Do the Playoffs determine the best team?

[Toro]

Depends on how you define best team. A team can be built to be the best for the long grind of a 162 game season like the Yankees were in 2004. But the Red Sox, with the bookend aces were built to win in the playoffs.

I think any team that has 2 great starting pitchers and a good to great closer can win in the playoffs even if they have mediocre to bad #3 thru #5 starters. The trick is you have to win enough of the 162 games with those bad 3 to 5 starters to get there.