MLB playoffs: Ranking the World Series contenders, from 1 to 8

Gabe Lacques USA TODAY

Published 12:50 PM EDT Oct 4, 2018

Hail and farewell to the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics, who definitely participated in Major League Baseball's 2018 playoffs. Now that the wild-card losers have been vanquished, the remaining field gains significant clarity.

And some teams are positioned far better than others.

Ranking the eight remaining teams based on their ability to win the World Series - and the path they must take to get there:

1. Dodgers

Location, location, location. The Dodgers reside in the National League, which means an automatic bye against the four best teams in the field. Unfair, you say? Well, for whatever it's worth, the NL actually bested the American League in interleague play this season. The Dodgers claimed a division in which four teams were trying in earnest to win; they shouldn't have to apologize for the road ahead.

And that road begins with what looks like the softest possible opponent in the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers open at home, will throw a pair of lefties at Freddie Freeman in Hyun-jin Ryu and erstwhile ace Clayton Kershaw and appear to possess the top shutdown starter in the NL field in rookie Walker Buehler. Also, home runs.

It's not hard to imagine the Dodgers making quick work of the Braves and awaiting the survivor of what could be a slobberknocker of a five-game series between the Rockies and Brewers.

Sure, they'd be underdogs to their AL opponent in the World Series, but in this game, access is everything.

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2. Astros

The good news for Houston is it only has to beat two of the Indians, Red Sox and Yankees. The bad news is, the Indians present a significant matchup problem in the Division Series. They will stack power arms against them to start and relieve, with Trevor Bauer a particularly daunting multi-inning option early in the ALDS. And the Astros, strangely, can't hit at home - a .248 average at Minute Maid Park and more homers on the road (113) than their own cozy ballpark (92).

Yet, the Astros are so good, so young, so potent and so versatile. They can beat you in ways both traditional (hand the ball to Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Dallas Keuchel, Charlie Morton) or otherwise (good luck plowing through Hector Rondon, Ryan Pressly and Roberto Osuna whenever they opt to bring them in). They're the defending champs best aligned to repeat since probably the 2008-2009 Phillies.

3. Red Sox

Yeah, 108 wins doesn't buy much anymore. Don't get us wrong: The Red Sox may very well hammer every opponent into submission and run roughshod to a championship behind an offense that led the AL in everything except home runs.

They also will likely face consecutive 100-win teams in the AL playoffs, starting with the Yankees. And there are questions.

Will Chris Sale find his missing velocity? Can David Price and Rick Porcello truly give them a 1-2-3 punch? Will relatively anonymous relievers like Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes be folk heroes or goats come the end of October?

4. Brewers

After a 20-7 finishing kick, they're officially The Team Nobody Wants to Play. You saw their formula in a micro sense in that Game 163 against the Cubs: A lot of Christian Yelich, a dash of competent starting pitching, a deadly bullpen.

They catch a nice break in the NLDS by avoiding Colorado's top two starters out of the gate. They'll enjoy a significant home-field advantage at Miller Park. Yet, should they reach the World Series, a starting rotation that ranked 12th in the NL in strikeouts is bound to get peppered by the AL champ, likely stretching their bullpen too thin.

5. Indians

If you're a betting man or woman, the Indians are the best World Series value pick (currently 8-to-1), under the theory the AL field is a crapshoot and the survivor will topple its NL foe. Oh, they're pretty good on paper, too.

MVP candidates Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor are exactly what you want in the playoffs: Elite hitters who put the ball in play. Josh Donaldson is a staggering X factor. There are questions surrounding relievers Cody Allen and Andrew Miller's performance and health, but there are plenty of arms down there to figure it out.

And who would you rather have at the controls than Terry Francona, who is guaranteed to face a first-time manager in the ALCS should the Indians advance.

6. Rockies

Kinda smells like Rocktober, no? These Rockies haven't quite replicated the 21-1 run their 2007 edition put together, but after surviving a three-day, three-time zone odyssey to land in the NLDS, they will be fearless.

Situationally, it's a tough spot, though. Ace Kyle Freeland won't be available until Game 3 of the NLDS. They won't have home-field advantage, and were just 3-7 at Dodger Stadium this year and lost five of seven overall to Milwaukee.

7. Yankees

They're suddenly a very chic pick after blasting the A's in the wild-card game, and for good reason. Aaron Judge's gradual recovery appears complete. Dellin Betances is a late-inning dude again. They won 100 games, for pete's sake.

Yet, there's just no getting around the staggering test ahead: Toppling the Red Sox and probably the Astros with a rotation that at times can be tenuous. They can certainly play powerball with the Red Sox, Astros or Indians. Can they out-pitch them?

8. Braves

The great unknown. It's not hard to imagine a quick exit for Atlanta, admittedly ahead of schedule with its rebuild. Mike Foltyniewicz does provide them a legit Game 1 starter and Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuña Jr. are both capable of carrying an offense. Yet, when your No. 2 starter is Anibal Sanchez and your bullpen ranks 10th in the NL in ERA and eighth in strikeouts - well, those are problems that can't be fixed until winter.

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