The Cleveland Guardians didn’t have their ace last season. Shane Bieber missed the start of the year while recovering from surgery, and they traded him at the trade deadline to the Toronto Blue Jays.
He was the team’s undisputed ace, and that spot is now vacant. With that in mind, team analyst Paul Hoynes pointed to Tanner Bibee as the most likely candidate to take a leap forward:
“I think Bibee is still the ace of the staff. He’s led the team in starts and innings pitched the last three years. Still, it’s impossible to say who will start opening day in 2026. Last season Bibee earned that right, but was sidelined with food poisoning. A lot can and will happen between now and opening day. It is encouraging when the Guardians have two young starters good enough to compete for ace status,” Hoynes wrote.
On paper, there’s no doubt that Bibee should be the team’s primary hurler. Nevertheless, he’ll be the first guy to admit that he didn’t always live up to the expectations last season. He was inconsistent, and he often let his emotions get the best of him.
The good thing about this team is that they have options. While they may not have a high-end, clear-cut superstar, they have plenty of above-average arms who can get this team going, just like they did last season.
They should also count on Parker Messick and Joey Cantillo as potential starters after what they did to close out the year. And, while he still has plenty of work to do and hurdles to clear, maybe Khal Stephen could also be in the mix at some point in the season.
The Guardians have one of the best pitching coaching staffs in the game. They’re elite at developing and fixing their hurlers, and this year shouldn’t be the exception to the rule. Bibee has all the tools; he just needs to find the consistency.
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