Cleveland Guardians Urged To Sign Star Pitcher To Contract Extension

Should the Cleveland Guardians sign starting pitcher Shane Bieber to a new deal?

Mar 2, 2024; Goodyear, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) pitches against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians' starting rotation has been a nightmare this season, and it began unraveling right from the beginning when Shane Bieber went down with an elbow injury in April.

Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery and won't return to the mound until 2025, but the problem is that he is slated to hit free agency in the upcoming offseason.

The Guardians aren't typically known for splurging. They currently rank 23rd in the MLB in payroll, so awarding Bieber with a big contract—particularly after a major injury—isn't exactly their modus operandi. At least not historically.

However, Bernie Pleskoff of Forbes feels that Cleveland should absolutely try and extend Bieber at least through 2026.

Bieber is unquestionably the Guardians' best pitcher. He won the AL Cy Young award during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, and since entering the big leagues in 2018, he has pitched to the tune of a 3.22 ERA while registering 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Those are some pretty fine numbers, but Bieber also comes with a pretty significant caveat: a checkered injury history.

A shoulder issue limited Bieber to 16 starts in 2021, and last year, an elbow injury confined him to 21 starts. So that's three times in four years that Bieber has experienced arm trouble.

That is absolutely cause for concern, especially for a cost-conscious franchise like the Guardians.

Pleskoff makes a pretty sound argument in at least giving him a two-year deal. Of course, we have to see how much money Bieber would command, but assuming Cleveland doesn't have to pay through the nose, the risk would be pretty minimal.

It's blatantly obvious that the Guardians need starting pitching, so retaining Bieber would be important.

The question is whether or not Bieber himself would be open to taking a short-term deal. Chances are, the 29-year-old will want to test the market.