Blue Jays Shane Bieber Further Proving he Will be Ace in October

With another strong performance, Shane Bieber is proving he is the ace of the staff for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Aug 29, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning at Rogers Centre. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Despite the Toronto Blue Jays having some issues of late, they have received an encouraging performance so far from a trade deadline acquisition. 

After a surprisingly strong first half of the season, in which the Blue Jays found themselves in first place in the American League East, they decided to get aggressive to make some improvements in areas of need. 

With one of the best lineups in baseball, Toronto didn't need to really make any improvements in that area, and they wisely focused on upgrading the pitching staff. Both the bullpen and the rotation needed some help, and they addressed each unit with a couple of moves.

In the bullpen, they added Louis Varland and Seranthony Dominguez to help the unit. Unfortunately, those results have been mixed with Varland struggling so far. However, the real upgrade that they made was for the starting rotation. 

The Blue Jays took a risk by trading for former AL Cy Young award winner Shane Bieber, but that risk has paid off so far. Coming off Tommy John surgery, Bieber’s return this year to his former form was never guaranteed. 

However, Toronto obviously liked what they saw from him during rehab, which started with the Cleveland Guardians, and elected to pull the trigger. Since the starting pitching market never seemed to take shape this summer with some of the big names staying put, it was Bieber who arguably ended up being one of the top pitchers dealt. 

Bieber Proving to be an Ace

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Toronto certainly took a risk on hoping that Bieber would bounce back into his elite form right away, but he certainly has. In his first start against the Miami Marlins, he took advantage of a good first opponent to build his confidence. 

In the win, he threw six innings, while allowing just one run and striking out nine batters. It was a perfect return for the right-hander, and the team couldn't have asked for more. Against a much more challenging opponent in the Milwaukee Brewers, he also pitched well. 

Unfortunately, the run support wasn't there for Bieber, and he was handed the loss, but against one of the top teams in the National League, he allowed just two runs in 5.1 innings pitched. 

Seeing Bieber being able to perform well against a playoff-caliber team like the Brewers only further solidifies that he is going to be the ace of this staff come October. With another month to go before the playoffs, he should only get better as he continues to knock the rust off.