The 2026 postseason was productive for the Cleveland Guardians, even though they failed to win the World Series. They reached the American League Championship Series and were two wins shy of the Fall Classic.
Tanner Bibee’s usage was one of the most controversial storylines of the playoffs in Cleveland, though, because it was almost non-existent. He pitched just 0.1 innings against the Chicago White Sox in the AL Division Series, allowing two runs and walking two batters.
Bibee, the $48-million man who led the Guardians with 188 innings in the regular season, wasn’t trusted in the postseason. It was, according to what he told Cleveland.com, a tough pill to swallow.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever come to terms with it,” Bibee told insider Paul Hoynes. “I’m trying to find the words.
“I think it’s tough. This is a tough pill to swallow because I know and everyone knows how good I can be. I understand what they were saying about (needing Bibee to fill the role of a bulk reliever), but it’s frustrating just for myself knowing that the last month could have been so, so much better.”
Manager Stephen Vogt suggested that his idea was to use him as a long reliever should close games have gone to extra innings, and Bibee said the two men talked at length about the situation before Game 6. It’s still hard to understand for Bibee, who was Cleveland’s Opening Day starter.
Parker Messick started four postseason games, Gavin Williams three, and Foster Griffin one. Even Shawn Armstrong (two) and Daniel Espino (one) ‘opened’ games, and Bibee didn’t.
“It was definitely hard,” said Bibee. “I was just waiting for my name to get called. I wanted to pitch and I wanted to contribute, and I wanted to do all these things, but at the same time, my name didn’t get called.”
Per Hoynes, Bibee wasn’t angry and said, “I trust their whole process.”
Bibee won’t disrupt clubhouse harmony because of the events that unfolded in the postseason. In fact, he called Vogt ‘a great leader’ and reiterated that ‘I want to win a championship for Cleveland.”
The pitcher, however, is convinced that a poor September changed the way he was used in October. He had a 7.36 ERA in the final month of the season and reached the playoffs in poor form, which might have affected the organization’s decisions. It was hard to trust a pitcher in such a downward trend.
In the interview, Bibee didn’t hide his disappointment, but made it sound like he is going into the offseason to improve and show his worth. That’s music to fans’ ears.
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