The Blue Jays win Shane Beaver from the Guardians
The Toronto Blue Jays added major pieces to their pitching staff, completing the trade on Thursday, winning former CY Young Award winner Shane Bieber for the Cleveland Guardians.
In return, Cleveland will receive pitching outlook Khal Stephen, the 2023 second round draft pick from Mississippi.
The 30-year-old Bieber was one of the league’s most dominant starters early in his career, winning the American League of CY Young in 2020.
However, his 2024 season suddenly stopped after two starts due to an elbow injury that ultimately required surgery.
Since undergoing the procedures in April 2024, Beaver has returned. He appeared in three rehabs for minors.
Before the trade, he was expected to rejoin the Cleveland rotation in the second half of August.
Toronto currently boasts one of the deepest rotations in baseball, joining Bieber alongside Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Eric Lauer, Jose BerrÃos and Max Scherzer.
If Bieber can regain something close to his pre-judice form, he can quickly become the forefront option in the playoff series.
There will be no financial adjustments as part of the contract. The Blue Jays expect the remainder of Bieber’s contract, which will pay $10 million in 2025 with a $16 million player option in 2026.
During Cleveland, Bieber edited the 62-32 record and won two All-Star selections.
This marks the second pitching addition for Toronto’s week following the acquisition of reliever Celant Ne Dominguez from the Baltimore Orioles.
Entering Thursday’s action, the Blue Jays gained a four-game advantage over the New York Yankees in their AL East rankings despite a 4.27 team ERA, ranked 22nd in MLB.