Los Angeles Dodgers Rumors: Club reportedly 'looked into' a trade centered around former Cy Young winner

There was a strong possibility at the start of the offseason that the Cleveland Guardians would trade Shane Bieber, who's a year away from free agency. However, as the offseason rolled on, the front office hasn't yet offloaded him, so don't be surprised if they retain him this year and compete for the AL Central crown.

However, just when we thought that Bieber would stay, a new team has expressed interest in the former Cy Young winner. It seems that the LA Dodgers are not done with their historic offseason. Juan Toribio of the MLB has said that the Dodgers have "looked into" and checked in with the Guardians for a trade centered around Shane Bieber.

The Dodgers exited last year's postseason on the back of ordinary pitching, which they seem to have addressed after onboarding Japanese pitching sensations Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow. They have also added James Paxton to bolster their pitching depth, but it remains to be seen if they add another Cy Young-caliber pitcher to their ranks.

Meanwhile, pitcher Shane Bieber went 6-6 with an ERA of 3.80 and 107 strikeouts across 21 starts in 2023.

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Should the Guardians retain Dodgers target Shane Bieber and compete for the AL Central crown?

The Guardians explored the possibility of trading Shane Bieber but couldn't get the right asking price in exchange, resulting in him going forward with the club in spring training.

If they retain Bieber, the Guardians will need to make quick moves and sign a few stars from the free agent market. USA Today's Bob Nightengale tied DH JD Martinez with the Guardians, signaling that it's not all doomed for the club in 2024.

"The perfect fit for DH J.D. Martinez, GMs say, are the Cleveland Guardians, who have spent just $1.1 million this winter," Nightengale said in his report.

However, they still need to initiate contract talks with Josh Naylor and look beyond to remain competitive in 2024 and in the near future.