Toronto Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber likely to opt-out of contract at season's end

Although they had surplus of starters the latter half of the season, that won't be the case heading into 2026. Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer will be both be free agents, their contracts set to expire following the end of the World Series.

Alek Manoah is now an Atlanta Brave and Jose Berrios' status is uncertain heading into the offseason.

Then there is Shane Bieber. The Cy Young Winner, who was acquired at the trade deadline for prospect Khal Stephen, has an option for 2026 but also has an opt-out clause.

While the option is for $16MM and the buy-out is $4MM, now that he is proven that is healthy and can pitch effectively, he is likely to choose the latter option.

This doesn't that Bieber won't be returning to the Blue Jays; in fact both sides could use the opportunity to negotiate a multi-year deal.

Signing Bieber to a multi-year deal would be wise for the Blue Jays. Kevin Gausman will enter 2026 in the final year of his initial five year deal. Berrios also has an opt-out at the end of the season.

Additionally, with the Blue Jays' minor league depth taking a hit with injuries to Ricky Tiedemann, Jake Bloss, and Adam Macko, Toronto finds themselves in need of rotation sooner than they might have thought.

If the Blue Jays are able to comes with Bieber, he would line up nicely with Gausman and Trey Yesavage as a 1-2-3 punch at the top of rotation.

A final decision won't be made until after the World Series.