Who is Shane Bieber? Blue Jays' trade for former Cy Young winner not without risk

Hamilton Spectator

4 days ago

The frenzied final hours before the
MLB trade deadline
have brought a fresh face to the
Blue Jays
: former American League Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber.
Bieber, 30, will
bolster the Jays rotation
as they hope to continue their run as
one of the best teams in baseball
. But the trade with the Cleveland Guardians is not without risk — Bieber has not made a major league start since April 2024 and is expected to make his return from Tommy John surgery over the next few weeks.
Here's what fans should know about him.
Bieber has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since his major-league debut with the Guardians in 2018. Between 2018 and 2023, he was 20.7 wins above replacement (WAR), according to Fangraphs, ranked seventh in baseball among starting pitchers.
His best stretch came in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when he led baseball with a 1.63 ERA and 122 strikeouts. He won the AL Cy Young Award, beating out Minnesota's Kenta Maeda and Toronto's Hyun Jin Ryu.
Bieber started another 31 games in 2022, posting a 2.88 ERA, and had a 3.80 ERA across 21 starts in 2023.
Bieber made only two starts in 2024 before being shut down with elbow pain and undergoing Tommy John surgery. He made his first rehab appearance on May 31 this year and, after a brief setback, worked his way up to a four-inning appearance in Double-A earlier this week.
Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said Bieber felt 'great' after the start and his velocity 'looked good.' Bieber was expected to rejoin Cleveland's rotation in August.
While recovering from Tommy John surgery, Bieber signed a one-year, $10 million (U.S.) deal with the Guardians last winter. It includes a $16-million player option for 2026, with a $4-million buyout.
The Blue Jays will owe Bieber roughly $3 million for the rest of the season, and he is expected to decline his player option, which ups his price tag to around $7 million for two months of the regular season, plus the post-season.
The Jays sent right-handed pitching prospect
Khal Stephen
to Cleveland.
The Jays drafted him in the second round in last year's draft out of Mississippi State University and he was considered the team's fifth-best prospect. Fangraphs also lists Stephen as the 80th-best prospect in baseball.
With pitching depth in the organization — including right-hander Trey Yesavage, ranked 61st in baseball by Fangraphs, and lefty Ricky Tiedemann, ranked 94th — the Jays may have been more willing to part with one of their top prospects.
Toronto's starting rotation is more stable now than it was a month ago. Max Scherzer is back from the injured list — his
thumb injury
is no longer a pressing concern — and
Eric Lauer has demonstrated he is a viable starter
, averaging more than five innings and fewer than two runs across his last eight appearances.
But the team is still in need of pitching help, both as depth and in the bullpen. The Blue Jays rotation ranks 24th in baseball in ERA, 20th in innings pitched and 25th in Fangraphs WAR. Bieber comes with risk, but his upside would help Toronto.
New Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber embraces connection to Justin Bieber: 'I've been hearing it since college'
Shane Bieber is not related to Justin Bieber, the Canadian pop superstar — although they have been confused before. Topps accidentally referred to Bieber as Justin on his 2019 baseball card. 'Is it too late to say sorry?' Topps tweeted in response.
Is it too late to say sorry?
On players' weekend in 2018 and 2019, Bieber wore the nickname 'NOT JUSTIN' on the back of his jersey.
The Jays have already embraced Bieber's famous counterpart. Shortly after the trade was officially announced, the team posted a photo of Justin Bieber in a Blue Jays jersey to X.