The Cleveland Guardians are officially open for business.
The exact outcome of that state won’t be known until after July 31, but they are reportedly listening to trade offers on anyone not named Jose Ramirez.
Teams have been calling to get a sense of their willingness to trade Emmanuel Clase, Steven Kwan, Cade Smith, and a number of other players.
Of course, there is also the option of becoming ‘soft’ sellers and only trading Carlos Santana, Lane Thomas, and other players about to become free agents.
Per MLB insider Jeff Passan, there is another scenario that will shock more than one baseball fan: trading Shane Bieber.
That’s right, the 2020 AL Cy Young winner, currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery performed in 2024, could be had for the right return.
“One player to keep an eye on: 2020 AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber, who is coming back from Tommy John surgery, made his first start Tuesday at High-A Lake County and is available. Bieber’s $16 million player option for next year is an impediment, certainly, but if his stuff is good enough, high-payroll teams could see him as a risk worth taking,” Passan wrote.
It would certainly be shocking to see the Guardians flipping Bieber to another squad, but desperation around the league to add impact starting pitching might reach the point at which they are willing to offer significant resources for someone who hasn’t thrown an MLB pitch since April 2024.
Still, the entire league knows what a healthy Bieber can do, as his career 3.22 ERA and 958 strikeouts in 843 innings can attest.
If Cleveland gets quality young hitters, whether they are already in the league or close to being ready, they should consider just about every trade idea.
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