With closer Emmanuel Clase placed on paid leave amid an MLB investigation for sports betting, the Cleveland Guardians might have a sharper focus for trade season.
Per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, losing Clase “ended any chance of the Guardians becoming a buyer,” while upping the chances of Cleveland “trading right-hander Shane Bieber and perhaps left fielder Steven Kwan.”
Bieber, who is working his way back from April 2024 Tommy John surgery, will be “heavily scouted” during a Double-A rehab start on Tuesday night. He has a $16 million player option for next season, meaning he might only be a rental if he thinks he can do better on the open market. Kwan, meanwhile, has two years of club control beyond this, which has the Guardians setting “a high bar” on their requested return for him.
While Cleveland could wind up trading both, Bieber feels the likeliest to go, if only because he figures to have the more affordable trade cost. Although, if he can even hint at having the old form that powered him to the 2020 AL Cy Young award and a couple of All-Star selections sandwiched around that season, he might draw a bigger than expected return from a pitching-needy shopper.
Prediction: Guardians keep Kwan, but trade Bieber to the San Francisco Giants.
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