MLB Rumors: 3 assets the Braves, Cardinals and Astros can trade for Shane Bieber

Several rival GMs think the Guardians will consider trading Shane Bieber. Here’s what it would take for 3 contenders — the Braves, Cardinals and Astros — to land him.

May was not kind to Cleveland Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber. A month which saw his ERA climb by over a full run ended just a few days ago with a four-inning, seven-run outing — easily his worst of the season thus far. Now, to start June, he’s been mentioned in trade rumors. Something’s gotta give.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, three general managers believe that the Guardians will trade Bieber at the deadline. While Bieber has one more arbitration-eligible year on his contract, much of this has to do with the inevitability of Bieber hitting the free-agent market, and the Guardians not being willing to pay him what he’s worth. It’s an all-too-familiar story for this middle-market team which is under-achieving so far this season.

The AL Central remains wide open, but Cleveland is just 25-32 on the year, 5.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins. If the Guardians do decide to sell at the deadline, expect Bieber to be among the players traded away.

However, Bieber is also an ace on a previously-competitive team, meaning the asking price for his services will be high. With that in mind, exactly what will it cost to acquire a player like Bieber?

I took a shot at that.

MLB Rumors: A Shane Bieber trade for the Astros

Any Shane Bieber trade to the Houston Astros would just seem unfair, but the team does need a rotation upgrade, especially after the injury to Luis Garcia. So with that in mind, the Guardians should target Houston’s farm system.

Drew Gilbert is the Astros top prospect and one of the top-100 prospects in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline. The outfielder was selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft, and isn’t expected to arrive to the majors until 2025. Considering he’s already 22 years old, expect that timeline to move up some as he becomes a more polished hitter. Gilbert is a former pitcher who starred as an outfielder at Tennessee. He’s aggressive on the basepaths, and only getting better at honing those tools.

Beyond that, a player like Corey Lee, who can play catcher as well as first base, could be an attractive addition for Cleveland. Lee has yet to start more than 73 games in a season behind the plate, and is the Astros No. 6 overall prospect.

If the Guardians are looking for pitching, a player who has impressed so far this season in Houston is Hunter Brown. While acquiring Brown would likely mean the prospect return will be far lower, the Guardians are close to being a competitive team even without Bieber. Brown is 24 years old and has a nice arsenal of pitches. He’s only improving, and has a 3.61 ERA in 11 starts so far this season.