The 2024 MLB wild card round has officially wrapped up and we now shift our attention towards the divisional round.

The Yankees, Guardians, Phillies, and Dodgers all had byes and waited to see who their opponent would be. Now that it’s finalized, here’s a preview of every divisional series matchup.

ALDS: Guardians vs. Tigers

The Detroit Tigers have emerged as a Cinderella team this postseason and have been one of the main storylines in baseball.

Detroit came into Houston and swept an Astros ball club that has experienced more winning than any other team in the league since 2017. Most of the Tigers’ success has been due to how great their pitching staff has been, which is led by AL Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal. If they can plate around 3-4 runs a game, the pitching usually takes care of the rest; that has been their main structure of winning.

Without the grit and toughness of this team, they would not be where they are right now. On the other hand, the Cleveland Guardians came in as the No. 2 seed in the AL and the strength of the team has been their bullpen. In the regular season, their 2.57 bullpen ERA ranked No. 1 in the league.

The Guardians do have their flaws, however. They have been shutout in 15 games this season and their 4.40 ERA from starting pitchers ranks 24th in all of baseball.

With how elite the back end of the bullpen is for both teams, the key for Cleveland and Detroit will be to play ahead late in games. Don’t be surprised if we see a low-scoring, hard-fought series between these two teams.

ALDS: Yankees vs. Royals

The Kansas City Royals are fresh off sweeping the Baltimore Orioles in the wild-card round, and their starting pitching was as dominant as it’s been all year long.

The duo of Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo has been one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball, but the Royals will not have either one of them starting on the mound for Game 1 of the ALDS.

The main struggles Kansas City has experienced this season is the lack of depth in their offense. Bobby Witt Jr. led the show for the lineup throughout the year, as he will most likely be the runner-up for AL MVP behind Aaron Judge.

If the Royals want to pull off the upset, they will have to take advantage of the Yankees’ inconsistent starting pitching, along with finding a way to slow down their two superstars, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Although they are both a very tough out every time they come to the plate, New York’s lineup behind them is pretty vulnerable despite the team leading the AL in runs scored this season.

Gerrit Cole will start Game 1, and after him, it’s a rotation that could either get the job done with ease or completely lay an egg. They will need Carlos Rodon and Luis Gil to step up.

As for the bullpen, the Yankees have Jake Cousins, Tommy Kahnle, and Luke Weaver. Weaver has taken over the closer spot after Clay Holmes struggled in that role all year. Since getting his initial opportunity to pitch the ninth inning, Weaver’s been fantastic.

In a sense, the Yankees just have to go out and play their game. When they play up to their standard, they can beat anyone.

NLDS: Dodgers vs. Padres

The San Diego Padres have been one of the hottest teams in baseball throughout the second half of the season, and that momentum stayed afloat during the wild card round as they swept the Atlanta Braves.

If there is a wild-card team the league should be afraid of, it’s the Padres.

They have one of the more complete rosters in all of baseball. The lineup is deep, the starting rotation with Michael King, Dylan Cease, and Yu Darvish is effective, along with the bullpen that got addressed heavily at the trade deadline by adding Jason Adam, Tanner Scott, and Bryan Hoeing. Before those additions, they already had Jeremiah Estrada and Robert Suarez.

San Diego did suffer a blow in Game 2 of their series against the Braves when Joe Musgrove had to leave the game due to elbow tightness. It has since been revealed that he needs Tommy John surgery.

The Padres pitching staff as a whole will need to figure out how they are going to pitch against the top-heavy Dodgers lineup.

Los Angeles, whose 98 wins were more than any other team in baseball this season, are looking to rebound against San Diego just two years removed from losing to them in the NLDS.

The Dodgers’ main issue this season is the number of injuries they have suffered in their starting pitching staff. They will most likely need to rely on their bullpen if they want to win this series and they are going to have to live up to the task against the very talented Padres offense.

LA will have the star power of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman that will help lead their offense, but the big question mark will be if their pitching staff can get them over the top throughout the series.

NLDS: Phillies vs. Mets

The New York Mets just completed a spectacular comeback win in Game 3 of their wild-card series against the Milwaukee Brewers when Pete Alonso hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning. A huge home run not only for the Mets, but Alonso himself who really needed it after his disappointing regular season. Will that home run spark a big NLDS for Alonso against the Mets’ division rivals?

The Mets are a very hot team, and with six teams from each league making the playoffs in MLB’s new format implemented prior to the 2022 season, the wild-card teams have benefitted from that switch up to this point.

On paper, the Philadelphia Phillies are a better baseball team especially when considering they have a fresh pitching staff, but that doesn’t mean the Mets can’t win the series.

What the Mets do have is a lineup that has been very good, and the starting rotation has pitchers that are capable of just doing their job and giving their team a chance to win games.

New York’s biggest worry is their bullpen. If they can find a way to get the ball to Edwin Diaz, who can be worrisome at times, late in games, this is when it could favor the Mets if Diaz if effective.

Against a very tough Phillies lineup that features Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm, JT Realmuto, and Nick Castellanos, the Mets starters will have to give them some length.

The Phillies have been sitting around for a week, so it’s important for them to come out ready to play. When this team is at their best, similar to the Padres, they are the most complete team in baseball, top to bottom.

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