Former Guardians ace Shane Bieber may have new found long-term home with Blue Jays

Although Shane Bieber has only spent parts of two seasons in Toronto compared to the parts of eight he spent in Cleveland, it seems like there’s a chance Toronto could be his new long-term home. 

Although Bieber hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the end of August due to a shoulder injury, Bieber officially entered free agency on Sunday when the Blue Jays’ season ended with a 5-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. 

And Bieber’s wife Kara immediately made her thoughts known on her husband’s free agency by posting an Instagram story with the caption “would love nothing more to see him in a Jays jersey.” 

It seems like Shane Bieber wants to stay with the Blue Jays

Bieber himself made his feelings about the Blue Jays known on Saturday when spoke to reporters and made his feelings for Toronto known as well. 

“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.”

Earlier in Bannon’s story, he quoted a league source who said the Blue Jays have a “real shot” to bring Bieber back as a free agent.

Bieber’s stint with the Blue Jays has been pretty similar to how the end of his time with Cleveland went. There were some flashes (like last year’s postseason) but there were also a variety of injuries. Those injuries may limit Bieber’s earning power in free agency, but it seems like he should still get plenty of interest from Toronto. 

Bieber burst onto the scene in 2019 with an All-Star nod that was followed by a Cy Young win in the truncated 2020 season.

He was a frontline starter for the Guardians in 2021 and ‘22, but his career took a huge detour thanks to an elbow injury in 2023 that was followed by Tommy John surgery in 2024. 

The final part of his time with the Guardians was also defined by the saga around his impending free agency (he was a lock to get dealt at the deadline in ‘24 prior to getting hurt). 

The Blue Jays traded for Bieber last season even though he wasn’t fully healthy, and he rewarded them with that aforementioned strong postseason performance. 

Bieber doubled down on his stint in Toronto by picking up his $16 million player option for this season, and ended up throwing 55 2/3 innings around his injuries. 

Although Bieber has a Cy Young on his résumé, he’s likely going to get paid like a No. 4 or 5 starters due to his injuries and inconsistency in the past couple seasons. 

That may end up being a win for the Blue Jays since they’d be able to get him at a discount, but the fact that it wouldn’t be a big deal in Cleveland shows just how much the Guardians’ pitching factory has been able to keep chugging along without him.

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