2021 MLB playoffs expert picks, postseason predictions: Another Dodgers-Astros World Series?

The 2021 Major League Baseball regular season has concluded and now it’s time to crown a champion. That is, after we go through the wild card, divisional, league championship and World Series rounds. It’ll take around a month and what an action-packed month it’ll be. You can find the full 2021 MLB postseason schedule here.

For purposes of entertainment and possibly your mockery, we’re here to offer up our predictions for the playoffs. We all know just how unpredictable the playoffs can be (how many people had the 2019 Nationals getting through the Dodgers and Astros?), so some of these are bound to be incorrect. It’s a win-win, though, because not only will you be thoroughly entertained, but you also get to yell at us for missing picks and that’s pretty funny.

Let’s get on with the show with picks for every round of the 2021 playoffs from our five CBS Sports MLB scribes.

2021 MLB postseason staff picks

So that’s unanimous choices for both Wild Card Games (sorry, Red Sox and Cardinals fans), as well as a sweeping choice of the Astros over the White Sox in the ALDS. The Astros reach the Fall Classic for the third time in five years in four of our five projections, and two writers picked Houston to win it all. The Dodgers are also a popular choice to repeat as champions, while the Giants (baseball’s best team in the regular season) were picked once to win the 2021 World Series.

The Astros, Dodgers and Giants are three of the top four favorites to win it all this October. Here are the World Series odds entering the 2021 postseason (via Caesars Sportsbook):

• Dodgers: +375 
• Astros: +475 
• Rays: +650 
• Giants: +675 
• White Sox: +750 
• Brewers: +800 
• Yankees: +1200 
• Braves: +1200 
• Red Sox: +1600 
• Cardinals: +2000

The playoffs kick off Tuesday night with the Red Sox hosting the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game.