The trade deadline has passed, and the Toronto Blue Jays were active in what seems to be all the right ways. The team added a huge arm to their rotation, trading for former Cleveland Guardians starter, Shane Bieber.
The Blue Jays gave up a high-ranking prospect, Khal Stephen, but in return, gained what could be a game changer in their starting pitching department for the team. Bieber is a high-calibre arm; however, he’s been off the bump for some time due to injury.
As Blue Jays Nation writer Evan Stack touched on, Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery in April of 2024 and hasn’t seen a major league field since. He’s currently in the rehab phase and will gradually climb back to normalcy, with the right-hander slated to make a start for the Buffalo Bisons later this afternoon.
Bieber is on the 60-day injured list and could expect to return, hopefully, in time for meaningful September baseball, although some time in mid-August could also be in the cards depending on how his time in Buffalo shakes out.
The return from Tommy John is also a roll of the dice, with more recent success on recovery than ever before. He’s appeared in four games so far in his rehab process and has found excellent results in the minor leagues. Through 11 1/3 innings, he’s struck out 21 batters while allowing just seven hits, one walk, and two earned runs. The biggest step for Bieber will be getting his innings up against tougher at-bats, as he hasn’t appeared in triple-A as of yet in the rehab process.
The success of this trade will depend on the quality that Bieber brings, and if he can pick up where he left off. If so, what does that calibre look like?
OFFICIAL: We’ve acquired 2x All-Star, All-Star MVP, Cy Young Award Winner, Triple Crown Winner and Gold Glover Shane Bieber from the Guardians in exchange for RHP Khal Stephen.
Welcome to the Blue Jays, Biebs! pic.twitter.com/oGCTd8KCEH
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 31, 2025
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Shane Bieber analysis and overview
Bieber is 6-foot-3 of athleticism and has lengthy limbs. The starting pitcher shows arm strength, endurance, and versatility. If healthy from his recovery, he’ll be able to work deep into games. Bieber has a calm demeanour with a loud side effect. The right-hander works consistently and well-paced, showing confidence and fearlessness in his pitch usage.
He uses a four-seam fastball, slider, changeup, curveball, and cutter. The fastball worked between 92-94 mph, maxing at 95 mph before he went down for the surgery, and so far, he seems to be sitting in that same area post-surgery. Bieber commands his pitches well, paints corners, and is not hesitant to throw strikes. Bieber fills up the zone with this pitch and establishes his heater early on. He’s not afraid to use his curveball when needed and mixes the speeds at a steady pace to try and get the swing and miss.
Before landing on the IL in 2024, the hook was running at a 2274 spin-rate with 51 inches of vertical drop, working with a mid-break nearing a 12-6 movement. His out-pitch at the time was the slider, which held a value of 56.3% with a 64% whiff rate, working up to 88.7 mph, and a .125 batting average against in the limited sample size.
The changeup works as his secondary out-pitch, staying low and working around 83 mph. Bieber will play with his hitters and use all pitch options. He forces a lot of ground balls, recording a 50% ground ball rate in 2024.
When healthy, Bieber will be a pinnacle part of the Blue Jays rotation, complementing the current stars like Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassit. His innings will be quality towards a postseason run, and there’s a good chance he could be counted on in the rotation should the Jays make the playoffs. A return to his previous form would be a solid boost for the Jays’ rotation as long as he can stay healthy.
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