What Does Tanner Bibee’s Future Look Like With the Guardians?

Outside of Jose Ramirez, the highest-paid player on the Cleveland Guardians’ roster is Tanner Bibee.

The starting pitcher earned an extension with the team following the 2024 season after he seemingly took over as the team’s ace just one year after a 2023 campaign that had him finish in the top three in Rookie of the Year voting.

With those credentials, one would think that Bibee was at the center of Cleveland's rotation this past postseason, but he wasn’t. In fact, the pitcher saw action in only one game, and it was just one-third of an inning in Game 3 of the ALDS.

There are many reasons this was a surprising decision by Cleveland’s front office and coaching staff, but the reality is this: Bibee was virtually a nonfactor for the Guardians in the postseason.

Now, both the Guardians and Bibee have to face the question of what the pitcher’s future looks like in Cleveland.

Despite the lack of usage, manager Stephen Vogt insisted last week that Bibee would remain a key piece of the Guardians’ rotation in 2027. He even went so far as to call Bibee the rock of the rotation throughout the season.

The skipper also talked about how Bibee’s final stats and numbers for the year deserve context, too.

"He was our rock in that rotation, and I don't see that role changing in 27," Vogt said.
"He's going to be a big part of our team, and a big part of our rotation moving forward."

Bibee finished the 2026 season with a 4.36 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP, with all of his percentile rankings coming in just below league average. But again,

Vogt’s point about the run support is a fair one. At one point this season, Cleveland’s lineup scored one run or fewer in half of Bibee’s outings.

Tanner said all year that this didn’t impact him while pitching, but it’s also human nature to try to do too much when

The bottom line, though, is that the Guardians simply need Bibee to be more consistent on the mound. His best month came in June, when he posted a 1.89 ERA, and his worst was in September, with a 7.36 ERA.

That’s a wide range of production, and that uncertainty could have made the Guardians wary of using Bibee at times in October.

A lot can and will change between now and Opening Day 2027, whenever that may be, but the Guardians are clearly hoping that with a bit more consistency, Bibee will remain a key piece of Cleveland’s pitching staff moving forward.