Cardinals Rumors: New trade target, Arenado frustration, Mozeliak hypocrisy

Cardinals Rumors: Shane Bieber is on the table

If the St. Louis Cardinals want to trade for Shane Bieber, he’s very available, and the price may not be as steep as some think.

Assuming the Cleveland Guardians do lower an asking price that ought to start high, St. Louis won’t be the only team in on him. Even if this season is a wash for the Cards, Bieber is under contract for at least another year and has some ace qualities. However, not everyone in baseball views him that way.

Bieber’s average fastball velocity has dropped over three miles per hour since 2020. His ERA and overall statistics, though, remain excellent. Bieber sports a 3.57 ERA and 1.28 WHIP as of this writing. Zack Meisel of The Athletic explained why there might be some urgency to trade Bieber now:

"“Bieber has far less margin for error than he did when he wielded a 94 mph fastball and when he leaned heavily on a lethal curveball. This year, though, his strikeout rate has plummeted and he has surrendered more hits and hard contact than ever before. He has tallied four or more strikeouts in only two of his 13 starts. His whiff rate has sharply decreased this season.”"

Add in Bieber’s contract situation, which expires after the 2024 season, and the Guardians would be crazy not to deal their ace, assuming they believe in their other young pitchers. Spoiler alert: they should. Triston McKenzie, Aaron Civale, Logan Allen, Tanner Bibee and even Gavin Williams are all capable of putting up Bieber-like numbers.

But in St. Louis, Bieber immediately becomes one of the best starting pitchers on the roster. He’s also in position to help the Cards next season. Considering the St. Louis farm system is stocked with pitchers who are expected to arrive in 2024 or 2025, the timeline is perfect.