With the postseason looming, these would be the playoff matchups

The 2024 postseason will be here before we know it. And as of Thursday, we do know when it will be here.

Now it's time for this marathon of a season to turn into a two-month sprint to the playoffs. Every contender pulled off at least one deal prior to this week's Trade Deadline to fortify their roster, but no division leader is ahead in the standings by an insurmountable margin, and there are multiple teams in each league within a few games of a Wild Card spot. Seeing how it will all shake out should be endlessly entertaining, but if the regular season did end today, here's what the playoff bracket would look like.

All stats are through Friday’s games.

American League

Byes: Guardians (1) and Orioles (2)

Wild Card Series matchups

Twins (6) at Astros (3)

Royals (5) at Yankees (4)

Just missed: Red Sox (2 games out of WC spot), Mariners (3 1/2 games)

The Guardians are on track to finish with a .600 or better winning percentage for just the second time this century. Even with a bunch of injuries to Cleveland's starting rotation, pitching is still a strength, thanks largely to what is easily the most valuable bullpen in baseball. But this Guardians squad is more dangerous and well-rounded than recent renditions because the lineup is flexing its muscle. After hitting 127 and 124 home runs in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, respectively, the Guardians have belted 123 dingers with 53 games left to play this year.

Despite a 10-15 record since July 4, the Orioles are still enjoying an excellent season. How it finishes will hinge heavily on how Baltimore's parade of rookie hitters perform down the stretch. Colton Cowser looks like he could follow Gunnar Henderson as AL Rookie of the Year. Jackson Holliday's second stint in the big leagues has already been more successful than his first. And a few days after Holliday's return, the Orioles' No. 3 prospect, Coby Mayo, has arrived in the Majors. Mayo's callup was made after Jordan Westburg suffered a fractured right hand Wednesday. As much as the Orioles will miss their young All-Star third baseman, they have the talent to withstand his absence.

Through April 25, only the White Sox and Marlins had a worse record than the Astros' 7-19 mark. Since then, no team has a better record than Houston's 50-33 record. During that span, its once-maligned bullpen has righted the ship, Yordan Alvarez owns the eighth-best OPS in MLB (.948) and right-hander Hunter Brown has picked up the slack for the team's injury-marred rotation. The Astros, aiming for their seventh AL West title in the past eight years, now find themselves in a nip-and-tuck battle with the Mariners atop the division. They should get stronger once Justin Verlander and Kyle Tucker make their expected returns from the injured list at some point this month.

It has been only a few days, but no midseason acquisition has had as much impact as Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s with the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers were limping toward the end of July when they traded for Chisholm on July 27. After helping his new club secure a series victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park, Chisholm almost single-handedly took down the Phillies as the Yanks completed a three-game road sweep of the team with the best record in baseball. He smashed two homers in each of the first two games of the set, making him the first Yankee to belt four homers in his first three games with the team.

"Hot streak" doesn't properly describe what Bobby Witt Jr. is doing right now. He just slashed .489/.520/.833 over the entire month of July. That batting average was the fifth-best in a calendar month since 1930 (minimum 75 at-bats). Oh, and he's pretty good in the field, too. It hasn't been a one-man show in Kansas City; veteran righty Seth Lugo has the highest pitcher run value in the game and the starting staff is tied for third in the Majors with a 3.52 ERA. However, the Royals will go as far as their franchise player will lead them. Right now, he's leading them toward their first playoff berth since their 2015 World Series championship season.

What would the Twins be able to accomplish with Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis healthy and playing alongside one another? Well, we're getting a glimpse of that right now. Buxton has rebounded beautifully from a poor start to the season with 10 homers and an OPS over 1.200 over his past 26 games. Lewis, who has been limited by quad and adductor strains to 31 games this year, has crushed 12 homers in just 112 at-bats. The Twins have boasted a top-10 offense this summer, but their ceiling is unquestionably higher with Buxton and Lewis doing damage.

Division Series matchups

Royals (5) or Yankees (4) at Guardians (1)

Twins (6) or Astros (3) at Orioles (2)

The last time the Guardians led the AL in wins was 2017, a year in which they won 102 games before being upset by the Yankees in the AL Division Series. A rematch could be in the cards this fall. Of course, the Yankees went on to lose to the eventual World Series champion Astros in that season's AL Championship Series, and Houston has reached every League Championship Series since.

