursday in the best-of-three matchups that will shape the postseason bracket.

Eight teams are fighting for survival: the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, and San Diego Padres.

We’ll break down each series with head-to-head results, players to watch, current win/loss streaks, and look ahead to each team’s chances to win the 2025 World Series.

Yankees vs Red Sox Wild Card Series Preview (2025 MLB Playoffs)

Season Head-to-Head

The Red Sox dominated this rivalry in 2025, winning nine of 13 games, including a 5–2 record at Yankee Stadium. However, the Yankees finished strong, winning three from four with Will Warren, Max Fried, Luis Gil, and Carlos Rodón limiting Boston’s bats to just 12 runs.

Current Form

Yankees: With a 9-1 record over their last 10 games, the Yankees are the hottest of all the Wild Card teams.
Red Sox: Won their final two series against the Blue Jays (AL Champions) and Tigers

Players to Watch

Yankees: Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, both lefties, are capable of shutting down Boston in a short series.
Red Sox: Look for Alex Bregman to deliver. His ability to score against southpaws will be critical. Just imagine if Boston had a slugging lefty killer, say someone like Rafael Devers.

World Series Chances

Yankees: 10% chance
Red Sox: 4% chance

X-Factor

Boston’s dominance in the regular season suggests confidence, but the Bronx crowd plus elite Yankee pitching make this a true toss-up.

Bat Flips & Nerds Pick (John)

New York Yankees [Editor’s note: Ouch! That must have hurt for a Red Sox fan to do that]

Guardians vs Tigers: AL Central Rivals Clash in Wild Card

Season Head-to-Head

Maybe these two know each other too well from the AL Central. Cleveland surged late to win the division with an MLB-best record of 42-25 in the second half, while Detroit blew a 15 1/2 game lead at the top of the division and snuck into the playoffs on the same record as the eliminated Houston Astros.

Current Form

Guardians: Finished September strong, riding pitching depth and timely hitting.
Tigers: Limped into October with a poor September… but they have Tarik Skubal.

Players to Watch

Tigers: Riley Greene – my preseason bold prediction for MVP – has hit 36 homers. Detroit needs a big series from their left fielder.
Guardians: Their bullpen depth has been a weapon all season and could lock down close games, but Jose Ramirez is the one to watch. The game’s most underrated superstar.

World Series Odds

Guardians: 4% chance
Tigers: 2% chance

X-Factor

If Skubal wins Game 1, the Tigers have a fighting chance. Otherwise, Cleveland’s momentum and bullpen advantage make them the safer pick.

Bat Flips & Nerds Pick (Rob)

Cleveland Guardians put up record breaking runs vs the Tigers

Dodgers vs Reds Wild Card Series: Can Cincy Stage an Upset?

Season Head-to-Head

The Dodgers dominated Cincinnati in 2025, winning five of six games and outscoring them by a massive 30–15. The Reds clinched a Wild Card berth by edging the Mets on a final-day tiebreaker.

Current Form

Dodgers: Consistent all year, though they cooled slightly in September.
Reds: Scrappy but resilient. The high-profile Mets didn’t faze them, I can’t see that the higher-profile Dodgers will.

Players to Watch

Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani. Need I say more?
Reds: Young hitters like Elly De La Cruz can create chaos, but in Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Andrew Abbott, they have three homegrown pitchers who have combined for just 3.01 ERA over 76 starts. That gets you a long way into October.

World Series Odds

Dodgers: 16% chance
Reds: 1% chance

X-Factor

Los Angeles knew they would reach the playoffs. This is what they are built for. It is a tough ask for Cincinnati, who will need to steal Game 1 to have a chance. Otherwise, expect the Dodgers’ depth and star power to carry them through.

Bat Flips & Nerds Pick (Gav)

Cincinnati Reds. I love an underdog and I suspected at the start of the season that the Dodgers were a little overrated.

Cubs vs Padres: Toss-Up Matchup in the NL Wild Card

Season Head-to-Head

This is the most balanced Wild Card matchup: the Cubs and Padres split their series 3–3 in 2025. And they each scored 25 runs over the six games. Their last postseason meeting? The 1984 NLCS, where the Padres came back from down 2–0 to win the series.

Current Form

Cubs: Closed well, locking in a Wild Card spot with steady play.
Padres: Found consistency down the stretch and are leaning on their bullpen strength.

Players to Watch

Cubs: Kyle Tucker. I went to a recent Cubs’ meet and the fans were slagging off the 28-year-old as a flop. That’s a 142 OPS+ flop. In my mind, he’s a game changer.
Padres: Fernando Tatis Jr. has three home runs over this last five games while hitting .316 with 1.139 OPS. It’s safe to say he is ready for the playoffs.

Fangraphs World Series Chances

Cubs: 4% chance
Padres: 6% chance

X-Factor

This one is truly up for grabs. If it turns into a bullpen chess match, San Diego may have the edge. The Padres’ rank first for relief pitching, with the Cubs down in 19th.

Bat Flips & Nerds Pick (Tom)

San Diego Padres 2-1

FAQs: 2025 MLB Wild Card Series

When does the 2025 MLB Wild Card Series start?
The Wild Card round begins Tuesday, September 30, 2025, with all four matchups in action.

How many games is the Wild Card Series?
It’s a best-of-three. The first team to win two games advances to the Division Series.

Who are the 2025 World Series favourites?
Interesting, the Mariners are clear favourites according to Fangraphs’ calculations with a 20% chance of securing the World Series, but it is the Brewers who bookies have as the team most likely to win.

Which Wild Card team has the best chance to go deep?
Surely it has to be the Dodgers, but how can you rule out the Yankees or Red Sox? The Guardians don’t seem to know how to lose, the Reds have shown resilience to overcome the Mets, the Tigers kept battling despite poor performances, the Cubs have the third-best hitting in baseball, and maybe 2025 is THE year for the Padres.

Schedule

Tuesday

Tigers v Guardians (6pm)
Padres v Cubs (8pm)
Red Sox v Yankees (11pm)
Reds v Dodgers (2am)

Wednesday

Tigers v Guardians (6pm)
Padres v Cubs (8pm)
Red Sox v Yankees (11pm)
Reds v Dodgers (2am)

Thursday

Tigers v Guardians (6pm)
Padres v Cubs (8pm)
Red Sox v Yankees (11pm)
Reds v Dodgers (2am)

Final Thoughts

The 2025 MLB Wild Card Series promises fireworks: bitter rivals in Yankees vs Red Sox, divisional foes in Guardians vs Tigers, a heavyweight Dodgers team facing a scrappy Reds roster, and a true coin-flip between Cubs and Padres.

Short series often produce surprises. One dominant pitcher, one big swing, or one defensive miscue could send a team packing.

Buckle up: October baseball starts tomorrow… yes, I know it’s still September, but you know what I mean.

Featured image photo of Jose Ramirez by Jason Miller/Getty Images