The weird, short MLB regular season is over, and now it's time for what are sure to be some equally weird playoffs.

This pandemic-influenced season brings an altered postseason format, with 16 teams getting a nod and with each team opening in a best-of-three round to determine who plays in the LDS. Factor in that the later rounds will be played at neutral-site bubbles, and not much will seem normal.

MORE: MLB playoff bubbles, explained

Making playoff predictions in baseball is always a fool's game, given the crapshoot nature of it all, but it's a fun fool's game. So here are Sporting News' predictions for the 2020 MLB postseason.

2020 MLB postseason predictions

Ryan Fagan

NLCS: Dodgers over Reds
ALCS: Rays over Twins
World Series: Dodgers over Rays
Breakout star: Will Smith, Dodgers

Thoughts:

— One one hand, the elimination of off days during the best-of-five LDS and best-of-seven LCS in 2020 gives a huge advantage to teams with superior pitching depth — y'know, the teams that had the most success during the regular season — and makes it harder for teams with rotation issues to survive a longer series in which their ace pitches only once or twice. On the other hand, the best-of-three opening-round series is a terrifying small-sample-size prospect for those same teams that have the LDS/LCS advantages. Basically, what I'm saying is this: If the Dodgers — clearly the best, deepest team in the majors — don't lose to the Brewers, they're winning it all. 

— The AL is wide open, and that's going to be so much fun to watch. You can legitimately, easily make a convincing case for six of the eight teams (sorry Astros and Blue Jays) to represent the league in the World Series. 

Jason Foster

NLCS: Dodgers over Cubs
ALCS: White Sox over Rays
World Series: Dodgers over White Sox
Breakout star: Luis Robert

Thoughts:  

—There are any number of matchup combinations that could make for appointment TV in the two league championship series and World Series. Heck, several of the division series look to be plenty entertaining, too. It'll be interesting to see how playoff games feel without fans in the stands. Will it feel like a random game in mid-August? Will the pumped-in crowd noise just be louder? It's not likely to be a factor for the players, but it would make the postseason viewing experience feel just a bit off. For fans with a specific rooting interest, expect things to lean more toward nerve-wracking than fun. But for baseball fans without a dog in the fight, this should be an exciting few weeks.

— Can the Braves finally win a postseason series after 19 years? A win in the new Wild Card Series would certainly count as a postseason series win, but Atlanta's biggest demon since 2001 has been the NLDS, from which they've been bounced, often without a serious fight, since the first year of the George W. Bush administration. And after last season's NLDS debacle against the Cardinals, the Braves feel like they have something to prove. On paper and in reality, the Braves are better than the Reds, their first-round opponent. But the Braves will have to beat three strong starters in Trevor Bauer, Sonny Gray and Luis Castillo. And make no mistake, Atlanta's offense is plenty capable. But the Braves have been plenty capable many times before, only to fall short against inferior teams. Also relevant: The Braves' starting rotation is a huge question mark. Even if Max Fried is fully healthy, Ian Anderson and Kyle Wright, though talented, are somewhat of a mystery in this setting. There are no guarantees in the postseason, but, if we're being honest, until Atlanta proves otherwise, it's just not a wise bet to pick the Braves to win a playoff series.

— This has to be the Dodgers' year, right? They played to a 116-win pace in 2020 and have been hungry for postseason glory after repeated letdowns the past eight years. Not that their path to a championship would be easy, but assuming they get past the Wild Card Series — which is only a little less random than a one-game wild-card playoff — they have to be considered the team to beat. Their offense is stacked and their pitching is, once again, stout — hence their MLB-leading +136 run differential. So, after 32 years, I'm expecting the Dodgers to finally fly a championship banner.

Joe Rivera

NLCS: Dodgers over Cubs
ALCS: Rays over Twins
World Series: Rays over Dodgers
Breakout star: Tyler Glasnow, Rays

Thoughts: 

— Man, I dislike this playoff format, like, a lot. While the 2020 season was anything but normal, this playoff format shouldn't become the new normal moving forward: A 162-game season lends itself to knowing who the best teams are. A one-game playoff adds just enough drama and uncertainty to the playoffs. Adding half the league the the postseason instantly devalues the regular season and forces the playoffs into a tremendous slog akin to the NBA. Please, no.

— Now that that's out of the way, pitching plays in the postseason, so it's unsurprising to see the Dodgers and Rays potentially meeting in the World Series this year. While anything can happen in a three-game series, both teams have more than enough on the staff to push through and will have favorable matchups at every level of the bracket.

— Curious to see how the playoff bubbles affect performance, if at all. Not having travel days could be beneficial, but bullpens will be tired without having those off days built into the series. Should affect game-to-game strategy from bullpen-reliant teams like the Yankees.

Dan Bernstein

NLCS: Cubs over Dodgers
ALCS: White Sox over Rays
World Series: Cubs over the White Sox
Breakout star: Eloy Jimenez

Thoughts:  

— There's been a lot of talk about the frequency with which high seeds in MLB will be eliminated by three-game playoff series, but the Dodgers and Rays will avoid that fate this year because of their stellar pitching. Their bullpens are particularly nasty and are deep enough to be brought in early if needed.

— The Cubs had five qualified players finish the regular season with an OPS+ better than league average. Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber were not on that list. Get those guys going, and it could be a fun October for a team probably on the brink of major roster reconstruction. Having the dominant duo of Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendriks should help somewhat minimize the struggles of Chicago's late-inning options. Is a World Series likely? No. But it would fit the weirdness of 2020.

— Speaking of fun, how about the White Sox making their first playoff appearance since 2008? They have the young pieces to make a run and the fortune of facing a stumbling A's team at the right time in the opening round.

Tom Gatto

NLCS: Dodgers over Reds
ALCS: Rays over White Sox
World Series: Dodgers over Rays
Breakout star: Garrett Crochet, LHP, White Sox

Thoughts: 

— I called a Yankees-Dodgers World Series before Opening Day, but New York has drawn Cleveland's beastly rotation in the first round. Shane Bieber, Carlos Carrasco and Zach Plesac posted a combined 2.24 ERA in the regular season. The Yankees might try to lean on their 2017 ALDS vs. the Tribe for confidence, but this year's series is best of three, not best of five, and Cleveland has the pitching advantage.

— The Dodgers once again have the lineup depth and pitching to go the distance, but what might thwart them this time? Another Clayton Kershaw clunker? Kenley Jansen turns unreliable again? Cody Bellinger stops hitting in another postseason? An NLDS matchup with the Padres could be tricky, but LA might not have to face injured starters Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet.

— The Brewers and Astros made history as the first sub-.500 teams to qualify for the playoffs. That can be excused for this season because 2020 is a crazy dumb year. If it happens in a 162-, 154- or 140-game season, then that won't be good for the game. The owners don't care about that if a 16-team field makes them more money, however, so consider this item yelling at a cloud.