Could A's make a play for former Cleveland Guardians' ace?

Jason Burke | Oct 30, 2024

Jul 9, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The A's are expected to have a little bit of money to spend this offseason, and how they use that money will be very interesting to see unfold, because the A's front office with cash is an unfamiliar sight. Still, they're going to have a hard time convincing anyone to take that money while residing in a minor-league facility, so they'll have to be on the lookout for specific situations this winter, mainly ones that involve players coming off down years or injury.

Former Cleveland Guardians' ace Shane Bieber fits that mold, pitching in just two games, one of them the season opener in Oakland, while holding a 0.00 ERA across 12 innings of work. It was after those two starts that he had to undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the season.

Not much needs to be said about the caliber of pitcher Bieber is, holding a career 3.22 ERA in parts of seven seasons. The interesting part here is how in the heck he could even wind up with the A's in Sacramento.

Honestly, it's a long-shot. Yet, the one hope that the A's would have would be to contact him early on when free agency opens up and put up a strong contract offer. The Athletic projected him for a "Low base salary with incentives for games started and innings pitched, plus option years" because there wasn't a comparable contract out there.

What if the A's just offered a base of $20-25 million for three years plus some incentives on top of that? Would that be enough to get him to actually consider signing with the A's? He's set to enter his age 30 season and is coming off of a major surgery, so securing as much guaranteed money in the short-term could be appealing for the right-hander.

That said, he could probably end up signing pretty much anywhere he wants, and the whole low base salary and incentive escalators seems very Baltimore Orioles this winter. They could also use some help in the rotation, but they're settled into their beautiful ballpark and are perennial postseason contenders these days, so the appeal is likely just a bit stronger to go with that deal, if one is presented.

Still, if the A's make contact early with some of these types of players and have a firm offer that is legitimately appealing, then they may get lucky and land a big fish for their intimate pond.