Guardians agree to deal with Shane Bieber for 2025 and possibly 2026

The Cleveland Guardians have made their first big move in free agency by keeping Shane Bieber in town. The two sides are in agreement on a one-year deal with a player option for 2026. Bieber is expected to miss a good portion of 2025 and should return midway through the season and potentially help the Guardians in a playoff push should everything go their way.

This contract format has been expected for some time, considering how Bieber's 2024 came to an end and his recovery timeline. Cleveland got all of two starts from Bieber before his season came to an early end, as he would need to undergo Tommy John surgery. With the lengthy recovery process that will delay his 2025 debut, having a player option makes a lot of sense for Bieber in the event he is not able to perform up to his standard and not get anything close to that in his ensuing free agency excursion.

The Guardians actually going out and making sure Bieber stays with the club in 2025 is a huge development. Very few expected Cleveland to make an offer with this much money attached, as they have not been willing to do so in the past. This is the type of financial commitment that this organization absolutely had to make if they were going to keep the players in the clubhouse happy, in addition to the fanbase.

In the grand scheme of things, keeping Bieber is a great first step for the Guardians, but more are needed. The current state of their rotation is not necessarily great, with the one arm they can honestly depend on being Tanner Bibee. Gavin Williams might be able to bounce back from a rocky 2024, while Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen could look to get their major league careers back on the right track, but these are far from guaranteed results. Re-signing Bieber, even if he will only play for the second part of the season, is a great way to supplement a group that really needs it.