MLB Rumors: Guardians' Shane Bieber Expected to Be Traded by Deadline, GMs Say
Three MLB general managers told ESPN's Jeff Passan this week that they believe the Cleveland Guardians will trade starting pitcher Shane Bieber before the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
"Cleveland's done it before: It traded Mike Clevinger at the deadline in 2020 and Trevor Bauer in 2019," Passan wrote.
"With Triston McKenzie's return imminent, Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee looking great and Gavin Williams arriving soon, the next generation of Cleveland pitching is coming. Everything lines up. And if Bieber goes, Amed Rosario could join him—maybe in the same deal, maybe separately."
The 28-year-old Bieber is 4-3 with a 3.72 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 6.4 K/9 rate this year. For his career, Bieber is 58-29 with a 3.23 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 rate in six MLB seasons, all with Cleveland.
Bieber is set to become a free agent in 2025 after one more arbitration-eligible year in 2024.
Cleveland is off to a rough start, going 25-30 and amassing a minus-32 run differential. However, the Guardians are just three-and-a-half games behind the 29-27 Minnesota Twins, who lead a weak AL Central that features four losing teams.
Hitting is the primary issue this year with Cleveland sitting last in the league in runs scored (200). If the Guardians' struggles continue, it's conceivable to see them become sellers at the deadline, especially with Cleveland at risk of losing Bieber for nothing if they hang onto him for another season.
This has been an off-year for Bieber compared to past seasons, and the career-low 6.4 K/9 rate is certainly a concern. But he's also one year removed from a good 2022 season (13-8, 2.88 ERA, 8.9 K/9 rate) that saw him finish seventh in the American League Cy Young voting. He could very well be one of the most sought-after pitchers at the trade deadline.
For now, he fronts a Cleveland rotation on a Guardians team looking to get back on track. They have a chance to do just that starting Thursday with a four-game series at the first-place Twins.
