The 2022 MLB season is only a month old, but it’s never too early to take a look at the playoff bracket. Because games in April count as much in the standings as games in September, the league’s top teams have given themselves a strong chance to play October baseball.

MLB’s new playoff format has expanded the postseason from 10 to 12 teams. In addition to the three division winners from each league, the AL and NL will have three wild-card teams apiece.

The teams with the two-best records in each league get a bye to the division series. The remaining eight MLB playoff teams will compete in the wild-card round. The higher-seeded team in each wild-card matchup will host every game in a best-of-three series.

If the 2022 season ended after a month, the New York Yankees (18-7) and Los Angeles Angels (17-10) would receive an automatic berth to the ALDS. The Los Angeles Dodgers (16-7) and Milwaukee Brewers (18-8) would clinch a spot in the NLDS.

The Yankees are the AL’s No. 1 seed and sit atop the overall MLB standings. New York just had an 11-game losing streak snapped. Anthony Rizzo and Aaron Judge are tied for an MLB-high nine home runs. The Yankees lead the AL in runs per game and ERA.

It’s no surprise to see the Dodgers with the NL’s best record. The overwhelming World Series since the offseason, the Dodgers lead MLB with a miniscule 2.21 ERA through 23 games.

The Minnesota Twins (15-11) lead the AL Central and are in line to have home-field advantage in the wild-card round as the No. 3 seed. The Tampa Bay Rays (16-10) lead the AL wild-card standings and would host a wild-card series as the No. 4 seed.

Tampa Bay hosts the Toronto Blue Jays (16-11) in the latest playoff bracket. The Houston Astros (15-11) are the final AL wild-card team and on track to visit Minnesota for a three-game series.

The New York Mets (19-9) are in the playoffs as the top team in the NL East. They would host the St. Louis Cardinals (15-10) in a wild-card series.

As the top wild-card team, the San Diego Padres (17-9) are in line to host the Colorado Rockies (15-10).

The standings could radically change over the next few months. Despite owning the best record in baseball, the Yankees are only three games ahead of the third-place Blue Jays in the AL East. Both Toronto and Tampa Bay have a better record than the NL Central leader.

The Chicago White Sox (11-13) entered the season as heavy favorites to win the NL Central. Chicago trails Minnesota by three games in the division.

The Mets have the biggest division lead in baseball, leading the second-place Miami Marlins (12-13) by 5.5 games. If the NL East proves to be weak for the entire season, New York could seize the No. 1 seed.

The NL West has been the best division in baseball. No team in the division has a losing record after a month. The San Francisco Giants (14-11) are out of the playoff bracket, but they only have two fewer wins than the Dodgers.

The NL Central appears to be a two-team race between the Brewers and Cardinals.

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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