The Cleveland Guardians acquired left-hander Foster Griffin before the deadline, giving them seven viable healthy pitchers at this juncture: Parker Messick, Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Griffin, Joey Cantillo, Slade Cecconi, and Logan Allen. You could even add Ben Lively to the mix if you want, as he has made huge strides rehabbing in Triple-A.
Putting together a hypothetical postseason rotation, however, is a challenging exercise. It could mean leaving behind trusted arms or homegrown stars who aren’t throwing their best ball right now in favor of the famous ‘hot hand’.
Messick and Williams are the two guaranteed pitchers to make any Guardians rotation. After that, it gets murkier, even if Bibee is heavily favored to make the staff.
Bibee, however, has a rather mediocre 4.22 ERA before taking the ball on Sunday and doesn’t appear to put the team in a particularly advantageous position to win these days. He could be left out of the postseason rotation should the Guardians make it that far, and here are two reasons why:
He Is Not The Same Pitcher He Was In 2023 And 2024
When he broke into the bigs in 2023, Bibee impressed with a 2.98 ERA in 142 innings of work. It looked like the Guardians had an ace in the making.
Bibee eventually earned himself a contract extension, and he looked like a top-of-the-rotation asset. His 3.47 ERA in 173.2 frames the following year certified his status as a budding star.
The last two years, however, have proven that Bibee is not an ace. He is a very solid pitcher, yes, but he allows too many runs to be a frontline starter.
He posted a 4.24 ERA in 2025 and is at 4.22 this year, with a 5-15 record. He seems to have regressed a bit when compared with those 2023 and 2024 versions, mainly because of one glaring issue: his fastball.
The heater allows too much loud contact and, as we are about to explain, home runs.
Home Runs Are Definitely An Issue
It’s hard to trust a guy in the postseason who is prone to allowing two or three homers in any given start. And Bibee can be that guy.
Before Saturday’s games, Bibee has surrendered 27 home runs this year, tied for second-most in the majors with several hurlers, with Williams among them. The problem is that the latter has struck out 228 hitters and Bibee just 133, and they have pitched close to the same number of innings.
In the end, Bibee will probably be part of a hypothetical postseason rotation because of his track record and ability to eat innings, both valuable assets.
Bibee, who has a 10.80 ERA in September and a 4.84 mark in the second half, is probably the fourth-most reliable starter in Cleveland behind Messick, Williams and Griffin. That might be enough to include him in a Division Series, but not in a Wild Card round.
NEXT: Former Top Prospect Is Blossoming Into A Shutdown Reliever
