Shane Bieber, Cleveland Guardians. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images)
Shane Bieber appears to be the top target on the trade market for starting pitching.
Bieber is playing for the Cleveland Guardians on a one-year deal worth $10.01 million. This is his second season of arbitration eligibility. He has one more arbitration year in 2024 and will be a free agent in 2025.
The amount of time Bieber has team control does make Bieber a bargain for teams looking for starting pitchers.
Bieber is 5-3 this season with a 3.29 ERA in 14 games started. He’s pitched in 87.2 innings and thrown 64 strikeouts. The called strikes plus whiff rate for Bieber is 29.4 percent. A 30-percent rate is considered good. Bieber had an excellent CSW rate. He is typically a ground ball pitcher with a 45.5-percent ground ball rate this season.
Bieber relies on a four-seam fastball, cutter, slider, curveball, and changeup. The slider has been his putaway pitch. The pitch averages 84.6 mph with a vertical drop of 36.7 inches. The slider has an active spin rate of 22% with 4.7 inches of total movement. The pitch seems to be a knee-buckler that could benefit the many teams needing pitching.
Let’s discuss some teams that should look into trading for Bieber before the trade deadline.
The Mariners should trade for Shane Bieber
Just a season removed from making the MLB Playoffs for the first time in many years, the Mariners are 33-34 and in fourth place in the AL West. They are 8.5 games back of the Rangers.
While they are struggling, they have plenty of talent including Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Julio Rodriguez, and Cal Raleigh. Adding a pitcher that has some team control remaining could be just what the Mariners need to get back to the playoffs if not later this season, in the future.
Bieber could be an intriguing option for the Mariners at the trade deadline. Pairing Bieber in the rotation with Castillo could provide a nice one-two punch for the Mariners while Kirby continues to develop.