Ranking the Top Wild Card Matchups We Most Want to See

We are less than two weeks away from the start of the MLB Postseason, where eight teams will square off in four different series that will make up the Wild Card round.

With roughly 10 games left to play for most teams, the regular season is wrapping up soon, as teams make their final push to be part of the tournament that will end with the Fall Classic.

Atop each league, there are teams we know who will be in the playoffs, like the Yankees, Guardians and Astros in the American League, and the Phillies, Dodgers and Brewers in the National League.

Meanwhile in each Wild Card race, there four teams who are currently fighting it out for three spots. In the NL, the Padres lead the pack and appear to be heading towards the top Wild Card spot, while the Mets and Diamondbacks hold onto the final two spots, with the Braves two games out.

The Braves still have a series with the Mets, and the Padres and D-Backs finish off their season against each other, so anything can still happen in that race.

In the AL Wild Card, the Orioles hold a four-game lead as the top Wild Card seed, while three AL Central division rivals battle it out for three spots with the Royals holding a slight edge over the Minnesota Twins, and surging Detroit Tigers.

The Seattle Mariners are still technically in the race, three games back, but have lost their last two games against the New York Yankees, and still face the Astros to begin next week.

With the playoff picture becoming more clear, we thought it would be a fun exercise to look into some of the potential matchups we could see in the Wild Card round, and rank which would be the one’s fans should most want to see.

Take in mind, we are ranking these both based on level of intrigue, but also trying to project which we are most likely to see as well.

1. NL West Showdown: D-Backs vs. Padres

Division rivalries are always going to bring an extra level of intensity into a postseason matchup. The fact that these teams play each other at the end of the regular season only adds to leadup of this head-to-head.

So far this year, Arizona and San Diego have split the 10 games they have played against one another, showcasing how good of a matchup this really is. Whoever wins the final series of the season will also take the season series, which would give them the tiebreaker if they were to end the year with an identical record.

Since the Padres have a 2.5 game lead, and are about to play a series vs. the White Sox, there is every chance they have a Wild Card spot locked up by the time they travel to Arizona.

The D-Backs have to worry about the Mets and the Braves on their heels, with both NL East teams holding the tiebreaker over them for having won their respective season series. If Arizona finishes with the third Wild Card spot, they would face the division winner with the worst record, which is currently the Milwaukee Brewers.

This would set the stage for a potential rematch of the 2022 NL Wild Card, where the Mets squared off against the Padres.

2. NL Wild Card Rematch: Mets vs. Padres

Can you imagine if Joe Musgrove’s sweaty ears make an appearance again against the Mets in a playoff game?

Yes, the infamous ear-gate came back in 2022, when Musgrove allowed just one hit across seven shutout innings in a clinching Game 3 against the New York Mets. Both the Mets and Padres failed to make it back to the playoffs last season, and have had a great resurgence this year.

Some of the main faces are the same, like Manny Machado, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso, but there are plenty of others who are new to the scene, such as Rookie of the Year favorite Jackson Merrill and Mets sophomore standout Mark Vientos.

The Wild Card round itself is still in it’s infancy, so getting a rematch of any kind is rare. For it to be one where the series actually went three games, and had such notable subplots, a rematch could be great theatre. Especially if Musgrove gets the ball for Game 3 again.

3. Witt vs. Gunnar: Royals vs. Orioles

If the last two years have been any indication, the American League is now home to the best two young shortstops in baseball, with Bobby Witt. Jr. and Gunnar Henderson.

A torrid home run stretch to start the season had some viewing Henderson as the better all-around shortstop of the two, but the marathon has proven Witt to be the top dog at the shortstop position. At least for this season, as he battles Aaron Judge for MVP votes.

Witt is looking to end a postseason drought that goes back to the last time the Royals won the World Series, back in 2015. Meanwhile, the Orioles are looking to clinch their second season playoff berth in as many years, where they hope to make a deeper run than they did last year as the winners of the AL East.

Right now, the most likely Wild Card matchup we have in either league is the one between the Royals and Orioles, with Baltimore set to host as the top Wild Card seed.

4. David Stearns’ Past vs. Present Mets vs. Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers have put together a fantastic season, where they just won their division in back-to-back years for the first time since 1981 and 1982.

Brewers GM Matt Arnold has presided over this great two-year stretch, but his predecessor still gets a lot of credit for the winning infrastructure that was built dating back to the 2018 season.

David Stearns, the current President of Baseball Operations for the New York Mets, used to hold the same title for the Milwaukee Brewers. He took over baseball ops after the 2015 season, and had the Brewers atop their division three years later.

The Brewers made it to Game 7 of the NLCS in 2018, which would be the closest Stearns got to having one of his teams in the World Series. This was the start of a four-year span where the Brewers made the playoffs every season, albeit with plenty of early exits.

When the Brewers missed the playoffs in 2022, Stearns moved to an advisory role and his GM Matt Arnold took over as the head of baseball ops. Now in Stearns first year with a new team, those franchises could be a on collision course in the playoffs.

The Mets both opened their season at home against the Brewers and got swept. They are set to face them once again at the end of next week, closing their season in Milwaukee.

This could make things a bit more convenient for the Mets when it comes to travel, as these teams could square off if the Mets land in the final Wild Card spot.

5. William Contreras Revenge Series: Braves vs. Brewers

William Contreras is going to get some MVP votes for how he has helped lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a division title with the help of Willy Adames, Jackson Chourio and others.

Who would have seen his leap to stardom not even two full years ago, when Contreras was traded as part of a three-team deal that send fellow catcher Sean Murphy to the Braves.

Atlanta thought they were getting the better all-around catcher in Murphy, who they quickly signed to a six-year, $73 million extension after making the deal.

While Murphy has been solid enough for the Braves, his production has paled in comparison to Contreras, who makes a strong case for being the best catcher in baseball this year.

The Braves are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff field, but are only two games out of the race, with 10 to go. If the Braves are able to sneak back into the playoff picture, the Brewers would be the most likely team they would face in the first round.

6. Astros vs. Tigers

For this last one we really could have just made it, “Houston Astros vs. Pick your fighter”, as there is no telling who will grab the final Wild Card spot in the AL. There is still a world where the Mariners sneak back in, which would be a great division rivalry to watch in a Wild Card series.

Still, it is more trending like a matchup between the Astros and however finishes third in the AL Central. Right now, the Twins hold a half-game lead, but the Tigers are surging.

Since July 4th, the Tigers have the best record in the American League, and they are coming off a sweep of the Kansas City Royals. If the Tigers can finish off this Cinderella run to October, they would clinch their first playoff berth in a decade.

Waiting for them would be the team that has most dominated the past decade, the Houston Astros.

This would set up a homecoming for Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who infamously won the World Series leading the Astros back in 2017. Hinch was fired as the fall guy for the Astros sign-stealing scandal, and would later become in the Tigers manager in 2020.

If Hinch were to lead his team past what would be a heavily-favored Astros team in the Wild Card round that would be a remarkable story to say the least.