NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 07: Shane Bieber #57 of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on before the game against the New York Yankees in game three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 07, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
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The Toronto Blue Jays should be looking to keep a World Series caliber roster core intact when they return next season. And they’ve gotten some good, if surprising, news on that front already.
The team was informed that Shane Bieber would be returning after he decided to exercise his player option with the team.
“Just days into the offseason following their loss in Game 7 of the World Series to the (Los Angeles) Dodgers, the Blue Jays have already tallied their first win,” Keegan Matheson wrote for MLB.com. “The former Cy Young Award winner was widely expected to test the market immediately, fresh off Tommy John surgery and his return to the mound with the Blue Jays.”
Bieber’s decision was certainly welcomed by the team after he proved to be a critical rotation piece for their playoff run this past season, but it did not make a lot of sense on paper.
“Across the industry, executives remain baffled by right-hander Shane Bieber’s decision to exercise his $16 million player option with the Blue Jays, calling it one of the most bizarre in recent memory,” Ken Rosenthal reported for The Athletic. “Bieber, 30, had a $4 million buyout, so he effectively took a one-year, $12 million deal. And while he was effusive about his time with the Jays, he almost certainly would have fared better on the open market.”
The Blue Jays acquired Bieber in a trade deadline deal with the Cleveland Guardians as he was looking to make his return from Tommy John surgery. Bieber has been limited to just nine regular season starts in the last two years, but the seven he made with the Blue Jays were encouraging.
Bieber posted a 3.57 ERA in more than 40 regular season innings for the Blue Jays before making four postseason starts, including a strong World Series outing.
As a result, he could have likely earned a larger new contract by returning to free agency this winter. He might have even received a larger guarantee from the Blue Jays by opting out and then returning on a new deal. So his decision to take his player option has raised some questions about his recent injury.
“Bieber, who joined the Blue Jays in a deadline trade, evidently trusts the Jays’ medical and training staffs to help him continue his recovery,” Rosenthal added. “But some executives wonder if he is concerned about his health. By exercising his player option, he avoided the physical examination required of free agents before their contracts become official.”
Bieber’s performance this past season suggested he was well on the road to recovery but perhaps he didn’t want to risk any teams looking more closely and realizing he’s at greater risk of a new injury than he appeared.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterchawaga/2025/11/11/shane-biebers-bizarre-blue-jays-decision-raises-health-concerns/
