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MLB Playoff Bracket, Dodgers Edition: Cubs, Brewers or Diamondbacks?

The Dodgers are likely to run into one of these three playoff opponents come October.

By Thomas Carannante |
Chicago Cubs v Colorado Rockies
Chicago Cubs v Colorado Rockies / Dustin Bradford/GettyImages
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are your NL West Champions and will have bye in the first round of the playoffs as the No. 2 seed behind the powerhouse Atlanta Braves. But the playoff bracket is far from set outside of the top spots being settled.

The Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Arizona Diamondbacks are duking it out until the very end, and the Dodgers will obviously be affected by however the Wild Card picture ends up.

Who would Dodgers face in playoffs if 2023 season ended today?

Right now, the Dodgers would be set to battle the winner of the Brewers vs Cubs Wild Card series. The Braves would be facing the winner of the Phillies vs D-Backs Wild Card series. But that could still change.

The Phillies are three games up atop the NL Wild Card over the Diamondbacks, who are a half-game better than the Cubs. Chicago, with a miraculous turn of events, would have to erase six games in the NL Central to topple the Brewers. The Phillies and D-backs can't win their divisions, as the Braves and Dodgers already clinched.

Now comes the hard part. Who do the fans want the Dodgers to go up against in the NLDS?

Possible Dodgers NLDS Opponent: Chicago Cubs

If we're being honest, the Cubs are probably the most dreaded playoff opponent out of the three solely because of the presence of Cody Bellinger. Don't you just see this being an incessantly overdone headline leading up to the series? Don't you see it being more insufferable if he somehow burns the Dodgers? Can't you already predict the layup questions the media will have about the relationship between the two sides?

And hey, ditto for Cubs fans. Do you think they'll want the Jason Heyward narrative drilled into their head as he enjoys a career year with the Dodgers after costing Chicago a ton of money on one of the worst contracts of the modern era?

Outside of that, there's a good matchup here for the Dodgers. Justin Steele is great, but he's never pitched in a playoff game and has blown by his career high in innings by 46 already. Marcus Stroman and Kyle Hendricks are entirely hittable, and something tells us they'll be even more so once the calendar turns. That gives the Dodgers a much better chance of getting by with rookie Bobby Miller, a hobbled Clayton Kershaw and an inconsistent Lance Lynn.

The Cubs might have a top-10 offense, but the Dodgers are far ahead at No. 2, only behind the Braves. LA dwarfs Chicago in every major offensive stat outside of hits and average. They should handle the Cubbies, but there's too much potential for cosmic interference with Bellinger involved. Let's avoid this, please.

Possible Dodgers NLDS Opponent: Milwaukee Brewers

From a tangible perspective, the Brewers possess the biggest threat to the Dodgers for one sole reason: their pitching. If anybody is going to beat the Dodgers this postseason, it'll be a team that can out-duel them on the mound.

You might rebut by saying the Brewers can't hit, and you'd be right, but do you want the Dodgers duking it out on the pitching front for potentially five full games? We're not sure they'd last, if we're being honest.

Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff are a trio that could give the Dodgers' lineup trouble. Throw in their top-notch bullpen (third in ERA, third in WHIP, third in opponents' average) and that's the best version of a matchup nightmare for the Dodgers in the first round.

The advantage here is that the Brewers will be a bit more taxed because they have to play that extra playoff series and can't really rest anybody down the stretch, but outside of the Braves, this might be the toughest obstacle for the Dodgers in their path through the NL. They're not intimidating, but they can't be overlooked, especially with Willy Adames heating up.

Possible Dodgers NLDS Opponent: Arizona Diamondbacks

And finally we have the division-rival Diamondbacks, who were one of the most exciting teams this year before their second-half slip. Still, they're in the picture, they have the talent, and they have six upcoming cupcake games against the Yankees and White Sox as they try to stave off the Cubs, Marlins (one game back) and Reds (1.5 games back).

Arizona has long been irrelevant in terms of the playoff picture and the Dodgers typically handle business against them, but in 2023 they have an infusion of hungry youth and one of the best managers in the game. Zac Gallen is going to be a Cy Young finalist. Corbin Carroll is your NL Rookie of the Year.

Outside of that, though? Not a whole lot. Their best hitters are Christian Walker, Ketel Marte and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Behind Gallen is Merrill Kelly, Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt. It would be pretty surprising if this team got past the Wild Card round, An NLCS trip almost feels impossible due to the lack of experience and overall underwhelming collection of playoff-caliber talent.

They have a bottom-10 pitching staff and a middle-of-the-road offense when looking at the accumulation of season-long stats. Their burst onto the scene this year, with so many up-and-coming young players, has been impressive, but they shouldn't be a feared opponent for LA, who won eight of the 13 regular-season matchups.

Honestly, Dodgers fans might rather the D-Backs remaining in the Wild Card over the Marlins, Reds or Giants (who are three games back). Arizona appears to have run out of steam and should be quick work if they make it past the first round.

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