The Cleveland Guardians have four starting pitchers hitting the open market this offseason and have significant question marks about the rotation next year.
Alex Cobb, Carlos Carrasco, Matthew Boyd, and Cy Young winner Shane Bieber are all hitting free agency, and one analyst recently named the three best fits for Bieber.
In a recent article by The Athletic, Tim Britton listed the Guardians, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Texas Rangers as Bieber’s best potential suitors.
“Interested suitors will have to decide how much those two great April starts canceled out what had been a multi-year deadline in which Bieber’s strikeout rate plummeted from 41 percent in 2020 to 20 percent in 2023. At his healthiest, Bieber is one of baseball’s elite starters, but no one can be certain that version still exists,” Britton said.
Bieber missed almost all of the Guardians’ 2024 run after undergoing Tommy John surgery and will look to prove that he’s still the Cy Young winner he was in years past.
The surgery will likely keep him out for some of next season, but he represents a strong high-upside signing for any team interested in his services.
Guardians fans would certainly love to keep him around, especially with four starters hitting free agency.
The Rangers and Cardinals are also seeing some of their high-profile starters hit the open market, as Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, and Nathan Eovaldi are all seeking new deals.
It’s unclear how much Bieber will command on the open market, and he could be looking at a prove-it deal to show he can still be one of the best in the business.
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