Sean Bieber In a surprising move, he exercised his $16MM option to stay with the Blue Jays, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported. He gave up a $4MM buyout, so he will receive an additional $12MM to stay in Toronto for his second season.
This decision takes one of the better starting pitchers off the free agent market. Last offseason, Bieber hit free agency for the first time in his career and was in the middle of his Tommy John rehab. He re-signed with the Guardians, the only team he knew at the time, on a two-year deal that allowed him to opt out after the first season. Bieber was undergoing minor league rehab as the trade deadline approached. Cleveland thought they were out of contention at the time and traded him to Toronto for a pitching prospect. Stephen Caha.
The Blue Jays made one of the most fascinating risk-reward decisions at the deadline. They gave up a legitimate prospect for a potential loan starter who hadn’t played in an MLB game in over 14 months. It worked out well, and Bieber returns as the No. 3 starter at linebacker in 2023. He made seven starts during the regular season, posting a 3.57 ERA in 40 1/3 innings. Bieber fanned opposing batters at an above-average 23.3% rate and walked 4.4% of the time. He looks healthy, averaging 92.6 mph on his four-seam fastball — his highest velocity since 2021.
Bieber added 18 2/3 more frames in five postseason appearances. Overall, he pitched pretty well, allowing nine runs (8 ERA) and striking out 18 times, six of which were free throws. Bieber did hit three postseason home runs, including the World Series-deciding homer will smith A long pass in overtime in Game 7. It ended in disappointing fashion, but Bieber was generally effective against the Blue Jays both in the regular season and in October.
That seems to set him up well for a return to free agency this winter. Bieber will turn 31 in May. While he’s unlikely to rediscover the ace form that won him the AL Cy Young Award in the shortened 2020 season, he’s sure to draw a lot of interest as a mid-round starter who’s still young for free agency. A nine-figure deal doesn’t seem entirely out of the question. At the very least, he looks poised to earn a higher average annual value on two or three years of guarantees, which would allow him to opt out after his first season.
For a pitcher like Bieber, the $12MM difference between the option price and the buyout price is well below market value, even if he is determined to accept a one-year deal. As MLBTR’s contract tracker shows, that’s less than Walker Buehler, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Alex Cobb, Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano Signed a free agent contract last winter. That’s millions more than the signed guarantee Michael Soroka ($9MM) and Michael Lorenson ($7MM).
Still, Bieber will be locked in and try to help the Jays get to the top in 2026 after a heartbreaking near miss. Only his camp knows the specific reasons behind this decision. Presumably, he could be on track to work out a long-term deal with the Jays. He’s clearly happy with the city and the organization. However, there have been no reports that the two sides have entered into extension talks, let alone made significant progress. That’s not to say that such conversations couldn’t be happening behind the scenes, but the selection decision is a huge development for the team.
Toronto has been facing the departure of Bieber in free agency, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassett in rotation. They’re balancing the need for starting pitching with the desire to retain Beau Bichettehe could earn a $200-plus contract, making him the second-highest paid player in the free agent class. Bieber voluntarily locks in below-market salary to rejoin Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavich and Jose Berrios is a major driving force. They’ll still be looking to add at least one more starter, but that could give the Jays more flexibility to make a competitive offer to Bichette and/or upgrade the back end.
Photo courtesy of John Sokolowski of Imagn Images.
