There might not be a pitcher in Major League Baseball with as much pressure on him to perform heading into the back end of the season as Shane Bieber of the Toronto Blue Jays.Â
The Blue Jays acquired Bieber in a deal with the Cleveland Guardians during the trade deadline, with Bieber finally appearing in a game during the 2025 campaign on Aug. 22. He threw in six innings, allowing just two hits, one earned run, and striking out nine. Bieber looked to be just as good as he has been throughout much of his career, but the injuries are tough to ignore.Â
What Will Blue Jays’ Shane Bieber Do This Offseason?
With the Toronto Blue Jays having to make a contract decision on Bieber, with him having a $16 million deal with the Blue Jays if he wants to opt into his deal or a $4 million buyout and test the free agency market again after being injured on it a year ago, it’s possible he could opt out of this deal. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, there are questions about that.Â
âWith only one start thus far in 2025, itâs far too early to guess what Bieber will do regarding his option for 2026. The 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner signed a two-year, $26 million deal to stay in Cleveland last offseason while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, but if he can prove heâs healthy and back to his old form over the final month-plus of the season, he could take the $4 million buyout and test free agency without the drag of a qualifying offer attached to him. If he struggles with health or performance, he could pick up the option and stay with Toronto for another year,â he wrote.
Can Shane Bieber Raise His Stock?
Regarding what Bieber has to do on the mound throughout the remainder of the season, some believe that he’s one of the few players who could raise their value or completely diminish it.Â
MLB.comâs Thomas Harrigan also spoke about how he could be one of the top 10 free agents, and his price could be higher than some expect.Â
âBieber has a $12 million decision looming this offseason — he can opt in for a $16 million salary with the Blue Jays next season or take a $4 million buyout and try his luck in free agency for the second straight year. The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner seems likely to take the latter route, though that could change if he runs into complications in his return from Tommy John surgery. There were no issues in his first start back from the IL last Friday, when he struck out nine batters over six innings of one-run ball,â he wrote.
When Bieber is at his best and healthy, there’s a strong argument to be made that he’s one of the better right-handers in Major League Baseball.Â
Despite that reality, Bieber has also dealt with multiple injuries. Unless he can dominate hitters throughout the rest of the year, and even that might not be enough, there’s a decent chance he returns to the Toronto Blue Jays and takes his $16 million deal.
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