Stephen Vogt’s handling of Tanner Bibee in the postseason raised more questions than answers, and the Guardians’ ALCS loss to the Rays only sharpened the mystery.
Cleveland’s pitching plan in the series looked downright chaotic at times. Foster Griffin worked in two games and averaged more than a strikeout per inning.
Shawn Armstrong showed up four times, including two starts. Meanwhile, Bibee - the club’s regular-season workhorse - never got into the mix.
That was a strange sight after Bibee led the Guardians with 33 starts and 188 innings during the regular season. Outside of a lone relief outing against the White Sox in the ALDS, he barely factored into the postseason at all.
After the series, Vogt tried to explain it this way: the “spot never presented itself” for Bibee to pitch. That might fly for a reliever whose value depends on very specific matchups, but it’s a tough sell for a pitcher Cleveland leaned on heavily all year.
Stephen Vogt on Tanner Bibee sitting out the ALCS: “Had we advanced the usage could have looked a lot different…. We wanted Tanner to pitch, the spot never presented itself” #Guardians
Video courtesy #MLB pool feed pic.twitter.com/orBmKFbqxq
- Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) October 20, 2026
At one point, Vogt did leave the door open for Bibee to appear as an innings-eater in a blowout or as a “break glass of emergency” option if a game went to extra innings. The chance seemed to arrive in Game 4, when Matt Festa couldn’t finish the ninth. Instead, Vogt turned to Joey Cantillo for the last two outs of a four-run game.
Cantillo was back on the mound two days later as a bulk arm out of the bullpen. Bibee, on the other hand, stayed parked.
The Guardians were justified in keeping Bibee out of the postseason rotation after a rough year that ended with a 7.36 ERA in September. Even so, Bibee sounds ready to work on whatever needs fixing.
“I think this year and last year made me realize that I need to make some changes, and I’m willing to do that, and I’m ready to do it. Especially these past three weeks, it made me realize that I’m willing to do whatever, honestly, at this point,” he said, per The Athletic’s Zack Mesiel.
Bibee still has three years and $38.8 million left on the five-year deal he signed before last season. That’s a bargain for a No. 2 starter. But if the current trajectory holds, he could open 2027 as the Guardians’ No. 3 starter - if he’s still in Cleveland at all.
And that’s where this gets tricky for the front office. Bibee would bring real value in a trade, but the Guardians also don’t have a ton of pitching depth waiting behind him. Even so, after the way his postseason played out, it’s fair to wonder whether Cleveland is at least thinking about it.
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