Shane Bieber’s next stop might not be a stop at all.
The former Guardians ace is now a free agent, and after spending parts of two seasons in Toronto, there’s a real sense that the Blue Jays could become his long-term home. Bieber’s 2025 season ended when Toronto closed out the year with a 5-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds, and with that, his time under contract in Canada officially came to a close.
Bieber hasn’t pitched in the majors since the end of August because of a shoulder injury, but the connection between him and the Blue Jays already looks strong. His wife, Kara, made that clear right away, posting an Instagram story that said “would love nothing more to see him in a Jays jersey.”
Bieber sounded just as open to staying put when he spoke with reporters on Saturday.
“Hopefully they know that I gave everything that I could to these guys and the organization,” Bieber said per The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon. “Would love to do it again. Only time will tell.”
Bannon also reported that a league source described Toronto as having a “real shot” to re-sign him.
The fit makes sense on paper, even if Bieber’s path to this point has been bumpy. His time with the Blue Jays has echoed the final stretch of his run in Cleveland: some real highs, including last year’s postseason, but also a steady stream of injuries. That history could suppress his market in free agency, but it should not keep teams away entirely.
Bieber’s résumé still carries weight. He broke out in 2019 with an All-Star selection, then won the Cy Young in the shortened 2020 season. He was a top-of-the-rotation arm for the Guardians in 2021 and 2022 before his career veered off course with an elbow injury in 2023 and Tommy John surgery in 2024.
His final chapter in Cleveland was also shaped by his looming free agency, with Bieber viewed as a lock to be traded at the 2024 deadline before the injury changed everything.
Toronto took the gamble anyway, acquiring him last season despite the health concerns. Bieber answered with that strong postseason run, then committed to the Blue Jays by picking up his $16 million player option for this season. Even with the injuries, he still managed to throw 55 2/3 innings.
Now the market is likely to treat him like a No. 4 or No. 5 starter rather than the Cy Young winner on his résumé, because the injuries and inconsistency have changed the equation. That could make him a bargain for Toronto if they bring him back. It also says plenty about Cleveland’s pitching depth that Bieber’s departure would not be a massive blow there, a reminder of how well the Guardians have kept the machine running without him.
In Other News...
Guardians Final Roster Move Just Clarified A Key Postseason Battle
The Guardians have started to sort out their postseason pitching picture, and the latest move points to how they want to cover the middle innings if games get hectic. Austin Peterson was added to the pitching staff for the playoffs, giving Cleveland another bulk relief option after he handled that role behind starter Parker Messick in the season finale.
The corresponding roster change came with Craig Yoho coming off the postseason roster, a shift that underscores how fluid the back end of October pitching plans can be. Clevelands current setup appears to center on Parker Messick and Gavin Williams in the rotation, with Daniel Espino and Joey Cantillo lined up to bridge the game behind them, while Tanner Bibee and Foster Griffin remain possibilities to work out of the bullpen. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Playoff Path Is Set And One ALDS Question Looms
The postseason picture is now clear, and Cleveland has landed in a favorable spot as the No. 2 seed in the American League with a first-round bye. Instead of jumping straight into the Wild Card round, the Guardians can wait and see which club emerges from the Houston Astros-Chicago White Sox series before opening their AL Division Series on Oct. 3.
For Cleveland, the setup offers both rest and a little uncertainty, since the next opponent will be determined by a series that could play out a few different ways. The broader October schedule is already in place from the Wild Card Series through the World Series, but the immediate focus for the Guardians is on preparing for either Houstons experience or Chicagos path as they get ready for the first real test of their playoff run. [Read more 🡒]
A Tragic Indians Game Still Carries One Haunting Irony
Griffith Stadium was the setting for a grim moment on Sept. 29, 1943, when a game between the Cleveland Indians and Washington Senators was interrupted by tragedy in the stands. A wild throw sent a ball sailing into the crowd and struck fan Clarence Stagemyer in the head, leaving him with a concussion and a fractured skull.
Stagemyer died the following day, and the incident is believed to be the first case of a fan dying as a direct result of a ball-related injury at a Major League Baseball game. For a game that would otherwise have faded into the long blur of wartime baseball, the memory lingers because of the terrible irony at its center. [Read more 🡒]