MLB Rumors: Red Sox extension grade, Cubs concerning injuries, Bieber trade market

MLB Rumors: Shane Bieber market is quiet

Entering the offseason the trade market was expected to be robust, particularly on the pitching side. While arms like Corbin Burnes, Tyler Glasnow, and Chris Sale were moved, several pitchers who were expected to get dealt at certain points were not, most notably Dylan Cease, Jesus Luzardo, and Shane Bieber.

While prices for Cease and Luzardo were astronomically high, and for good reason, the Cleveland Guardians could not possibly expect the same kind of return for Bieber, a pitcher who was once in the Cease and Luzardo class but has had his own struggles in recent seasons.

The right-hander is coming off a bit of a concerning season in which he posted a 3.80 ERA and made just 21 starts for Cleveland. What's most concerning is that the right-hander continued to see his velocity decrease, as he averaged just 91.3 mph with his four-seam fastball. For reference, when Bieber won the AL Cy Young Award in the shortened 2020 season, he averaged 94.1 mph with that very pitch.

As a result, Bieber's strikeout numbers took a huge hit last season as he had a 20.1% K-rate and ranked in the 28th percentile in K% according to Baseball Savant. A steep decline in pure stuff combined with an injury history and the fact that he's in his final year of team control has understandably led to a quiet market.

As of now, the market for Bieber is virtually non-existent. The Guardians won't want to sell him low, and will attempt to compete in the 2024 campaign. If Bieber can bounce back, he'll become a very interesting trade candidate at this year's deadline. If not, they likely didn't lose out on much anyway keeping him.