Multiple top players within the Cleveland Guardians organization were on the verge of being traded in the final days of the MLB trade deadline. From outfielder Steven Kwan to starting pitcher Shane Bieber.
Unfortunately, the Guardians believed it was time to move on from Shane Bieber after playing in Cleveland during his first seven seasons in the league and winning a Cy Young Award and a pitching Triple Crown in 2020.
He was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for their No. 7 prospect, right-handed pitcher Khal Stephen.
At 30 years old, Bieber hasn't seen the mound since April of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL in his throwing elbow. He's on pace to make his return to the major league mound sometime in August after serving a rehab assignment in the minors.
He'll have to make his return with a new team, and the Blue Jays are hoping Bieber will be able to return with the same momentum he had before his injury.
There's a lot of uncertainty behind how Bieber will be able to perform in his return. USA Today's Bob Nightengale labeled the former Guardians ace as the "biggest gamble" that was traded during this year's deadline.
"The Blue Jays are taking the chance that Shane Bieber, who hasn’t pitched in the big leagues all season, recovering from Tommy John surgery, will return to become the Cy Young winner of old."
"The risk is, almost in some ways, the exciting aspect of it because of the upside,” Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins told reporters. “The upside is just so big, and I think what makes it riskier is the fact that he’s not pitching in major-league games right now,” Nightengale wrote in an article on Sunday.
Bieber's career stats include a 62-32 record, 3.22 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 958 strikeouts in 843 innings.