The Cleveland Guardians’ trade of Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays is looking better with every passing month, and Bleacher Report’s latest grade reflects that. With the MLB trade deadline approaching Aug. 3, the move has been revisited in the context of everything that followed, and Cleveland came away with an A-minus.
At the time of the deal, the Guardians were nine games behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central and didn’t appear to have much of a path to contention. That made the decision to send Bieber, a former AL Cy Young winner recovering from Tommy John surgery and headed toward potential free agency, for pitching prospect Khal Stephen seem like a clean piece of business.
Then the season flipped.
Cleveland mounted a historic run to catch the Tigers and win the division, while Toronto surged all the way to the World Series before losing Game 7 to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller pointed to both Stephen and the ripple effect the trade had on Cleveland’s roster construction. “On Cleveland’s side of things, [Khal] Stephen was one of the most noteworthy prospects moved at the deadline.
On the unexpected plus side, even without Bieber, the Guardians went 34-20 down the stretch and stole the AL Central crown from the Tigers. And a big part of that was Parker Messick, whose MLB debut in late August probably wouldn’t have happened if Bieber had been there blocking his path to a chance,” Miller wrote.
Bieber, who had been out since April 2024 because of the elbow injury, never pitched another game for Cleveland after being dealt on July 31. He finished the regular season with Toronto at 4-2 across seven starts, then added four postseason starts and won two of them. His year ended with the World Series Game 7 loss, when he allowed a run in relief in the top of the 11th inning.
Messick’s rise became one of the bigger Guardians storylines down the stretch. He was called up on Aug. 20 and debuted as Cleveland used a six-man rotation.
In seven starts, the left-hander went 3-1 and helped push the Guardians into the playoffs. This season, he has gone 8-6 with a 2.59 ERA, earning his first All-Star selection.
As for Stephen, the 23-year-old right-hander is now Cleveland’s No. 10 overall prospect according to MLB.com. He has made 12 starts for Double-A Akron this year.
What happens if Stephen reaches the majors may end up being the final measure of the deal.
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France is not a report of a done deal, just a possible answer if San Diego decides to listen. The fit makes sense on paper because the Guardians have been looking for more offense without sacrificing too much balance, but the real question is whether the Padres are willing to move him and what kind of return would even get them to the table. For now, it is one of those July ideas that feels more practical than flashy, which is often how Cleveland has to shop. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Finally Got The One Boost Fans Have Been Desperate For
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For a club that has spent plenty of time searching for a spark, the bigger picture was hard to miss: the lineup looked more dangerous with Ramrez available, and the extra thunder gave the Guardians a chance to reset some momentum. There was also a more meaningful subplot around the series, as Cleveland and Minnesota teamed up for a charity effort that raised money for the Venezuelan Red Cross, a reminder that even on nights built around offense, there can be something larger happening around the game. [Read more 🡒]