Cleveland Indians: Ranking potential playoff opponents by desirability

With just 15 games left in the 2020 regular season, here’s a look at the potential playoff opponents would be most and least desirable to match up with for the Cleveland Indians.

While the Cleveland Indians offense has been anemic at times and the club is in a three-team race in the AL Central standings, the Tribe is almost guaranteed to clinch a playoff spot in 2020.

The Indians currently are 26-19 this season and are locked into the seventh seed in the eight-team AL postseason, which would put them on pace for a potential first round matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

While the Indians would face off with the Rays if the season ended today, there’s a world of possibilities when it comes to their potential postseason opponents.

Cleveland is just a game and a half out of second place in the AL Central and two and a half games out of first place. The team still has two more games with the second-place Twins this season and four more with the first-place White Sox, meaning they can rise in the standings and improve their postseason positioning.

Which potential playoff opponents would be most and least desirable for the Indians to face-off with in a three-game wild card series? Here’s a look at how they rank from least to most desirable for Cleveland.