The Cleveland Guardians had to compete with other teams and get out of their comfort zone a bit, but they managed to retain their ace Shane Bieber on a one-year deal with a player option for 2026 earlier in the off-season.
The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner is a top 10 starter in MLB when healthy, boasting incredible swing-and-miss stuff and impeccable command.
The problem is that he is not currently cleared to pitch.
He is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery performed last April, and while everything is going according to the plan, he won’t be ready for the start of the season.
In fact, while he is expected back at some point in the first half, there is a chance he needs a bit more time and his return is delayed a few weeks.
Setbacks happen a lot with Tommy John patients.
In any case, the Guardians will need to rely on young right-hander Tanner Bibee to carry the rotation until Bieber is ready to give Cleveland its best version.
In other words, the Guardians need Bibee to mature and take a step forward, especially with consistency.
In 2024, he had months with an ERA as low as 2.64, and as high as 4.64.
That’s perfectly normal for any pitcher, but Bibee’s minor league stats (2.13 ERA in 148 frames) suggest he might be ready to enter the upper echelon of starters in the American League if he shows more consistency.
In essence, Cleveland would love it if Bibee can return a sub-3.00 ERA like he did in his rookie campaign (2.98), as opposed to his great, but not quite elite 3.47 mark in 2024.
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