CLEVELAND — Shane Bieber is returning to the Cleveland Guardians after making just two starts and undergoing Tommy John surgery last season, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday.
Bieber had been expected to leave the AL Central champions, but the right-hander will be back after agreeing to a one-year, $14 million contract that includes a $16 million player option for 2026, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced.
The 2020 AL Cy Young winner made just starts in 2024 before having the surgery on his elbow that bothered him the previous campaign. The 29-year-old Bieber felt discomfort in his start on opening day against the Athletics and again when he faced the Mariners his next outing.
The two-time All-Star has spent all seven of his big league seasons with the Guardians. Cleveland had contemplated trading him before his elbow issues in 2023 limited him to 21 starts.
During the shortened COVID-19 season in 2020, Bieber went 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA over 12 starts and 77 1/3 innings with 122 strikeouts. He led the majors in wins, ERA and strikeouts and finished fourth in AL MVP voting.
He was selected by Cleveland in the fourth round of the 2016 amateur draft out of UC Santa Barbara and made his major league debut two years later on his 23rd birthday.
Bieber has a career record of 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA over 136 outings spanning 134 starts and 843 innings. He has twice reached 200 innings, throwing a career-high 214 1/3 in 2019.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
