The 2026 MLB playoff field was nearly cut in half Wednesday night. Amid the carnage, the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres were all eliminated. The Cleveland Guardians were the only team that trailed in a series and still lived to play another day.

The next World Series champion is closer to being crowned with every game, but fans who want to know the winner sooner might look to the latest expert predictions and oddsmakers’ lines for a glimpse of what lies ahead.

A First-Time Title in Milwaukee?

Five MLB franchises have never won a World Series title. A few experts at ESPN think the Milwaukee Brewers could remove themselves from that group.

In a recent batch of bold playoff predictions, three ESPN experts built their forecasts around the Brewers winning it all. Tristan Cockcroft called for Milwaukee’s breakout star, Jackson Chourio, to “become the 10th player to win LCS and World Series MVPs.” Eric Karabell predicted a combined no-hitter from Jacob Misiorowski, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill in Game 1 of the World Series. AJ Mass predicted that Milwaukee would “trail in every playoff game en route to a championship,” but the Brewers already broke that prediction, as they never trailed in Wednesday’s win.

That is a strong vote of confidence for a club that has never tasted championship glory, and it is hard to call that support undeserved. The Brewers won an MLB-best and franchise-record 103 games this season. They also hold this postseason’s highest OPS at .688 and the second-lowest ERA at 1.80.

Two-Time Defending Champs Aren’t the Favorites?

Ahead of this postseason, The Athletic asked more than 20 of its MLB experts to make World Series predictions. That group did not pick the Los Angeles Dodgers, the winners of the past two World Series, as the most popular choice.

The Brewers ran away with the poll, earning 56 percent of the vote. The Tampa Bay Rays finished second with 24 percent, while the Dodgers received just 16 percent. Milwaukee and Tampa Bay are both credible picks, but the Dodgers’ support is still lower than you would expect from a club with this much star power and this level of recent dominance.

“No team carries as much October hype as Los Angeles,” Katie Woo wrote. “There are rightful concerns over the drop-off in production from Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, but their rotation of aces should carry them through any qualms on the offense. It’s the Dodgers’ title to lose, and they know it.”

Oddsmakers agree with that assessment. But if most of Woo’s colleagues are right, this year’s championship will not return to Los Angeles.