Could Shane Bieber Be In Pinstripes Soon?

I haven’t been excited about the Yankees lately. Even the Juan Soto pickup didn’t give me goosebumps. But, the idea of getting another strong, young pitcher into our rotation, gets me amped up about the possibilities of real contention. According to SI.com, “Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber is in the final year of team control before hitting free agency next offseason,” Kuty and Kirschner said. “The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Guardians are considering moving Bieber but could hold off until the trade deadline in the hopes that he builds up his value.”

Cleveland is interested in building up some outfield depth and the Yankees are perfect trade partners for that. Now that they have added Soto and Alex Verdugo, the Yankees could part with some of the farm for the chance to pick up a veteran starter in Bieber. 

“A package centered around Everson Pereira, who struggled after getting called up, could entice Cleveland, especially with the power he showed in the minors. Attaching a good pitching prospect like Henry Lalane should show the Guardians how serious they are about adding Bieber,” reported SI.com.

But as quickly as I get excited, I think about injuries both lingering ones with Bieber and the potential of new ones surfacing as the Yankees move through what will likely be a long, grueling season. Remember Carlos Rodon? How about Frankie Montas? As reported by The Athletic, “Rodón was one of the worst pitchers in the major leagues this season. Out of all pitchers who completed at least 60 innings, Rodón’s 6.85 ERA was the ninth-worst in MLB.” Yuck!

And also, “Bieber has lost velocity each year since 2020 and is coming off an injury last season, but he was still effective even though his 3.81 ERA was the highest it’s been since his rookie year. Bieber was at his peak when Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake worked with him in Cleveland, so there’s some familiarity here,” reports The Athletic. And honestly, Blake really does not impress me, so there’s that.

So I went from excited to amped to blah. But I will say this, despite Blake Snell showing great stuff last season, he will only turn out to be a Sonny Gray if he came to New York. Could Bieber turn things around in New York, I mean Corey Kluber did but then he fizzled. Could he do something to help the Yankees win and be in contention? Could he find his way into pinstripes come spring? All of this hype is just that, hype, but the reality is the Yankees need someone to pitch alongside Nestor Cortes and Gerrit Cole. And if Montas and Rodon can’t turn things around, and Clarke Schmidt continues to just be okay, all the bats in the world can’t win the games on the road to the Fall Classic. 

–Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof