Shane Bieber continues to rebuff Cleveland Indians’ offers
By David Hill
Shane Bieber exploded onto the baseball landscape in 2020. He showed his ability to dominate despite a pandemic shortened season, winning the pitching Triple Crown in the American League en route to being a unanimous Cy Young winner. Bieber became a star right before our eyes, the type of player that the Cleveland Indians would look to build around.
Naturally, they have attempted to lock him in, making overtures about signing him to an extension during the past two offseasons. However, Bieber has rebuffed those offers thus far, despite saying that he would be open to a long term deal.
Shane Bieber, who has a record 20 straight starts with at least 8 K’s, has received multiyear contract offers from the Indians the last 2 springs. The Indians are still hopeful to get something done as he isn’t a free agent until after 2024.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 12, 2021
Shane Bieber right to wait on extension with Cleveland Indians
From Bieber’s standpoint, there is not much of a rush to get a long term deal done. He is about to enter arbitration after this year and is under team control through 2024. It makes sense to get that first payday, at minimum, before really engaging in those talks.
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Likewise, it makes sense for the Indians to push to ink Bieber to an extension as quickly as possible. He showed that he can be the ace they need last season, posting an 8-1 record with a 1.63 ERA and a 0.866 WHiP, striking out 122 batters with 21 walks in his 77.1 innings. Not only did he win the pitching Triple Crown, but he paced the majors in all three categories.
Although Bieber has not been the same pitcher this season, he has still been one of the best in the game. His 2.95 ERA and 1.164 WHiP are still excellent, and he has struck out 85 batters with just 18 walks in his 55 innings. To consider this start a step back just shows how dominant he was last season.
But this year shows why Bieber has been right to wait on having those talks. As he puts together more of a track record of excellence, he will end up getting far more in a possible extension. Or, if Bieber ends up going year to year and then entering free agency, the payout could be much better.
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The Cleveland Indians are attempting to extend Shane Bieber. Although he has said he is open to a long term deal, he is right to rebuff those efforts for now.