NL Central Team Named Threat To Steal Cleveland Guardians' Star

An NL Central team could look to steal away a Cleveland Guardians star in MLB free agency.

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. / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians are currently one of the best teams in baseball. Heading into Friday's schedule of games, they hold a 72-49 record. By record, they are currently the best team in baseball.

While they are top-tier World Series contenders and all of the focus is on the stretch run of the regular season, the front office is likely already planning for the future.

Looking ahead to the MLB offseason, the Guardians will need to make a huge decision.

Shane Bieber, the team's ace who has missed most of the 2024 season due to injury, will hit MLB free agency. Cleveland will need to decide whether or not they're going to re-sign him. He won't come cheap.

It sounds like quite a few teams are going to have interest in stealing Bieber away. One of those teams could be the St. Louis Cardinals.

Curt Bishop of The Sporting News has suggested that the Cardinals should look to sign Bieber this offseason.

"Bieber won a Cy Young in 2020 but hasn't quite been the same pitcher since, thanks in large part to his injuries. But if he can get healthy and the Cardinals choose to sign him, he would be a welcome addition to the team's rotation."

Bieber had an amazing start to the 2024 season before injuries ended his year prematurely. Due to the injury, he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery.

In the two starts he made, Bieber went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP, a 20.0 K/BB ratio, and 12.0 innings pitched.

A better sample size of his work can be seen from 2023. He made 21 starts, going 6-6 with a 3.80 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, a 3.1 K/BB ratio, and 128.0 innings pitched.

Clearly, his numbers were still elite.

It seems very likely that the Guardians would prefer to keep him around. However, will they be willing to spend the money it will take with Bieber coming off of such a serious injury?

Should they hesitate at all, another team will try to come swooping in to get him. That team could very well be St. Louis.

Expect to hear a lot of speculation and rumors surrounding Bieber as the offseason gets closer. Cleveland will need to make a decision and have a plan in place if they want to re-sign him.