Guardians ace and trade deadline target Shane Bieber ruled out for season
By Scott Rogust
With the starting pitching market at a standstill late in the offseason, Shane Bieber's name floated around as a potential trade block option. After all, Bieber was set to become an unrestricted free agent. But the ace stayed with the Cleveland Guardians for the start of the 2024 season. That allowed them to evaluate their prospects of competing in the postseason, potentially making Bieber a top trade deadline target for teams in search of starting pitching.
But after two starts, Bieber's season is officially over.
According to Zach Meisel of The Athletic, Bieber will need to undergo Tommy John surgery, meaning that he'll be out for the next year.
Shane Bieber will have Tommy John surgery.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) April 6, 2024
Shane Bieber undergoing Tommy John surgery, out for 2024 season
This is brutal news, considering Bieber had a strong start to the 2024 season.
On March 28 against the Oakland Athletics, Bieber allowed zero runs on four hits and struck out 11 batters in 6.0 innings in the 8-0 win. Then on Apr. 2 against the Seattle Mariners, Bieber struck out nine batters and allowed no runs on six hits in 6.0 innings in the 5-2 victory.
While Bieber was seemingly cruising to a great 2024, that actually wasn't the case. As MLB.com's Mandy Bell points out, Bieber experienced pain in his right elbow. After going for imaging, it revealed that Bieber's injury was to the ulnar collateral ligament, the same one where he experienced inflammation that forced him to miss time last season.
Per Bell, Bieber and the Guardians received second opinions from Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas and Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, and it was determined that Tommy John surgery was the best option.
Shane Bieber needs elbow surgery.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) April 6, 2024
He had pain after his Opening Day start that continued through his outing in Seattle. Imaging revealed an injury to the same ligament that gave him trouble last year. Surgery was determined to be the best path forward this time.
This is not the start to the year that the Guardians needed. With the AL Central basically up for grabs, not having Bieber does put them at a serious disadvantage.
Then there are the teams that could use starting pitching for a late postseason push at the trade deadline. Given the amount of injuries around the league, starting pitching could be hard to come by on the trading block.
As for Bieber, having a strong 2024 campaign could have resulted in his price tag increasing on the open market next offseason. Now, coming off Tommy John surgery, the 2020 AL Cy Young award winner will likely see that price tag decrease.
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