Dodgers' NLDS opponent completely uncertain amid Braves-Mets Wild Card situation

Even though the series finale was maybe a little too close for comfort, the Dodgers wrapped up their 2024 regular season with a neat sweep of the Rockies, officially giving LA the best record in baseball with 98 wins. They'd already clinched a postseason berth against the Marlins, and then clinched the division against the Padres last week, so sweeping Colorado was just a nice cherry on top. This week will be a waiting game, with the Dodgers treading water and waiting to see who their opponents in the NLDS will be.

This year, it's a little (maybe a lot) more complicated than usual. The Padres are sitting safely in the No. 4 seed, but San Diego's No. 5 seed opponents in the Wild Card are still completely up in the air. Let's be clear here: the regular season did technically end on Sunday. However, the Mets' and Braves' seasons are coming to a dramatic end with a doubleheader on Monday, after their regularly scheduled games last week were pushed because of Hurricane Helene.

The clinching scenarios were looking pretty insane last week, and even Jeff Passan's helpful guide was still kind of confusing. The No. 6 seed is also still undecided, with the Diamondbacks factoring in as a potential spoiler.

Dodgers will have to wait a little longer to see who their NLDS opponents will be

On Sunday, the Braves lost to the Royals, and the Mets and Diamondbacks won against the Brewers and Padres. That sent us to Passan's Scenario 5, the most thrilling option: the Mets and Braves will go back to Atlanta for a doubleheader to decide their postseason fates. The winner of the first game will immediately make themselves a postseason team. If the games are split, both teams will get in. If there's a sweep, then the winning team and the Diamondbacks will both be in.

Per tiebreaker rules, if the Mets and Braves split the doubleheader, the Mets will fall into the No. 6 seed and face the Brewers in the Wild Card, while the Braves will see the Padres as the No. 5 seed, as Atlanta would maintain a winning regular season record against the Mets with a split. The Diamondbacks would end up as the No. 6 seed with either a Mets or Braves sweep, given that Arizona has a worse regular season record overall than either team.

This means that the Dodgers will be able to evade a repeat of last year's NLDS against the Diamondbacks, and if the Mets or Braves — whoever ends up as the No. 5 seed — manage to beat the Padres in the Wild Card, that should let the Dodgers breathe a sigh of relief, as LA still had a 5-8 record against San Diego this season despite winning their most recent series.

This is...a lot, but basically it means you should probably tune into the Mets-Braves doubleheader. The Dodgers very well might see one of them when the NLDS starts on Saturday.