Cleveland Guardians fans received great news on Saturday afternoon as it was reported that Tanner Bibee would be signing a five-year contract extension to remain with the Guardians through at least 2029.
The deal is worth $48 million and includes a $21 million club option for the 2030 season. Having just turned 26 years old, this deal will bring the right-handed pitcher through at least his age 30 season.
Tanner Bibee has emerged as one of the top young pitchers in the American League over the last two seasons since he debuted in Cleveland's rotation early on in 2023. This deal has a lot of potential to be a steal for the Guardians long-term if Bibee continues on his current trajectory. In fact, I recently wrote a piece that featured Bibee as a 2025 darkhorse American League Cy Young award candidate.
Tanner Bibee's impact as a starting pitcher for Cleveland Guardians
Bibee finished in second place in the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year voting, backed by an impressive 2.98 ERA over 142 innings.
He seemingly improved upon his rookie campaign in 2024 as he matured as a starter and saw an increase in his K% (26.3) and a decrease in his BB% (6.2) while throwing 31.2 more innings. Among qualified starters since his debut, Bibee is a top ten pitcher in baseball according to ERA (3.25), and a top twenty pitcher according to FIP (3.54), WHIP (1.14), opponent batting average (.228), K-BB% (18.5), and Wins Above Replacement (6.3).
With Guardians ace Shane Bieber having missed the entirety of the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery, Bibee was able to cement himself as the Guardians' number one starter. Therefore, he is set to take the mound on Opening Day for Cleveland as Bieber isn't expected to rejoin to rotation until the middle of the season.
Outlook for Tanner Bibee's extension
Bibee has not reached the elite tier of pitchers yet, but is on a trajectory that can land him in the same conversation as pitchers such as Gerrit Cole, Corbin Burnes, and Zack Wheeler — a few pitchers that have warranted high price tags over the last couple of years.
Bibee was set to enter arbitration following the conclusion of the 2025 season. The top arbitration-eligible starters in 2025 (including Tarik Skubal, Zac Gallen, Dylan Cease, and Framber Valdez) all made at least $10 million in arbitration this year.
In Bibee's extension, he is making $4 million in 2026, $7 million in 2027, and $10 million in 2028, which were going to be his arbitration years that may have yielded him upwards of $15 million like the other pitchers mentioned. This might end up being quite the bargain for Cleveland and gives them a lot of flexibility to spend on other players during what seems to be a playoff-window for the Guardians.
Bibee will make the bulk of his money in 2029 when the value jumps up to $21 million, and then $21 million once again in 2030 if the Guardians are to pick up his club option, Bibee will hopefully be in the prime of his career at this point (he will be 31 in his option year).
Why Tanner Bibee can be one of the best pitchers in baseball
Tanner Bibee certainly fits the mold of a frontline starting pitcher. He has already proven he can handle a big league starter's workload, delivering the most starts for the Guardians since he debuted.
He features a wide arsenal of pitches, including a four-seam fastball, cutter, changeup, curveball, slider and sinker. That deep arsenal is what allows him to navigate lineups multiple times. Case in point: He worked into the sixth inning in 20 of his 31 appearances last year, which is a rarity for starting pitchers of this era.
Tanner Bibee alert—six innings of absolute dominance, zero runs, four strikeouts, and just one lonely hit.
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) March 18, 2025
Oh, and five pitches over 110 proStuff+? That’s next-level filth!
Is he ready to take the next step? pic.twitter.com/ixtC6yp86V
He also has been great at limiting damage. He was better than league average in notable quality of contact metrics in 2024, including barrel% (7.0), hard-hit% (36.9), average exit velocity (88.4), and expected ERA (3.78) and batting average (.237). It's worth noting that he also ranked 12th among starters in zone% (rate of pitches landing in the strike zone), so he's able to avoid loud contact while prioritizing strike-throwing. That skill should age well for Bibee as his stuff continues to mature.
Given the tools Bibee possesses and his recent track record, it's more likely that this extension is a win for both Bibee and the Guardians than it is being a letdown. If he can remain healthy for the duration of the contract (fingers crossed), this deal ends up being a slam dunk. Cleveland has proven to be a great place for pitchers to develop, so it's safe to say Bibee is in good hands for the next five years.