The good news for Tanner Bibee this spring just went way beyond being told he will be the opening day starter for the Guardians.
The Guardians on March 22 announced they signed Bibee to a contract extension through 2029 with a club option for 2030. The deal is for five years and $48 million.
Manager Stephen Vogt on March 20 announced Bibee will start when the Guardians kick off their 2025 season on March 27 against the Royals in Kansas City. It will be the first time since 2019 when Corey Kluber pitched on opening day that the honor didn’t go to Shane Bieber. Bieber, the opening day starter from 2020-24, is recovering from right elbow surgery and not expected to be ready to pitch in games until sometime in June.
“The message was like, ‘Hey, you said you wanted this, and now you earned it,’” Manager Stephen Vogt told reporters in Goodyear, Ariz., when asked how he delivered the opening day news to Bibee. “For Tanner, he’s earned every bit of this. We’re just really excited for him and his family. It’s a big deal, and I’m really excited for Tanner.”
Bibee was under contract for $800,000 in 2025. Next winter would have been his first year to be eligible for arbitration. He could have been a free agent in 2029. The extension eliminates all three arbitration years — never a fun experience for the player or the club — and keeps him under club control past his 31st birthday.
Bibee was a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft out of Cal State Fullerton. He was fast-tracked to the Guardians in late April of 2023 when injuries decimated the starting rotation. A shoulder injury prevented Triston McKenzie from pitching until June 4 two years ago. Aaron Civale suffered an oblique strain pitching for the Guardians on April 7 in their 2023 home opener.
If nerves bothered Bibee in his first Major League start, he hid them well. He pitched 5 2/3 innings and got the victory in a 4-1 win over the Rockies at Progressive Field. He finished 10-4 with a 2.98 ERA and was second in Rookie of the Year voting to Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson.
Bibee, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound righthander who relies on a 94 mph four-seam fastball, a sinker and slider to get batters out, was 12-8 with a 3.47 ERA in 31 starts last season. He made four starts in the 2024 postseason and was 0-1 with a 3.345 ERA.
