Tanner Bibee’s rough 2026 season ended with an unusual postseason outcome, but one analyst thinks the Cleveland Guardians will still have him in the fold moving forward.
Adam Gerstenhaber pointed to the organization’s track record with pitchers and argued that the benching won’t create a lasting problem between Bibee and the team.
“Say what you want about the Guardians. There’s plenty of criticism.
But they’ve mostly done an excellent job as well as almost any team in baseball, if not better than any team in baseball with their pitchers. It’s not a problem that can’t be fixed.
He will be better next year and he should have no ill will toward the organization,” Gerstenhaber said.
Bibee’s 2026 season was the worst of his four-year career. In 33 starts, he went 7-15 with a 4.36 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP while striking out 148 and walking 55. He also allowed a career-high 29 home runs and gave up a career-high 175 hits over 188.0 innings.
That downturn makes Cleveland’s situation more complicated, especially with Bibee under contract through 2029 and the club holding a team option for 2030. The deal is still relatively affordable, coming in at $48 million total.
Bibee arrived with plenty of promise after posting a 2.98 ERA in his rookie season, but his ERA has climbed every year since. The 2026 campaign marked the steepest drop yet.
For the Guardians, the path forward appears to be about repair rather than separation. The organization has built a reputation for developing pitching, and the hope is that the same approach can get Bibee back on track.
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