The final week of the 2021 MLB regular season might not be as unpredictable as the standings seem to indicate. A few contenders are considered heavy favorites to lock up the final postseason berths in the American League and National League.

With four teams separated by just 2.5 total games in the AL wild-card race, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are expected to clinch the two playoff spots. The Los Angeles Dodgers are unlikely to catch the San Francisco Giants in the NL West. It would be surprising to see the Atlanta Braves blow their NL East lead to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Despite trailing the Yankees by a game in the wild-card standings, the Red Sox lead the way with an 86.1% chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. New York is given an 80.6% chance to hold onto a wild-card berth.

The Yankees just swept the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The rivals are likely headed for a rematch next week with a spot in the ALDS on the line.

The Toronto Blue Jays host the Yankees in a three-game series. Toronto is two games behind New York, and FanGraphs gives the Blue Jays a 28.2% chance to make the postseason. The Seattle Mariners only have a 4.9% chance to play in the AL Wild-Card Game, despite sitting just 1.5 games behind Boston.

FanDuel Sportsbook has made the Yankees massive -480 favorites to make the playoffs. The Red Sox have -310 playoff odds. The Blue Jays have +154 postseason odds. The Mariners are playoff long shots at +710.

The Houston Astros have a 4.5-game lead over the Mariners in the AL West with a magic number of two. The Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays have already won the AL Central and AL East, respectively.

The Milwaukee Brewers have clinched the NL Central title, and the St. Louis Cardinals are on the verge of clinching the second NL wild-card berth. San Francisco is given an 83.8% chance to win the NL West, which would give Los Angeles the first NL wild-card spot.

The Giants have a two-game lead over the Dodgers and an easier upcoming schedule. L.A. is 13 games ahead of the Cardinals in the wild-card standings with a 22-game edge over the third-place San Diego Padres in the division.

San Francisco has -410 odds to win the NL West at FanDuel. Los Angeles has +310 odds to win its ninth straight division title.

The Phillies are 2.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East. Philadelphia controls its playoff destiny since they visit Atlanta for a three-game series. The Phillies, however, are given little hope of making up enough ground in a week with a 12.9% chance of winning the division.

Atlanta has an 87.1% chance to win the NL East. Doing so would set up an NLDS meeting between the Braves and Brewers.

The Braves are -650 NL East favorites. The Phillies have +440 odds to win their first division title in a decade.

Yankees Giancarlo Stanton Aaron Judge
Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees reacts with Aaron Judge #99 after hitting a two run home run during the eighth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox on September 26, 2021 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images
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