TORONTO -- The Blue Jays’ addition of Shane Bieber is a fine excuse to dream.
Besides, this isn’t the Olympics. Toronto isn't trying to crack the podium here and take home bronze with pride. One team wins the World Series and 29 don’t, which is why Bieber’s upside gives him the potential to be the biggest, boldest move of the 2025 Trade Deadline.
Bieber is 30 now, with a Cy Young Award to his name and a scar on his right elbow. He’s a rehab start or two away from returning after a long, monotonous rehab from Tommy John surgery, but if the Blue Jays get even 90% of who Bieber has been, that’s a pitcher capable of starting in Game 1 or 2 of a postseason series.
“This is obviously really exciting,” Toronto manager John Schneider said prior to Friday’s 9-3 loss to the Royals. “We’re talking about a guy with a legit track record and a Cy Young. It’s a high-risk, high-reward type thing, right? We’ve monitored him and his rehab outings, so when you get a chance to add a guy like that, you do it.”
Sure, it’s risky, but so is driving to work each morning. The cost of No. 5 prospect Khal Stephen was significant, a young right-hander who Blue Jays fans could be stuck watching in Cleveland for years, but there are two ways Toronto can win this.
Remember, the Blue Jays haven’t won a postseason game in nearly a decade, stretching back to 2016, the era of José Bautista, Edwin Encarnación, Josh Donaldson and all of those other players who have long since retired. The last Toronto pitcher to win one was Aaron Sanchez, who was just 23 at the time and fresh off an ERA title. If Bieber starts and wins a postseason game for this organization, the Blue Jays have struck gold.
There’s a level, though, which would be Bieber sticking around beyond 2025. No one wants to talk about it just yet, but of course it’s been on GM Ross Atkins’ mind.
“It’s just so exciting to think about him in this organization moving forward,” Atkins said Friday, appearing on TSN 1050’s OverDrive. “We’re open. We are obviously extremely interested or we wouldn’t have given up such a significant piece. For now, we’re just focused on the impact this year.”
Bieber holds a $16 million player option for 2026, and if the final two months of the season go how the Blue Jays hope, it’s extremely unlikely he’ll pick that up. Why would he, when he could easily be one of the most attractive free-agent pitchers? Toronto has pulled off an extension soon after a trade in the past with José Berríos, and while Berríos had one full year remaining, the Blue Jays will make use of every moment they have with Bieber, and they will use every little opportunity to advertise themselves to him.
The Guardians were home for Bieber, going all the way back to the 2016 MLB Draft, so these past two days have been a whirlwind.
“It was a range of emotions. There’s no reason to shy away from that, right?” Bieber said. “That is the only organization that I’ve known and that my family has known. Already, within the last 36 hours, the range of people in this organization who have reached out to not just myself, but my wife, that means the world to us. You can tell how much they care about accommodating us and how seamless they want to make this transition. To come to a team with so much momentum right now is exciting. It’s invigorating.”
He’s close, too. Bieber is likely headed for Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday, where he’ll try to get up to five innings and 70-75 pitches. He’s on the doorstep of a grand return.
“I’m most pleased with not thinking about my health,” Bieber said. “I think that says a lot about how far I’ve come post-surgery, where my body is at and where my mind is at. I’m focused on ramping up to compete in the big leagues. That’s a fun place to be. That’s what I’ve missed, and that’s what I’ve strived for. I’m close now, but it’s easier said than done.”
The dream of Bieber still demands another week or two of patience, but it’s coming.
Perhaps he’s a postseason star, remembered forever as a three-month sensation in Toronto. Perhaps he’s here for years. If the Blue Jays can pull either of those off? Jackpot.