Shane Bieber had yet another solid season on the mound for the Cleveland Guardians.
The 27-year-old went 13-8 and posted a 2.88 ERA in 31 starts during the regular season.
With starting pitching at a premium on the free agent market this offseason, some teams may be forced to add a starter via trade.
However, it looks like Bieber will not be available to teams looking for pitching reinforcements.
Jim Bowden of CBS Sports provided an update on the situation, saying that Guardians’ president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti plans for Bieber in their starting rotation in 2023, and that the ace is off limits.
Chris Antonetti #Guardians told us that Shane Bieber will NOT be traded and will be a part of their team in 2023 as expected. When asked if he was closer to acquiring Sean Murphy #Athletics or Alejandro Kirk #BlueJays he suggested we ask them…they trying to add Catcher & a Bat.
— Jim Bowden⚾️🏈 (@JimBowdenGM) November 13, 2022
Bieber Staying Put
Guardians fans can breathe easy on this one.
Bieber isn’t going anywhere, at least for now.
Ultimately, this is expected news.
Bieber was a key piece for the Guardians in 2022 as they won 92 games and captured their first AL Central title since 2018.
He and Triston McKenzie formed a solid one-two punch at the top of the rotation that helped carry the Guardians back to the postseason.
It appears that as of now, the Guardians do not plan on trading away Bieber and that their primary focus right now is to acquire a catcher or a bat, as was reported by Bowden.
Bieber would certainly warrant a massive return of prospects and Major League-ready talent.
While several teams could provide that, holding onto Bieber is the smart move for the Guardians.
They likely will not be in on Justin Verlander, Carlos Rodon, or Jacob deGrom, so holding onto Bieber makes sense as of now.
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