“MLB Trade Rumors: Cincinnati Reds Eyeing Shane Bieber, Possible Trade Proposal Revealed”
While many of the major trades of the MLB offseason have been completed, Shane Bieber remains available for grabs. The Cincinnati Reds are one team that is apparently interested in Bieber, but the Cleveland Guardians have been fielding calls about him this summer even though they don’t seem to be in any kind of hurry to sell him.
2023 saw Bieber have a rather below-average season (6–6, 3.80 ERA, 107 K, 1.23 WHIP), and if the parties are unable to come to an extension this coming season, he will be eligible for free agency the following offseason. Since that seems unlikely to occur, Cleveland would seem to be in a great position to move Bieber and recover some assets while they can.
In the meantime, the Reds are a squad that is rising in the National League, but they are interested in Bieber since their starting rotation is in dire need of assistance. Therefore, even if a deal between these two teams doesn’t seem very possible at this time, let’s look at the ideal trade proposal Cincinnati may make to Cleveland in an attempt to close a deal.
Reds receive: SP The Shane Bieber
Guardians receive: 2B Ty Floyd, Jonathan India, and RHP
Bieber has been among the finest starters in the Major League Baseball since making his major league debut in 2018. In the truncated 2020 season, Bieber won the AL Cy Young award in addition to winning the pitching Triple Crown for leading the AL in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. He has also been an All-Star twice. When Bieber is performing at his best, he’s almost unstoppable.
Bieber’s 2023 appeared somewhat different, though. First of all, he had trouble striking out batters on a regular basis, which might have been brought on by the ailments he sustained during the season. Since his rookie season, Bieber’s ERA has been at its highest point. It is reasonable to wonder if the injuries he sustained will have an effect on his performance going ahead.
However, the Reds would welcome Bieber to the team given the poor performance of their starting lineup in the previous campaign. Even in a bad year for him, Bieber would have been the best starter for the 2023 Reds because the only other player who was a regular in their rotation with an ERA under four was Andrew Abbott, and even then, his ERA was 3.87.
The pitching prospect Ty Floyd, who is presently ranked as Cincinnati’s 12th best prospect, and second baseman Jonathan India would be given up by the Reds in this hypothetical trade. India has been up for grabs for some time, and Floyd would be a good young player the Guardians can work on to eventually replace Bieber.
India surprised everyone by winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2021, but in the two seasons that followed, he didn’t play as well. While India’s 2023 stats (.244 BA, 17 HR, 61 RBI, 14 SB, and.746 OPS) were impressive, he eventually found himself boxed out of the lineup by Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz.
Andres Gimenez now plays second base for the Guardians, but they could move him to shortstop, moving Gabriel Arias to the bench for the time being. Although Arias has a lot of potential, Cleveland would be better off giving him some time to develop behind the scenes as he failed during his time in the big last season.
Floyd has a ways to go before reaching the majors, but at 22 years old, he has the potential to advance through the minors and support Cleveland’s pitching staff. Floyd pitched well for LSU in 2023 (7-0, 4.35 ERA, 120 K, 1.18 WHIP), and he has the potential to be a very useful strikeout machine in the majors if he can control the amount of runs he gives up.
Cincinnati will not rush to splurge for Bieber given his contract status and 2023 performance. Given that Cincinnati is a very small market team, it is not always easy to pay top players exorbitant salaries. In order to fully defend their trade for Bieber, they would need to get him to sign an extension, which is unlikely to happen even if the deal goes through.
The Guardians may definitely benefit from India, which is a good place to start, and Floyd is another promising player who should assist finish the job. If it doesn’t make enough of an impact on Cleveland, the Reds may add more, but they don’t want to overspend and risk losing money if Bieber leaves in free agency. Though it’s unlikely, the Reds might offer the Guardians a respectable trade package if they choose to deal Bieber.
