Why Tanner Bibee Is the Guardians' Biggest Liability Heading into the Postseason

Of Cleveland's five starting pitchers, Bibee has proven he is far below the rest of the pack, which could hurt the team heading into the playoffs.

Aug 28, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cleveland Guardians are making their push for the MLB playoffs, and only have about two weeks left to make that happen.

If the Guardians want to book themselves for the postseason, they’ll need continued success hitting and scoring runners while also holding it down with their pitching. Both areas have had their ups and downs this season but have been much better over the last month or so.

When discussing Cleveland’s starting pitching, fans know it hasn’t been perfect, which is just the reality of it. One player in particular has been disappointing relatively all season, that being Tanner Bibee. 

Jun 30, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) reacts after a run scored on an error by left fielder Cooper Ingle (not pictured) during the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Earlier in the season, Bibee left their opening day game with shoulder inflammation, and this was bad news from the start. It’s likely Bibee’s shoulder bothered him further into the season, which has caused his pitching to fall off significantly rather than improve.

Cleveland will need Bibee at the top of his game heading into the postseason if they hope to succeed. Having All-Star pitcher Parker Messick as their ace helps, but Bibee needs to show more.

Here’s why Bibee’s struggles could ultimately be a major liability for the Guardians with the playoffs looming.

Bibee’s scheduled playoff starts could be looked at as a loss by opposing teams

Sep 3, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) reacts during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

First of all, Bibee’s win-loss ratio is abysmal. It’s by far the worst of any Guardians pitcher, currently sitting at six wins to 15 losses in games pitched by Bibee.

Bibee leads the team in games started and is second on the team in terms of innings pitched but has given up the most hits on the team as well as earned runs and home runs given up. It just hasn’t been a good season for Bibee from start to finish.

As a starter who has started as many games and pitched as many innings as Bibee has, you would think his strikeout totals would be in contention to lead the team. That’s not the case, as his 140 total strikeouts ranks fourth out of Cleveland’s five starters. Even Joey Cantillo has more strikeouts than Bibee, and Cantillo has pitched 29 less innings.

Any team that is set to face off against the Guardians with Bibee on the mound should be hungry to play against him based on his pitching falters this season. That’s bad news for Cleveland, considering they viewed Bibee as their next ace not too long ago.

If Bibee wants to silence his critics, he doesn’t have to completely change everything he’s doing, but he could use a bit more control when on the mound. His pitching is predictable at times, so he must find a way to mix things up to catch batters off guard. Sticking to the same recipe hasn’t worked.

Cleveland has three more series to play before reaching the postseason, so they’ll need to take care of business on that front first before looking to the playoffs. Bibee will have a few more opportunities to figure out his pitching so that he isn’t seen as an automatic loss come playoffs.