Cleveland Guardians' Star Could Make Interesting Contract Decision

This Cleveland Guardians star could make a rather interesting contract decision this offseason.

Jul 4, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) reacts after giving up a home run in the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber has been sidelined since April after undergoing Tommy John surgery, putting a serious damper on the team's starting rotation.

Even worse is the fact that Bieber is slated to hit free agency in the offseason, which will further complicate matters for the Guardians and their shaky starting pitching.

However, there could be a chance that Bieber returns to Cleveland.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter mentioned Bieber's upcoming free agency in a recent piece and has not ruled out the possibility of the right-hander accepting a qualifying offer.

That would mean Bieber would rejoin the Guardians on a one-year deal in order to potentially set himself up for a lucrative long-term contradct the following offseason.

Bieber is certainly a risky play.

Over the last four seasons, he has made 16, 31, 21 and two starts, respectively. His only healthy campaign during that span came in 2022, when he went 13-8 with a 2.88 ERA.

When he is right, there is no doubting that Bieber is one of the top pitchers in baseball. Back in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he won the AL Cy Young award after going 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA while racking up 122 strikeouts over 77.1 innings of work.

But Bieber's checkered injury history will certainly affect his value on the open market, and for a cost-conscious ballclub like Cleveland, signing him to a multi-year deal seems very unlikely.

However, the Guardians would certainly be open to having the 29-year-old back for at least one more season in 2025. We'll see if that ends up being a legitimate possibility in a couple of months.