Shane Bieber is back in the conversation for the Guardians, and the latest rumor has already given fans something to chew on heading into what could be a very long offseason.
On Tuesday, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden laid out his predictions for where the top 40 free agents might land, and his lone Guardians note came with a familiar name. Bowden projected Cleveland to reunite with Bieber on a one-year deal worth $20 million.
That kind of number jumps off the page. A reunion with Bieber would make some sense for Cleveland, which needs starting pitching and has shown it knows how to get the most out of him. But the price tag is where this gets tricky, especially for a Guardians club already trying to sort through Steven Kwan and Jo Adell’s rising arbitration costs.
Bieber’s own market is not exactly spotless, either. He finished last season with a 4.37 ERA in 55 2/3 innings, and he missed time with two separate trips to the injured list. He opened the year on the shelf because of shoulder fatigue that surfaced in the offseason, then went back on the IL in August with right mild teres major inflammation that ended his season.
Even with that résumé, a $20 million payday feels steep. Bieber was on a one-year, $14 million deal with the Guardians for 2025 before earning $16 million last season in Toronto after he unexpectedly exercised the player option from that contract.
That decision made more sense at the time because of his health uncertainty. This winter, though, he does not have that safety net. Bieber has said he wants to remain in Toronto, but there may not be enough room for him.
And with the Dec. 1 lockout approaching, the market is set to move fast as free agents try to land deals under the current CBA.
In Other News...
Guardians Just Lost Another Behind The Scenes Voice Rivals Keep Poaching
The Guardians are losing another one of the behind-the-scenes people who helped shape their offensive program, as Conner Watson is headed to Houston to become the Astros director of hitting. Watson spent the past two seasons as Clevelands assistant director of hitting development, and his move is the latest reminder that the organizations player development work keeps getting noticed well beyond Progressive Field.
Chris Antonetti has already acknowledged the staff turnover, and in some ways that comes with the territory for a club whose development pipeline is routinely viewed as a strength. Still, it is the kind of loss that matters, because these roles influence how hitters are identified, coached and pushed forward before they ever become everyday names in Cleveland. The Guardians have built a reputation other teams want to borrow from, but keeping the people who built it together is proving to be a challenge. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians May Regret Letting These Prospects Slip Away
Clevelands farm system has already produced enough intriguing names to keep tabs on, and a few former Guardians prospects are beginning to look like more than background pieces in other organizations. Juan Brito, Jacob Cozart and Josh Hartle all moved on in separate trades, and each has taken a step that suggests the move may end up benefiting their new clubs as much as it cost Cleveland. Brito landed with the Reds and flashed promise in a limited look, while Cozarts strong Double-A showing for the Angels has put him on a path toward a possible big league debut.
Hartle may be the most interesting of the three because of the role he could eventually fill for Washington. He has been effective at Double-A and looks the part of a pitcher the Nationals can build around in the near future, which only adds to the sense that Cleveland may have parted with more upside than it realized. None of these deals is decided today, but by 2027 the Guardians could be looking at three former prospects becoming useful major leaguers somewhere else. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians May Have Built Something Special With These Two Young Arms
The Guardians have spent years trying to assemble a homegrown pitching core that can carry them beyond one good season, and Gavin Williams and Parker Messick are making that plan look a lot more realistic. Williams emerged as one of the most overpowering arms in the American League, leading the league in strikeouts and carrying that stuff into the postseason, while Messick put together a strong regular season that put him squarely in the Rookie of the Year conversation.
What makes the pairing so intriguing for Cleveland is that both pitchers came through the organizations development pipeline, giving the front office a chance to imagine a rotation anchored from within rather than pieced together from the outside. Williams already looks like the sort of frontline starter who can headline October games, and Messicks rapid rise only deepens the sense that the Guardians may have more than one future ace on their hands. [Read more 🡒]