The Orioles have sky-high expectations after breaking through with 101 wins in 2023. Deadline additions such as starting pitchers Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers will be looked upon to lift the O's beyond last season's ALDS sweep at the hands of the Rangers.

National League

Byes: Phillies (1) and Dodgers (2)

Wild Card Series matchups

Mets (6) at Brewers (3)

D-backs (5) at Braves (4)

Just missed: Padres (same winning percentage as the Mets, but would lose the tiebreaker due to 0-3 record vs New York this season), Cardinals (2 1/2 games out of WC spot), Pirates (3 games)

The Phillies have been struggling of late, dropping five straight games and 12 of 16 after their 10-2 loss to the Mariners in Seattle on Friday. But Philadelphia has still managed to maintain the top seed in the NL by a slim 2 1/2-game margin over the Dodgers, who also lost on Friday.

A juggernaut during the first half of the season, the Phils built a big lead in the NL East thanks to tremendous starting pitching and a powerful lineup. That lead is down to five games over the Braves, who have been playing well recently, as have the Mets behind them.

With his 0-for-4 night on Friday, Bryce Harper is in a 1-for-34 funk. As goes Harper, so go the Phillies right now -- their high-powered offense just hasn't been able to get it going since the All-Star break.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, have lost three straight and six of eight themselves, and like the Phillies, Los Angeles has seen its comfortable margin in the NL West shrink to just four games over the D-backs and 4 1/2 over the Padres.

It's been an uneven several weeks for the Dodgers, but reinforcements may be on the way soon, led most prominently by superstar Mookie Betts, who could be back in the lineup as soon as mid-August after recovering from a left hand fracture.

And the Dodgers made some acquisitions at the Trade Deadline to further reinforce the roster, particularly on the starting pitching front, adding right-hander Jack Flaherty. Flaherty has had a resurgent season in 2024, posting a 2.95 ERA with 133 strikeouts to just 19 walks for the Tigers prior to the trade.

The D-backs and Padres have been making things interesting in the NL West -- Arizona has won 20 of its last 28 games to vault into an NL Wild Card spot, while San Diego has won nine of its last 11 and is just a half game behind the D-backs. But the Padres find themselves on the outside looking in at the moment because they have lost all three games in the season series so far against the Mets.

Speaking of those Mets, they won again on Friday with a 5-1 victory over the Angels. New York has won 34 of 50 games since June 3, when its record stood at 24-35. Despite losing right-hander Kodai Senga for the rest of the season, the beat goes on for the Mets, led by Francisco Lindor -- the star shortstop got off to a slow start at the plate this year, but since May 21, he's launched 15 homers with an OPS north of .900.

Another NL East squad that has turned things around is the Braves, who have won four straight and six of their last seven. Atlanta has had to weather a storm of injuries, particularly to two of their best players -- Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider. After treading water most of the season, the Braves are hoping their recent success continues down the stretch.

In the NL Central, the Brewers remain atop the division despite trading former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes and losing star right-hander Brandon Woodruff to injury, not to mention losing longtime manager Craig Counsell to the division rival Cubs. Milwaukee has had to deal with injuries in the starting rotation, adding Frankie Montas and Aaron Civale to the staff before the Trade Deadline to address that issue.

Division Series matchups

D-backs (5) or Braves (4) at Phillies (1)

Mets (6) or Brewers (3) at Dodgers (2)

The Phillies will have added incentive to right the ship given that home field advantage has meant so much to Philadelphia the past several years. Citizens Bank Park is, after all, home to the best home-field advantage in the postseason among current ballparks.

Like the Phillies, the Dodgers are looking to avenge an early exit from the playoffs last fall. Health will continue to be a huge factor in determining whether Los Angeles can eclipse Philadelphia and claim the top seed in the NL.

If the season ended today, the Phillies would play host to the division rival Braves or the defending NL champion D-backs. Atlanta is looking to replace memories of last fall's early postseason exit with happier ones this October. Arizona also has something to prove -- that last October's surprise run all the way to the World Series was no fluke.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers would host either the Brewers or the Mets. Following a disappointing season that opened with high expectations in 2023, the Mets will look to fulfill their potential this time around. The Brewers will be looking to atone for last fall's loss to the D-backs in the Wild Card Series.