Dodgers Have ‘Checked In’ With Guardians Regarding Shane Bieber
When Los Angeles Dodgers CEO Stan Kasten said the team wasn’t done improving after a billion-dollar December spending spree, he wasn’t kidding. The Dodgers have done more than any team this off-season to make the 20’s their decade.
Los Angeles’ starting rotation is already loaded, but lacks major league experience beyond recently acquired right-hander Tyler Glasnow and returning ace Walker Buehler. Pitchers and catchers are still more than a month away from reporting to spring training, and the Dodgers’ front office wouldn’t mind adding a veteran arm to that mix.
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According to Dodgers insider Juan Toribio, the Dodgers “checked in” with the Cleveland Guardians on former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber.
Bieber has one more season of team control and is still only 28 years old. In six seasons, Bieber has already panned out an excellent career for himself. He won the 2020 American League Cy Young award. He’s also won a Gold Glove, pitching’s triple crown, and is a two-time All-Star.
The Orange native saw his performance regress in 2023, when he finished 6-6 with a 3.80 ERA in 21 starts. Bieber did not pitch between July 9 and Sept. 22 because of right elbow inflammation.
If the elbow injury did not impede his arm strength, it’s possible it affected Bieber’s command. Although his velocity was basically unchanged from 2022, his walk rate rose, as did the contact rate on each of his pitches. Perhaps the Dodgers’ scouts and performance staff identified a correctable flaw that led to their interest in the 28-year-old right-hander.
The Dodgers have said they would do their best to improve even after getting Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and they weren’t kidding. Although it’s been a slow-paced offseason in general, Dodger fans have plenty to be ecstatic about.
Even if the discussions around Bieber prove fruitless, don’t be surprised if another established starting pitcher makes his way to Los Angeles.
