Apr 16, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Shane Bieber Doesn't Solve Guardians Pitching Problem

Originally posted on Cleveland Guardians on SI
By Tommy Wild | Last updated Dec 9, 2024 6:00 PM ET

Shane Bieber is back with the Cleveland Guardains on one-year deal for 2025 and a player option for the 2026 season, per reports.

That's something every Guardians fan can rejoice over.

Having a former Cy Young pitcher in Cleveland's rotation at some point next season will certainly help with their starting depth. However, it doesn't solve all of the Guardians' pitching problems.

Cleveland's starter ERA was 4.40, and its WHIP was 1.32 during the 2024 season. Both of those stats ranked Cleveland among the bottom ten teams in MLB.

Relying on Bieber to fully fix those stats is a lot to put on a player who's coming off major elbow surgery.

Speaking of that, there are no guarantees that he'll be ready to pitch in Cleveland's rotation on Opening Day.

Chris Antonetti said earlier this offseason that Bieber was progressing well. However, based on the typical timeline for pitchers who undergo Tommy John surgery, it is reasonable to believe that Bieber likely won't be ready to pitch in a big league game until sometime during the summer.

The Guardians need to figure out who will take his spot in the rotation until that time comes. On top of that, they simply need to add more major league-caliber starters beyond Bieber to solidify themselves as a true contender in the American League.

There are also some valid concerns about Bieber's overall health. He's missed large chunks of time on the injured list three of the last four seasons.

It's great that Bieber is back in a Guardians uniform for at least one more season. However, the front office can't stop there by adding pitching to their roster.

They need to add another arm to their rotation to help stabilize the rotation and help the Guardians improve in an area that was an obvious weakness for the team last year.

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

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