7 bold predictions for the Cleveland Guardians in 2024

2. Shane Bieber will be traded during the season

Certain things just feel inevitable, and this is one of them. The rumors surrounding the Cleveland Guardians potentially trading Shane Bieber have been well-documented for the past few seasons. But with Cleveland having just one more year of control and the very likely outcome of an extension not coming to fruition to keep Bieber in town beyond this season, the Guardians would be wise to listen to any and all offers for the former Cy Young Award winner.

It was a bit surprising that the Guardians did not reach out to the New York Yankees following the injury to Gerrit Cole that is expected to keep him out for a significant portion of the season early on. There is a ton of pressure on the Yankees to win this season, and it may have been possible to get more for Bieber then than at any other point in the season.

It honestly feels like Bieber's time with the Cleveland Guardians will come to an end at some point during the 2024 season. Even if the Guardians are winning games and are in a position to potentially win the division, do not count out the possibility of Bieber being dealt. Remember, Bieber was almost moved last year when the Guardians were still in the mix last year before being hurt. Anything and everything is on the table here.

While the preferred course of action would be the Guardians somehow finding a way to extend Bieber, as long as he remains on his current contract, the expectation should be that he will be traded during the season. This is the way the Guardians operate, for better or worse. More often than not, this operational style has contributed to a winning and successful organization, and it is hard to argue with this strategy as the Guardians are one of the winningest teams in baseball as of late.