Cleveland Guardians Could Lose Top Pitcher To Dodgers In Free Agency

Could the Los Angeles Dodgers steal Shane Bieber away from the Cleveland Guardians?

Mar 12, 2024; Surprise, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

You may have forgotten about him given that he hasn't pitched since early April, but Shane Bieber is the Cleveland Guardians' best pitcher.

As a matter of fact, in two 2024 starts before going down with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, Bieber went 2-0 without giving up a run in 12 innings.

The problem is that Bieber will be a free agent at the end of the season, and the cost-conscious Guardians may not be able to retain him.

As a matter of fact, Jim Bowden of The Athletic has already reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers could make a push for Bieber next winter.

The Dodgers are certainly no strangers to spending money. They have a payroll just under $240 million this season, which ranks fifth in baseball. Contrast that with the Guardians, whose $106 million payroll places 23rd.

Of course, Los Angeles and other squads will surely approach Bieber with caution.

Not only is the 29-year-old recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he has been riddled with injuries in three of the past four seasons. Bieber threw just 96.1 innings in 2021 and then 128 frames last year.

When Bieber is healthy, he is one of the top arms in baseball. He won the American League Cy Young award during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, and in his one fully healthy season since then (2022), Bieber went 13-8 with a 2.88 ERA.

Cleveland was recently urged to sign Bieber to a contract extension, but given how frugal the Guardians tend to be, the right-hander may be out of their price range entirely.

We'll see how things shake out in the offseason.