Cleveland Guardians Star Among Top Upcoming MLB Free Agents

A Cleveland Guardians star has been listed among the top upcoming MLB free agents.

Sep 22, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field. / David Richard-Imagn Images

All the focus on the Cleveland Guardians is based on the upcoming MLB postseason. They have clinched a spot in the postseason and appear to be one of the top contenders in the American League.

That being said, the front office is also focusing on the upcoming MLB offseason.

Shane Bieber, the team's star starting pitcher, who has missed almost all of the 2024 season due to an injury that required Tommy John surgery, is set to hit the open market in free agency.

Quite a few teams around the league will have interest in swooping in and stealing him away from the Guardians. However, it seems very likely that Cleveland would like to re-sign him.

He was only able to make two starts this season before going down with an injury. In those two starts, he went 2-0 with no runs given up, just 10 hits, 20 strikeouts, and just one walk. Bieber was seemingly on his way to a dominant season.

Now, he'll hit free agency coming off of a serious injury.

Despite the concerns surrounding the Tommy John surgery, Bleacher Report has Bieber in their list of the top 25 upcoming free agents. They placed him at No. 25 on their list.

"After showing diminished velocity in 2023, Bieber came out firing during spring training, and he was lights out in his first two starts of the regular season before he was sidelined with an elbow issue. That ultimately led to Tommy John surgery on April 12, and he is now on the recovery trail. He could be a prime candidate for a qualifying offer, or a back-loaded, two-year deal that allows him a runway to rebuild his value."

It will be interesting to see what ends up happening with him in free agency. Will the Guardians be able to re-sign him? Or, will another team come in with a better offer?

Either way, Cleveland needs to focus on its rotation in the offseason. They could use more talent in that area.

Regardless of what ends up happening in the playoffs this season, the Guardians should have a championship window open for a few years. They don't usually spend much money, but being so close to a World Series win could convince them to alter that strategy and be more aggressive.