Bringing back ace Shane Bieber was one of the most important parts of the Cleveland Guardians off-season.
Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Joey Cantillo are all very talented pitchers, all with untapped potential, but none of them has the kind of ceiling a healthy Bieber boasts.
Thankfully for the Guards, and despite their usually shallow pockets, they were able to secure the return of their longtime ace on Thursday as several MLB insiders reported.
“Shane Bieber is returning to the Guardians, in a deal negotiated by Rosenhaus Sports,” ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote on his X account.
Shane Bieber is returning to the Guardians, in a deal negotiated by Rosenhaus Sports.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 6, 2024
The terms of the deal weren’t immediately disclosed but should be available later on Friday.
Bieber won’t be available for the start of the 2025 campaign as he recovers from Tommy John surgery performed on April.
He should be an option around June or July if all goes well.
However, the Guardians can probably afford to be without him for the first few months of the year.
It’s the stretch run and the postseason where he can help them the most, elevating the ceiling of the rotation and giving the staff a true ace when it comes to track record, expectations, and length.
Before going down earlier this year, Bieber was showing off the results of his hard work at Driveline in the off-season.
His fastball velocity was back to normal levels after a down 2023 and he hadn’t allowed a single run in 12 innings, accumulating 20 punchouts.
Now, the Guardians bring him back for another push for the World Series.
The ace is back in Cleveland.
NEXT: Baseball America Reveals Guardians' Top Ten Prospects
