Fans perplexed about Tanner Bibee making only one appearance for the Guardians in the 2026 playoffs are not alone. Bibee had the same questions. Unlike fans, he went straight to the source for answers.
Bibee never missed his turn in the rotation during the regular season. He started 33 games. He finished 7-15 with a 4.36 ERA and had the dubious distinction of leading the Major Leagues in losses. The Guardians scored two or fewer runs in 12 of the losses.
The Guardians played the White Sox in five games in the ALDS. They won the series, three games to two, after losing the first two games at Progressive Field.
Bibee made his only appearance in the 2026 postseason when he entered Game 4 of the ALDS in the bottom of the fifth inning in Chicago after the Guardians scored three runs in the top of the fifth to take a 3-2 lead. He walked Chase Meidroth, the first batter he faced, on six pitches. He struck out Tristan Peters swinging and then walked Miguel Vargas on five pitches.
Manager Stephen Vogt had seen enough. He yanked Bibee and replaced him with Tim Herrin. Meidroth scored on a single. Vargas scored on a sacrifice fly to give the White Sox a temporary 4-3 lead. Both runs were charged to Bibee.
Bibee watched all six games of the ALCS from the bullpen. He has appeared in 120 games with the Guardians from 2023-2026. He started all 120. He appeared in five postseason games total in 2024 and 2025. He started each of them.
The six starters for the Guardians in the ALCS vs. the Rays appeared in this order: Left-hander Foster Griffin; left-hander Parker Messick; right-hander Gavin Williams; Right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong as an opener for one inning; Messick in Game 5 and Armstrong again as an opener for Game 6 on Oct. 19. The Rays won the series, four games to two.
"It just didn't line up for Tanner to start one of those games in the first round," Vogt said Oct. 22 in a wrap-up news conference at Progressive Field. "Then going into the ALCS, it was kind of a similar path. We knew we wanted to lean on our left-handed pitching. So Foster started Game 1, and then with the rainout (Oct. 16) and (potentially) four in a row, it just presented a different schedule that we had never really encountered.
"And so when we mapped out the pitching, Tanner starting a game in the first two rounds just didn't become an option. It wasn't our intent for Tanner to throw to three hitters throughout the postseason. It's just kind of the way it played out."
The decision to use Armstrong as an opener for the second time in a 48-hour span was announced the morning of Game 6. Bibee, a right-hander like Armstrong, was obviously fresh. Vogt went with Armstrong as an opener with the plan to have left-hander Joey Cantillo eat innings in middle relief.
Cantillo started the Rays' half of the third — already the fourth Guardians pitcher of the game. He ended up pitching only 1 2/3 innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and was charged with one run. Daniel Espino relieved Cantillo with two on and two out in the fourth inning. A fly out by Junior Caminero ended the inning.
"Tanner and I actually spoke for 40 minutes on the day of Game 6," Vogt revealed. "We went for a walk. I just normally do that with players from time to time and allowed him to ask any questions he may have had and allowed him to have the space to tell me how he's feeling.
"Obviously, he was upset. I empathized with that, and I gave him the reasoning for what was going on. Tanner and I came to a really good place, and we ended up talking about a lot more than just baseball and had a similar conversation in his exit interview. It was very candid. It was very open.
"He spoke his mind, and we gave him our reasoning. Tanner's going to be a huge part of this team for a long time, and I'm really excited about that. I can't wait until he takes the ball every fifth day next year."
Leading all Major League pitchers with 15 losses bothered Bibee as much as being bypassed for a start in the playoffs. That was part of the conversation on the 40-minute walk, Vogt said.
"Tanner spoke to the optimization, however you want to put it, but just finding a good baseline for himself to, 'This is my anchor and this is what I can get back to.' This happens with players where you kind of teeter on who you are, you teeter one little thing away, maybe, and all of a sudden now you're not super grounded in exactly how you need to go about it.
"So I think Tanner's focus this winter is getting back to finding 'What's that Plan A version that I am, and how can I get myself to where I can stick to that and be that person for a full six, seven-month season?'
"We're here to support him and help him and help guide him. The pitching team (coaches) is elite and they're going to be talking with him as long as they possibly can throughout the offseason."
President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti, also part of the wrap-up news conference, said "There was a very real possibility" Bibee would have started Game 1 or Game 2 had the Guardians advanced to the World Series.
Bibee has three years left on a five-year, $48 million contract extension he signed in 2024.
• Griffin, catcher Austin Hedges, plus first basemen Nathaniel Lowe and Rhys Hoskins are headed to free agency.
Griffin has more of a chance to be re-signed than the others. The Guardians are set with Patrick Bailey as their primary catcher. Re-signing Hedges would block Kody Huff and Cooper Ingle from being promoted from Triple-A Columbus.
Hedges, 34, is a clubhouse leader whom teammates look to for guidance. But he threw out only three of 45 base stealers in 2026. On the plus side, his batting average jumped from .161 in 2025 to .247 this season. He has a .190 career batting average. Antonetti did not rule out signing Hedges to another one-year contract.
"We had a chance to connect with Austin for a while the other day," Antonetti said. "We took the time, in that moment, just to make sure we expressed our appreciation and gratitude for Hedgie and all of the contributions and impact he's made in his time with us so far.
"He's been a selfless teammate, a leader in the clubhouse, has helped elevate and build the winning culture that we have here, and that's not something we take for granted. So at the same time, he is a free agent and with the year that he's had, he's earned the opportunity to hear what other teams have to say. What we told Austin is first and foremost, we want what's best for him and his family and what that looks like he has to figure out."
Hoskins, 33, batted .179 in 95 games with the Guardians in 2026. Lowe, acquired from the Reds at the trade deadline for minor-league pitcher Alejandro Rivera, is 31 years old. He batted .226 with five home runs and 27 RBI in 43 regular-season games with the Guardians.
Lowe drove in five runs in 11 playoff games this October. The Guardians want to clear room at first base for Kyle Manzardo to return from Triple-A Columbus and for Ralphy Velazquez to make his Major League debut in 2027. Velazquez hit 22 homers and drove in 63 runs while batting .278 in 85 games with the Clippers this year.
I didn't know that
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