MLB Playoffs

With just over one week left in the long slog that is the MLB regular season, the playoff pictures in both leagues are becoming clearer with each passing day. Each of the six division races is all but over, but teams in both the American League and National League continue to claw at each other's heels in their final attempts to secure wild-card spots. 

We are less than two weeks away from the start of the 2016 MLB playoffs, with the AL Wild Card Game set to be played on Oct. 4 and the NL Wild Card Game slated for Oct. 5.

Anything can happen in October—as we've seen time and again—and trying to predict how the postseason will shake out is often an exercise in futility.

That being said, it's still fun to try to guess the results before the postseason festivities begin, and that's exactly what we've done here.

When MLB added a second wild-card spot for each league in 2012, this is exactly what it wanted.

Less than two weeks remain before the 2016 regular season ends, but all four bids in the American League and National League Wild Card Games are still up for grabs. While three teams fight furiously for a shot at the NL play-in game, multiple teams still lurk in the AL picture.

MLB's 162-game regular season might not prove enough to set the playoff picture.

In order to manufacture more drama, MLB instituted a second wild-card spot and one-game matchup for entry into the division series. The initiative has paid dividends this season, when 10 teams remain five or fewer games from one of those spots.

Usually a trial run for rookies, MLB's September roster expansions have instead become a portal for second chances.

Prominent prospects are now typically promoted before the final month, especially if they can help a contender. In years past, Alex Bregman, Gary Sanchez and Jameson Taillon might have debuted as September call-ups.

Now it looks like they should have arrived sooner.

Roughly three weeks are left in the 2016 MLB regular season, and while the playoff picture is taking shape, there is still a lot to be decided before October.

In the American League, 10 legitimate contenders remain. The Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers have a strong hold on their respective division leads, but the AL East is now a four-team race, and the two wild-card spots are wide-open.

We're midway through the final month of the 2016 MLB season and by all accounts, there are still five postseason spots up for grabs.

On the National League side, the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals look like locks to win the Central and East Divisions, respectively, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are leading the NL West by four games, are a safe bet to reach the postseason in some capacity.

That leaves the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals fighting for the two remaining spots.

The divide between MLB contenders and pretenders is smaller than ever, increasing the impact of each contributor on the roster.

As many as 19 teams are in the postseason running with less than a month remaining. Most of them can thank the new wild-card format, as no division outside the American League East hosts an intense neck-and-neck race.

With so many teams ravaged by injuries, clubs are learning the importance of depth. No one star can carry a team to the World Series. Just ask the Los Angeles Angels.

Roughly four weeks are left in the 2016 MLB regular season, and while the playoff picture is taking shape, there is still a lot to be decided before October.

In the American League, 10 legitimate contenders remain. The Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers have a strong hold on their respective division leads, but the AL East is a three-team race, and the two wild-card spots are wide open with the Detroit Tigers making a strong push of late.

Roughly five weeks are left in the 2016 MLB regular season, and while the playoff picture is taking shape, there is still a lot to be decided before October.

In the American League, 10 legitimate contenders remain. The Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers have a strong hold on their respective division leads, but the AL East is a three-team race, and the two wild-card spots are wide-open.