MLB Rumors: Yankees Dylan Cease backup plan, Bieber trade concern, Red Sox letdown

MLB Rumors: Shane Bieber's arm injury creates trade concern

Shane Bieber was one of many arms who opened the offseason on the trade market. Several of those arms that were viewed to be available like Corbin Burnes, Tyler Glasnow, and Dylan Cease just to name a few have been moved, but Bieber remains with the Cleveland Guardians.

The Guardians holding onto Bieber makes some sense as the team feels it can compete in the weak AL Central, but from the sound of things, Bieber staying in Cleveland might be more of the team not being able to find an interested suitor rather than them wanting to hold onto him. ESPN's Buster Olney reported that there is concern with Bieber who missed substantial time last season due to injury.

Cleveland's Shane Bieber, a Cy Young Award winner in 2020, is another pitcher who has been discussed by teams as a trade target, but there are concerns about his health after arm issues limited him to 21 starts last season.

Not only did Bieber miss substantial time due to injury, but his numbers were subpar from what we've come to expect from the former Cy Young winner, and his velocity was down. Bieber averaged 91.3 mph this past season with his four-seam fastball, a far cry from the 94.1 mph he averaged when he won the Cy Young according to Baseball Savant.

The dip in velocity might've played a role in the right-hander posting a 3.80 ERA, his highest since his rookie season back in 2018, and a 20.1% K-Rate which is the lowest mark of his six-year career.

Perhaps if Bieber has a bounce-back season teams will show more interest in acquiring Bieber, a player who is set to become a free agent at the end of this year.