Despite having dealt with his fair share of injuries, pitcher Shane Bieber remains one of the MLB's foremost arms. According to indications from an MLB insider, Bieber will be sticking with the only MLB team he has ever known.
A member of the Cleveland Guardians since 2018, Bieber broke out during the shortened season of 2020. That year, the six-foot-three right hander went 8-1, amassing a league-best 2.63 ERA. After the stellar performance, Bieber was given the AL Cy Young Award.
Last season, elbow imflammation kept Bieber out of action from June until September, leading him to start a career-low 21 full season games. At the end of the season, rumors began to swirl that he would be traded. However, according to MLB analyst Jon Heyman, that does not seem to be the case.
"Shane Bieber is considered "very unlikely" to be traded by the Guardians this offseason, per @JonHeyman" - B/R Walk-Off
The news comes less than 24 hours after Shane Bieber agreed a one-year, $13.125 million extention with the Cleveland Guardians to avoid arbitration. Previously, Bieber had looked like a good candidate to help the team shed some payroll ahead of the 2024 season.
A major reason for that is the bankrupcty hearing for Diamond Sports, the parent company of Bally, who owns the television rights to Guardians' games. With that source of revenue thrown into question, many believed that moving Bieber would be a good way to offset some of the costs.
"Shane Bieber, Dirty 84mph Knuckle Curve." - Rob Friedman
Compared to divisional counterparts like the Minnesota Twins, the Guardians have had a relatively quiet offseason.
However, in a piece for The Bleacher Report, writer Adam Wells has stipulated that the best route for the Guardians may be to allow Bieber one more season to build up his trade value after the injury-ridden 2024 campaign. After he does that, trading him would look like a much more logical option.
Shane Bieber remains a weapon in the Guardians' lineup?
Although the Guardians may not be blessed with a rotation like that of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bieber's presence helps them considerably. In the past, the California-native has shown what he has, and in all likelihood, will do so again.
Allowing Shane Bieber to prove once again how dominant he can be is probably the best route for the Guardians to take ahead of the 2024 season. This time next year, they will be able to reassess.