We’re one week into the 2025 MLB playoffs, with two games having now been played in all four division series matchups.

In the small-sample-size world of October baseball, it might seem like that means we’ve seen enough to know a lot. But the reality for a sport that combines 162-game seasons with the chaos of short playoff series is: Things can change in a hurry this time of year.

As we do early in every MLB regular season, we asked our MLB experts to go all-in on one thing they’ve noticed by giving us their boldest prediction for the rest of the postseason based on what they’ve seen so far.

Some of our predictions are quite bold, whereas others took a milder approach. But all of them have a chance of becoming smokin’ hot by the time the World Series trophy is raised this month — or ending up freezing cold.

The themes that we’ll all be talking about

All four division series will go five games

The division series was introduced 30 years ago, and only once, in 2012, did all four of them go the distance. It’ll happen again this year — even though three of the four have already begun with a 2-0 lead.

The gap among the eight remaining playoff contenders feels smaller this year than it has in quite a while, especially with arguably the two best, the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers, squaring off so early. The New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs are perfectly capable of winning back-to-games at home. The series between the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners, which began with a split in Seattle, seems primed to extend into a fifth game. And though the Phillies have their backs against the wall, coming off two straight losses in Philadelphia, they have the ability to take two in a row at Dodger Stadium — heck, they did it less than a month ago. — Alden Gonzalez

One pitch will decide October

The team that wins the World Series will be the team that has the best differential in performance between throwing splitters and hitting them. Do I know if this will happen? Definitely not! But the proliferation of splitters so far in the postseason has been staggering.

TruMedia has pitch-type data going back to 2008. The percentage of pitches classified as splitters has ranged from 0.2% (2016) to 3.1% (2023). So far this year: 5.7%. The leading practitioners: the Toronto Blue Jays, by far, at 25.9%, mostly thanks to Kevin Gausman and the amazing Trey Yesavage. Incidentally, they were also by far the best-hitting team against splitters in the regular season (.346 WOBA). Guess this means the Jays are going to win it all. — Bradford Doolittle

The success of the splitter this October will make it the most-talked-about pitch in the spring

The eye-opening postseason performances of Trey Yesavage, Kevin Gausman and Roki Sasaki will serve as jet fuel for the rising popularity of the split-fingered fastball. There was already growing interest in the splitter throughout the 2025 season, thanks to the success of the likes of Hurston Waldrep. Then, along came Yesavage and Gausman and their diving splitters, neutralizing the powerful Yankees: In the first two games of the ALDS, New York was 0-for-22 with 13 strikeouts in at-bats ending with a splitter. The Yankees swung at splitters 39 times and missed 24 times. In a copycat industry, you can bet a ton of pitchers will be tinkering with splitters before next spring, just as hundreds of pitchers adopted cutters because of Mariano Rivera. — Buster Olney

The stars who will shine all postseason

Cal Raleigh will outhomer every other 60-home-run hitter in the postseason — combined

The Mariners’ star slugger just became the fifth player to reach the postseason on the heels of a 60-homer season. The others?

1927 Babe Ruth: 2 HR in 4 games
1961 Roger Maris: 1 HR in 5 games
1998 Sammy Sosa: 0 HR in 3 games
2022 Aaron Judge: 2 HR in 9 games

Raleigh didn’t leave the yard in the first two games of the ALDS against Detroit, but he did collect four hits while Julio Rodriguez, batting behind him, supplied the power. Given Seattle’s balance, depth and October path, it’s easy to envision a long run — and with it, at least half a dozen blasts from the Big Dumper. — Paul Hembekides

Jackson Chourio will become the 10th player to win both LCS and World Series MVPs

Why doubt the Milwaukee Brewers now? They’ve enjoyed a magical run to this point and have looked great at the onset of the division series. Chourio has been quite the table-setter — he had three hits in two innings in Game 1 — and he’s one of the game’s budding superstars. This October is his breakout party. — Tristan Cockcroft

Roki Sasaki, Jhoan Duran and Andres Munoz will post nothing but zeros

This trio — two relief aces and a starter-turned-closer for the playoffs — won’t give up an earned run in either the LDS or LCS. Munoz and Duran were two of the top relievers in the sport this year, and Sasaki started looking like one in the past couple of weeks, which my colleague Jeff Passan broke down in his dive into how the Dodgers fixed their flamethrower. — Kiley McDaniel

