GM Meetings: MLB executives baffled by Shane Bieber's bizarre decision to opt in with Toronto Blue Jays
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn
MLB executives remain baffled by right-hander Shane Bieber's decision to exercise his $16 million player option with the Toronto Blue Jays, calling it one of the most bizarre in recent memory.
Blue Jays' Shane Bieber's decision to exercise his player option for 2026 remains a curious choice to many executives according to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal in an interview via the Foul Territory Podcast.
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 Blue Jays, he almost certainly would have fared better on the open market.
"While we all would love to paint this as an altruistic act of loyalty, and maybe it is, I'm not so sure that's the case. I've heard consistently from executives since he decided to pick up his $16 million player option that this was one of the more stunning decisions they've seen - a bizarre, baffling decision by a player who just came off Tommy John surgery." - Ken Rosenthal
Consensus on Bieber's decision is there's more than meets the eye
Free agents rarely sacrifice money, even from their preferred clubs. The Jays, too, might have paid Bieber more than $12 million on the open market, assuming they were one of his bidders.
His decision would have been understandable if an extension was forthcoming. But no such deal is imminent, according to sources briefed on the matter.
"Bieber hasn't really spoken publicly about it yet, but we do know he was comfortable in Toronto, happy in Toronto, like all the Blue Jays players were and their families. Maybe that was a huge part of his decision. But he could have turned down the player option and perhaps negotiated a better deal with the Blue Jays. Until we hear from him, there's going to be a mystery about this.» - Ken Rosenthal
Bieber, who joined the Blue Jays in a deadline trade, evidently trusts the Jays' medical and training staffs to help him continue his recovery.
However, 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 started Game 3 in both the Division Series and American League Championship Series before the Jays moved him to Game 4 for the World Series, wanting to give him an extra day of rest and avoid starting him twice in the series.
But he showed no signs of strain in Game 4, allowing just one run in 5 1/3 innings. And while he gave up Will Smith's go-ahead, 11th-inning homer on a 2-0 hanging slider in Game 7, he was pitching on three days rest and making his first relief appearance since March 2019.
Maybe Bieber just wanted stability; his wife, Kara, gave birth to their first child, a son named Kav, on March 14.
But again, he could have worked out a better deal with the Jays, and perhaps he will at some point in the future.
Source: The Athletic
Credit: Ken Rosenthal
Credit: Ken Rosenthal
.
| POLL | ||
2 HOURS AGO | 55 ANSWERS GM Meetings: MLB executives baffled by Shane Bieber's bizarre decision to opt in with Toronto Blue Jays Why do you think Shane Bieber exercised his player option with the Blue Jays? | ||
TRENDING NOW
