The Guardians’ decision to trade Shane Bieber at the trade deadline was an intricate one.
While Bieber was on the cusp of returning to the bigs after missing almost all of the 2024 season with Tommy John surgery, he was also in the midst of a $14 million contract and seemed destined for a big payday in free agency.
Although Bieber’s contract included a $16 million player option for 2026, him rejecting the option and hitting free agency looked more and more like a forgone conclusion as the season went on.
But Bieber threw a wrench in those plans on Tuesday night when surprisingly elected to pick up that option for 2026.