Roki Sasaki Clayton Kershaw will record the final out of the 2025 World Series

As Dodgers manager Dave Roberts goes game to game in the postseason trying to figure out exactly which relievers he can trust in a big moment, how about this for the ultimate scenario: Kershaw, in his final pitch in the majors, gets that final out. Maybe it’s a save. Maybe it’s a blowout. Maybe the game goes extra innings. Maybe it’s an act of desperation after Roberts uses Roki Sasaki — who’s looking more and more like Roberts’ closer — earlier in the game. And that final pitch? A big, looping 72 mph curveball. — David Schoenfield

The teams that we’ll be watching all October

The Blue Jays will average 10 runs per game in the playoffs

Well, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and pals are certainly off to a great start, but why stop after two blowout wins over the Yankees? The Blue Jays hammered Luis Gil, Max Fried, Will Warren and Luke Weaver. Will Carlos Rodon, Cam Schlittler (maybe, if the series goes to Game 4) and whichever pitchers other remaining teams throw at the Blue Jays do better? Probably, but Vlad Jr., Daulton Varsho, Alejandro Kirk, George Springer, Ernie Clement and eventually Bo Bichette are ready to make history! — Eric Karabell

Toronto won’t lose a game until the World Series

The Blue Jays have enough pitching to win every game on the way to the World Series. So much so that Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt weren’t even needed in the ALDS and were left off the roster. They might be in the ALCS, but even then, Toronto will have choices to make for its rotation. The emergence of rookie Trey Yesavage has changed the calculus for the Jays on the mound, giving them more options than most teams at this time of year.

Add in the potential return of Bichette, Toronto’s great home record (tops in the AL) and a potential long series between the Tigers and Mariners on the other side of the AL bracket, and the Blue Jays are set up for a potential undefeated run to the Fall Classic. Their smoking hot offense might get them there on its own. — Jesse Rogers

The Yankees will send the ALDS back to Toronto

As underwater as they look, the Yankees have a pathway back into this series despite a 2-0 deficit. Shane Bieber, the Blue Jays’ Game 3 starter, is going to fill up the strike zone — and has been homer-prone in recent starts. And with the short porch in right field calling, the Yankees’ left-handed bats will answer. Getting to Game 4 brings Cam Schlittler, who, in his first postseason start, threw eight shutout innings and punched out 12 without walking a batter. Although the Blue Jays are ball-in-play merchants, Schlittler’s stuff is overwhelming enough to quiet them and make for a Game 5 for the ages at Rogers Centre. — Jeff Passan

The Dodgers are going to 2019 Washington Nationals their way through the postseason

Washington rode five starting pitchers and three relievers all the way from the do-or-die wild-card game through its World Series Game 7 victory over the heavily favored Houston Astros. Led by starters Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin and Anibal Sanchez, eight pitchers combined to pitch 141⅔ of the Nationals’ 153 playoff innings. Joe Ross, who got a spot start in Game 5 of the World Series, was the fifth starter Washington used.

Those Nationals happened to topple the Dodgers in the NLDS.

This year’s Dodgers, like those Nationals, boast a deep rotation and a shaky bullpen. Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Emmett Sheehan, Roki Sasaki and Alex Vesia should absorb the bulk of the October workload. Of those eight pitchers, only Vesia was primarily a reliever during the regular season. The Nationals proved a version of the formula can work. Six years later, it’s the best recipe for the Dodgers to win a championship. — Jorge Castillo

The Dodgers will sweep their way to a repeat

With 10 hitters who hit double-digit home runs during the regular season, the Dodgers simply don’t have to worry about that one bat going cold. And outside of Yamamoto, none of their pitchers has thrown over 125 innings — but they have such a depth in their rotation that they’ve been able to push some of their starters to the bullpen in October.

It’s all hands on deck in any game they need it. — AJ Mass

The 2025 World Series champion won’t come out of the Dodgers-Phillies NLDS

Ever since the bracket for this postseason was set — even before the Dodgers advanced out of the wild-card series to make the meeting official — there has been a thought percolating that Los Angeles vs. Philadelphia was this year’s true World Series (or at least NLCS) playing out in the division series round. Well, I’m here to tell you that is not a foregone conclusion.

Yes, the Phillies and the Dodgers possess the most talent of any teams in the sport — but that didn’t stop the Brewers from going a combined 10-2 against Philly and L.A. during the regular season. And how about those Blue Jays (the team two of my colleagues predicted very big things for above), or the Mariners, who definitely have the it factor on their side, or the Tigers, who have the best pitcher on the planet (excluding at-bats vs. Jorge Polanco) on theirs.

I’m going to play the percentages here and say someone other than the Phillies or Dodgers will be the last team standing. — Dan Mullen

Deion Sanders’ health has been a closely followed topic this offseason. In June, reports surfaced that the Pro Football Hall of Famer was sidelined with an unspecified illness.

