The Cleveland Guardians announced via Twitter that Shane Bieber will be the recipient of a great franchise honor.
The Opening Day starter is supposed to be the best and most respected pitcher on a staff.
He is supposed to lead the way over the course of a season.
Bieber, over the years, has won the love and respect of fans who follow the team.
And he has been mostly excellent at what he does, with a career 3.27 ERA and a Cy Young award.
That performance is, in large part, why he will start the first game of the season for the fifth straight time.
Fans, of course, showed their faith in him via Twitter.
He’s a 1st ballot Cleveland hall of famer.
— Dustin DelVecchio 🤙✌️⚾️♻️☮️ (@dustypants27) March 19, 2024
Goat
— BrownsNation (@LuigiDaGreen) March 19, 2024
let’s go Biebs!
— Alys (@alys216) March 19, 2024
Can't wait.
— Bill Braden (@billbraden9) March 19, 2024
Fans expressed their desire for the organization to keep Bieber around for the long term:
Keep this man.
— DankyDan (@DankyReal) March 19, 2024
That is definitely an unlikely scenario, given their recent track record with homegrown pitchers about to reach free agency.
Bieber is, most likely, a trade piece for the deadline if the Guardians are out of the race.
If they remain competitive, they could keep him until after the season ends.
Then, the pitcher will test the free-agent market and is likely to find a bigger payday somewhere else.
How he does in the 2024 campaign will likely dictate his future.
Last year, he missed time with arm injuries and posted a 3.80 ERA with a mediocre strikeout rate.
However, he went to Driveline to try and regain some of his lost velocity, and is once again throwing as hard as ever, in the 93-94 mph range.
Holding that velocity will lead to more strikeouts and better results and, as a consequence, a better contract.
The Guardians, however, will be very happy if he prices himself out of Cleveland because it would have meant he had a wonderful 2024.
NEXT: Guardians Announce 2024 Opening Day Starter