Aug 22, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) throws a pitch against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Could Blue Jays' Shane Bieber Trigger AL East Bidding War?

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The Toronto Blue Jays are going all in on the 2025 Major League Baseball season,

Toronto is in first place in the American League East with an 81-59 record. The Blue Jays have a three game lead over the second place New York Yankees and 3 1/2-game lead over the Boston Red Sox.

Toronto unsurprisingly bought ahead of the trade deadline and acquired 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians. He has made three starts for the Blue Jays and has a 4.15 ERA and 21-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 17 1/3 innings pitched.

Before Bieber was sent to the Blue Jays, he was heavily linked to the Boston Red Sox. Bieber was linked to Boston ahead of the 2025 season as well in free agency. FanSided's Robert Murray talked about the connection between Boston and Bieber before the trade deadline.

What will Shane Bieber do this winter?

"(Bieber) is one name that I’m keeping my eye with Boston, and this is me connecting dots, but in the offseason, they were very much in the Shane Bieber market,” Murray said on "The Baseball Insiders." “Bieber would make a tremendous amount of sense there. I’ve said that at one point I thought he was going to Boston, and I’m pretty sure he thought he was going to Boston, too.”

Bieber was a big pick up for the Blue Jays and has been good, but there's a chance that he could hit the open market after the season. ESPN's Jeff Passan predicted that he will end up opting out this offseason and go to free agency.

"Shane Bieber, Blue Jays, right-handed starter: Being traded to Toronto allowed Bieber a hall pass from the qualifying offer, which is enough to take his $4 million buyout and turn down a $16 million option -- provided he remains healthy for the rest of the season," Passan said. "Will he opt out: Yes."

Toronto seemingly came out of nowhere to acquire Bieber. With all of the noise around Boston and Bieber over the last year, if he becomes available, it wouldn't be a big shock to see the club pursue him agains in the offseason, but that is speculation. Could Bieber trigger an offseason battle between the Blue Jays and Red Sox? Plus, the New York Yankees are always on the prowl for big-name talent, although they don't have as much concrete, past-reported interest in Bieber as Boston does.

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This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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