In July, Sanders revealed he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer. During a news conference with his doctors, Sanders shared that a portion of his intestine had been surgically reconstructed to function as a bladder.

In his postgame press conference on Saturday, Sanders predicted he was facing more blood clots. “Cat’s out of the bag, all right. I think I’ve got more blood clots,” Sanders said on Saturday. “It don’t make sense. I’m hurting like crazy… I’m not getting blood to my leg. That’s why my leg is throbbing.”

The blood clot issue resulted in the amputation of two toes on his left foot in 2021. Sanders was coaching at Jackson State at the time. In 2023, the two-time Super Bowl champion missed Pac-12 media day to address a blood clot in his right leg and another surgery to correct curved toes on his left foot.

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Sanders said Tuesday’s operation, which is known as an aspiration thrombectomy, is expected to take several hours. He plans to return to the sideline in time for Colorado’s practice on Wednesday.

DOCTORS SHARE BLADDER CANCER WARNING SIGNS AFTER DEION SANDERS REVEALS DIAGNOSIS AND RECOVERY

“I am having a procedure today,” Sanders said during a press conference on Tuesday. “Prayerfully, I’ll be right back tomorrow ‘cause I don’t miss practice. I don’t plan on doing such. It is what it is, and we found what we found… I have a wonderful team of doctors at UC Health and a wonderful team of trainers here.”

He added: “It has nothing to do with me working at the level I’m trying to compete at. It is hereditary. It is what it is… I trust God with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind.”

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders calls for a time out in the first half of an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Former NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones attended Tuesday’s media session as a show of support. Sanders appreciates all the texts and phone calls from people expressing their concern over his health.

“I’ve got a lot of well-wishes, of people talking about: ‘You need to slow down. You need to take a break,’” Sanders said. “There’s nothing that I could’ve done to stop what’s transpiring. Nothing that I could’ve taken or something that I’m just not abiding by. It is what it is.”

Following his bladder cancer diagnosis and treatment, Sanders frequently needs to use the restroom, so the school introduced a portable sideline bathroom for him during games that’s sponsored by Depend underwear.

University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders speaks about his journey beating bladder cancer during a press conference at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado on Monday, July 28, 2025. (AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

“I’m going to go in there [surgery], and I’m going to get some of the best sleep in the world for, I think, four hours, the surgery is going to be,” Sanders said Tuesday.

“I’ve never been high a day in my life. I’ve never drank, smoked or anything. But when I get those surgeries, I am there on time.”

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The Buffaloes are 15-16 since Sanders took over as their coach leading into the 2023 season. They’re trying to get on track this season as they replace quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The NCAA is officially moving transfer portal season in college football from December to January.

The Division I Administrative Committee voted Tuesday to adopt the proposed dates of Jan. 2-16 as the new transfer portal window for all FBS and FCS players in 2026.

College football players, including graduate transfers, now must wait until Jan. 2 to officially enter their names in the NCAA transfer portal and initiate contact with other schools. The reform is expected to be finalized at the conclusion of the Administrative Committee’s meetings on Wednesday.

The new 15-day transfer portal windows opens one day after College Football Playoff quarterfinals conclude. Players on the two teams competing in the CFP national championship game on Jan. 19 will get an additional five-day period from Jan. 20 to 24 to enter the portal after their season ends.

The Division I Administrative Committee also approved a reform around the transfer window exception granted to football players after a head coaching change. Effective immediately, starting five days after a new head coach is hired or announced, players will have a 15-day window to enter their names in the portal.

Until now, players were given a 30-day window to enter the portal immediately after a coaching change, which can lead to large numbers of players departing a program before the arrival of the next head coach.

Players at Arkansas, Oklahoma State, UCLA and Virginia Tech will be grandfathered in under the previous rule and are currently permitted to enter the transfer portal after head coaches at those programs were fired in September.

The FBS and FCS oversight committees initially proposed moving to a 10-day portal window in January but agreed to extend the window to 15 days in response to student-athlete feedback.

The Division I Administrative Council had already eliminated the 15-day spring transfer window in college football last month, formally moving the sport to a single offseason period for transfer activity.

While FBS head coaches have been pushing for a single transfer window since January, there are still expected to be challenges to this reform in the months ahead. Attorney Tom Mars wrote on X last week that “experienced antitrust lawyers will be at the courthouse before the sun comes up” to contest the new 15-day window as overly restrictive.

During the 2024-25 school year, more than 4,900 FBS players and more than 3,200 FCS players entered their names in the NCAA transfer portal in another record-setting year for transfer movement.