The New York Mets have several holes to fill in their 2025 starting rotation. They've been linked to elite hurlers like Corbin Burnes and Max Fried. However, president of baseball operations David Stearns might also have to do some bargain hunting. Could Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber be a legitimate target for the club?
After missing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter, Stearns opted to fill out his rotation with short-term solutions. This included trading for Adrian Houser and signing Sean Manaea (two-year deal) and Luis Severino (one-year deal) via free agency. While the Houser acquisition didn't work out, the overall strategy was successful. The Mets' 3.46 rotation ERA following the All-Star break was baseball's fifth-best mark, according to FanGraphs.
Bieber comes with a special set of circumstances. The 2020 American League pitching triple crown winner was limited to 12 innings in 2024 because he needed Tommy John surgery. While a return to above-average production isn't guaranteed, Bieber may not even be ready to take a big-league mound again until next summer.
However, the Mets have the financial flexibility to take a gamble on Bieber depending on how the rest of their rotation is constructed. Just Baseball's Elijah Evans named five clubs with the ability to take on this perceived risk. New York was the second team he mentioned.
"He (Bieber) won't be their top rotation add, but the Mets have options like David Peterson, Paul Blackburn, and Jose Butto to fill back-of-the-rotation innings early in the year," he wrote. "Bieber could take his time coming back but provide the immense upside a team with aspirations like this needs. If the Mets are able to sign a high-end arm and bring back Manaea, Bieber could be the perfect last piece of the puzzle. They can afford to pay him for a few months as he works his way back."
It would be an interesting upside play for the Mets if they seriously pursued Bieber. They were able to maximize production from Manaea and Severino. So, the organization might believe it can happen again, especially with a former Cy Young winner like Bieber. MLB Trade Rumors predicted at the outset of free agency that the right-hander would land a one-year, $12 million deal.
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