Blue Jays Will Benefit Greatly From Shane Bieber Successfully Reinventing Himself
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The Toronto Blue Jays knew they were taking a risk when they looked to upgrade their starting rotation ahead of the MLB trade deadline and landed on Shane Bieber.
For starters, the cost was high. In a one-for-one swap, the Blue Jays traded one of their top pitching prospects, Khal Stephen, to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for the former American League Cy Young Award winner. On top of that, it was anyone’s guess what form he would show on the mound.
After making two appearances in 2024, throwing 12 shutout innings, Bieber was sidelined because of Tommy John surgery. Toronto liked what they saw during his rehab enough that they decided to make the trade. If he returned anywhere close to the form he had during his prime years with the Guardians, they were adding a bona fide ace to their rotation.
It has been only one start, but so far, so good. Bieber made his highly anticipated debut last week against the Miami Marlins, and things could not have gone any better. He flashed that dominance people have become accustomed to seeing.
In his debut, he threw six innings, allowing only two hits without issuing a single walk, resulting in one earned run being scored. He also struck out nine batters, leaving opponents baffled with regularity. This was vintage Bieber, except it had a twist, which was on display again in Friday's start against Milwaukee.
Shane Bieber Has Introduced New Changeup to Arsenal
This is a reinvented version of the former Cy Young Award winner. Looking to ensure that he could dominate at the same level he did previously, he has added a wrinkle to his pitching arsenal. Normally attacking batters with different variations of fastballs and breaking balls, he has added a new-look kick-change to his repertoire.
“Even though I don’t throw my fastball super hard,” Bieber said, via Mitch Bannon of The Athletic (subscription required). “All my secondary pitches are pretty firm. So I finally stopped fighting it.”
Against the Marlins, he threw the changeup more in that game than he had in his entire career previously. It worked exactly like it was supposed to. Ask Miami's Jakob Marsee and Xavier Edwards how unexpected and nasty the pitch is. They were two of Bieber’s victims facing the changeup with two strikes.
Shane Bieber in 134 career MLB starts before yesterday:
— Chris Langin (@LanginTots13) August 23, 2025
• 8 total changeups with ≤ 0" Vertical Break
Yesterday alone:
• 9 total changeups with ≤ 0" Vertical Break
This is about as big of a swing in pitch quality on an individual pitch as you’ll ever see mid-career. pic.twitter.com/vWOpUISQll
He relied heavily on being able to pinpoint every offering with incredible accuracy. It helped differentiate an arsenal that was all within 10 mph of each other. The kick-change gives him another pitch he can use against left-handed batters and is helping him take his game to another level.
“I’m trying to throw that thing hard,” Bieber said. “And the harder you throw it, the more that depth ends up playing a factor.”
Already one of the best pitchers in baseball when on top of his game, the veteran righty is even more dangerous with the new kick-change. It is the perfect offering for someone with a supinated release, such as Bieber’s. The little variation he has made with the grip fits him well, and he looks ready to help lead the Blue Jays on a deep playoff run.
