Each of the 12 MLB playoff teams can win the World Series, right? Some are expected to, while others are just relieved to reach October. Each team has plenty of reasons as to why they'll be hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy in five weeks' time – and several for why they'll fall short.

The Athletic's MLB staff takes a swing at predicting which teams will meet in the World Series ... and which one will come home a champion.

The Yankees are battle-tested after their World Series run last year, experience that can help them in the playoffs.

Bruce Bochy is out after a three-year stint that began with the Rangers' first World Series championship in 2023.

After Chicago lost the championship, eight White Sox players were charged with throwing the World Series. Despite earning the nickname the “Black Sox,” the men were acquitted by a jury in 1921, that deliberated just 2 hours and 47 minutes.

Harold Reynolds joins Dan Patrick to preview the MLB playoffs, explaining why the Dodgers are his overall favorite, his lean in the AL MVP race, the possibility of the Angels trading Mike Trout, and more.

There's plenty of symmetry between the careers of Roberts and Boone, who once played in college against each other in the Pac-10 in the 1990s -- Roberts at UCLA, Boone at USC. They're two names synonymous with the Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry in the early 2000s -- Boone's walk-off homer in 2003, Roberts' infamous stolen base in 2004.

The World Series chase begins Tuesday as 12 teams battle it out to call themselves champions. October baseball elevates stars