With trade, Blue Jays banking on return to form for former Cy Young winner

Returning from Tommy John surgery, Shane Bieber believes he still has plenty to offer in the next chapter of his MLB career, and so do the Toronto Blue Jays.

On Thursday, the Blue Jays acquired Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians to boost their rotation. The 30-year-old right-hander made just two starts in 2024 before undergoing right elbow surgery, marking the second consecutive year he has battled arm issues. 

Since the 2019 season, Bieber has made 30 or more starts in just one 162-game campaign, logging 31 starts in 2021 when he finished seventh in the American League Cy Young voting with a 2.88 ERA in 200 innings.

While he didn't make 30 or more starts in the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, he did earn the AL Cy Young Award. Notching an MLB-leading 1.63 ERA in 12 starts spanning 77.1 innings, Bieber also paced MLB with 122 strikeouts that year.

What Bieber could provide the Blue Jays will be interesting to watch, as he has posted a 1.59 ERA in four minor-league starts in 2025. That includes his latest outing on Tuesday, throwing four innings for Double-A Akron and allowing just three hits and one run while striking out seven.

Bieber signed a one-year, $14 million deal in the offseason with a player option for 2026. With that, the Blue Jays may be getting a rental for the stretch run, but adding Bieber to a rotation that includes Jose Berrios, Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt gives Toronto plenty of experience in what is expected to be a pressure-packed remainder of the season.