There’s an expiration date. Barring some unforeseen development, Shane Bieber won’t reside in Cleveland beyond the 2024 season. That’s when he’s bound for free agency.
That’s not the expiration date, though.
The Guardians don’t typically chauffeur their star players to the red carpet at the Winter Meetings. Players usually leave Cleveland on the club’s terms. Before long, Bieber will don another team’s uniform. Perhaps later this summer. Maybe this offseason.
With a starting pitcher reinventing himself and the team trying to navigate its way through what has been, to this point, a disappointing season, the Guardians should have plenty of motivation over the next eight weeks to at least explore what a Bieber trade might look like, independent of their standing in the American League Central.
It’s a complicated situation, though.
The two sides have discussed a long-term pact in past springs, but the talks haven’t amounted to much. Bieber is earning a tick above $10 million this season, and will be eligible for a more lucrative payday next season.
Cleveland has a pattern of dealing starting pitchers amid similar circumstances.
• July 2019: Traded Trevor Bauer with one-plus year remaining of team control
• December 2019: Traded Corey Kluber with one year remaining of team control (plus a club option the Rangers ultimately declined)
• August 2020: Traded Mike Clevinger with two-plus years remaining of team control
The Guardians’ primary needs are glaring. They rank at or near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories. Any young hitter with the ability to rack up extra-base hits would be welcome. The two logical avenues to acquiring such a player: package prospects or trade Bieber. It might even behoove the Guardians to do both.
As is customary, the Guardians boast plenty of starting pitching depth, with rookies Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee asserting themselves as reliable, big-league options. Triston McKenzie and Aaron Civale returned from the injured list last weekend. Gavin Williams, a consensus top-50 prospect, has fared well in seven starts for Triple-A Columbus.