Shane Bieber's Last Start With The Guardians?

Will the Cleveland Guardians explore a Shane Bieber trade this offseason?

© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday night was filled with emotion as the Cleveland Guardians wrapped up their 2023 season at Progressive Field which will likely be Terry Francona's final home game as a manager.

However, was it the last time fans saw another member of the team wear the home jersey for the final time? Yes, this alludes to Cleveland's ace Shane Bieber, and whether or not the organization will trade him before the 2024 season begins. 

Bieber was a top contender to be dealt at this year's deadline due to his contract and his resume as an All-Star starting pitcher. Starters are always in high demand by World Series contenders and Cleveland has a surplus in this department.

However, an injury to his elbow which was discovered over the All-Star break put all of this on hold. It would not be surprising to see more trade rumors surrounding Bieber pop up as we head into the offseason and Winter Meetings begin in December.

This has been Bieber's worst year since his rookie season as he finished the season with a 3.80 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He's specifically struggled to go through an order the third time which will raise the eyebrows of any teams interested.

Still, any team should want to have a pitcher of Bieber's caliber and Cleveland has many holes on their roster that need to be filled if they hope to contend in 2024. This makes it easy to draw up any framework for a potential trade. 

The biggest question that any team inquiring about Bieber will ask is whether or not he is healthy. The right-hander opened up about this following his final start of the seeing saying, "I think I'm on the right track ... I think I found something in my delivery and I was able to go out there and compete and enjoy the moment."

If this was Bieber's last start with the Guardians, then he went out on a high note. The former Cy Young winner threw 6.0 innings allowing one run on five hits while striking out seven without issuing a walk. The way Bieber was able to finesse his pitches just goes to show what a vintage performance this was.