Potential Playoff Opponents For The Cleveland Guardians

Who will the Cleveland Guardians play in the 2024 MLB Postseason?

Apr 30, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Guardians first base Josh Naylor (22) crosses home plate after hitting a three-run home run to left field against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians have clinched the American League Central title and are headed to the playoffs for the 14th time since 1995. This organization continues to show why they're one of the best in baseball.

There are still two series left of the regular season, but it's never too early to start scouting potential playoff matchups for the Guardians and how Cleveland could fare against them.

Let's look at some possible scenarios that could play out for the Guardians and their eventaul matchup.

If the regular season ended today, Cleveland would be the second seed in the American League and would get a bye in the Wild Card round. Now that the Minnesota Twins have completely fallen out of the picture, the Guardians would play either the winner of the Houston Astros or the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS.

There still is a scenario where the Twins figure it out in the final week, the Tigers can't keep up with the pace they've had the last month, and Minnesota finds their way back into the playoff picture as the final sixth seed to play the Astros.

Jul 29, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers outfielder Bligh Madris (40) catches the ball for an out on Cleveland Guardians center fielder Angel Martínez (1) in the second inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images / David Reginek-Imagn Images

No one is locked into these spots though. There's always a chance that the Guardians jump the New York Yankees for the number one seed in the AL. However, New York does hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Cleveland.

At this point, the most likely outcome based on current records and scheulde for the remaining week, is that the Guardians will play the winner of whoever the Astros play in round one. But we will know much more as this week rolls on.