Shane Bieber Is Back: What Does This Mean For The Guardians?
Cleveland re-signed their ace to a short-term deal on Friday night, what's next for the club as the Winter Meetings begin?
Shane Bieber will remain a member of the Cleveland Guardians for at least one more season, after re-signing with the club on a one-year deal worth $14 million Friday night.
The agreement additionally includes a player option for the second season, worth $16 million — giving Bieber a chance to re-evaluate his value on the marketplace next winter.
Reaching an agreement with Bieber was always a top priority for the Guardians, who dearly missed their ace during the 2024 season. The Cleveland starting rotation was uncharacteristically weak in 2024, and Cleveland is banking that the 29-year-old can return and stabilize the rotation in 2025.
Through two starts in 2024, Bieber looked like a better version of his 2020 self. With 20 SO in 12 IP, Bieber’s five pitches were unhittable and if he picks up where he left off, this team will benefit in the stretch run.
With bigger offers on the table, Bieber opted to return to Cleveland on a short-term deal where he has been since he debuted in 2018. In a baseball world where loyalty is an extreme rarity, retaining two elite players on cheaper deals within the last three years—Jose Ramirez and now Bieber—speaks volumes about the culture within this organization.
This signing however, does not move the needle significantly if Cleveland aspires to build off last season's success. With Bieber having undergone Tommy John surgery in April, the Guardians will be without his services until around the all-star break.
This news remains an elite start to an off-season that Cleveland fans hope is more exciting than previous years. Retaining a homegrown, star caliber player like Bieber is a huge achievement for an organization that has not done so in its history outside of Jose Ramirez.
Re-signing Bieber who will not pitch for at least half of 2025 at $14 million, provides optimism that maybe Paul Dolan is less reluctant to dish out some money this winter. Coming off a magical run to the ALCS and a historic year in terms of attendance, he really has no excuse.
The biggest takeaway from this signing: Cleveland cannot settle here.
With the departure of Matthew Boyd, the Guardians are down to Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Ben Lively as the only guaranteed arms in their rotation for the start of 2025. Triston McKenzie, Logan Allen and Joey Cantillo remain pieces that can slot into the rotation however, if this team is serious about winning, this won’t be an option.
Cleveland does not stand a chance at signing Corbin Burnes, Max Fried or other top arms and everyone knows that, however, Cleveland has proven it doesn’t need top talent to be successful. If the Guardians are able to pair the Bieber signing with the addition of two less costly but solid arms, this roster will be in a healthy position to make another deep run.
Names to follow that may be realistic targets: Patrick Sandoval, Michael Lorenzen, Alex Cobb, Griffin Canning, Trevor Williams, Cal Quantrill, John Means.
Get these names in the pitching lab, and who knows what will happen.
It’s essential Cleveland complements their roster with a few of these names or pivot to the trade market to address the holes in the rotation. The Guardians still need to ensure their rotation is strong enough to keep them in contention until their ace returns.
First it was Ramirez, and now it’s Bieber — star players who have turned down more money to remain in Cleveland. The Guardians cannot stand pat now. Players want to win in Cleveland, the fans want to see this team succeed and now that Bieber is re-signed, this organization must continue to improve this team.