In an interview with Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti flatly rejected the idea that Shane Bieber will be a trade candidate this winter. “We have every intention of trying to contend next year, and trying to win a World Series. And, Shane Bieber will be a big part of that for us,” Antonetti said.
Naturally, some gamesmanship could be at play here, and the Guards (at least as a matter of due diligence) would consider any serious offer another team might float for Bieber. Given Cleveland’s history of trading star players as their arbitration costs rise, the Bieber trade speculation won’t really end until he actually does change teams, or unless he signs an extension. However, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that moving Bieber isn’t on the Guardians’ radar in the near future.
Bieber was arbitration-eligible for the first time last winter, and avoided a hearing by working out a $6MM contract for the 2022 season. The high number reflected Bieber’s early success, which included All-Star appearances in 2019 and 2021, and the AL Cy Young Award during the shortened 2020 season.
The right-hander kept on rolling through 2022, posting a 2.88 over an even 200 innings, with a 48.2% grounder rate, an elite 4.6% walk rate and an above-average 25% strikeout rate. While that K% was his lowest since 2018, Bieber seemed to trade strikeouts for extra control, changing up his mix of pitches with great success. Bieber used his curveball a lot less and his cutter a lot more, with both pitches becoming more effective as a result.
Now projected for a healthy raise to $10.7MM in 2023, Bieber’s salary isn’t really onerous for a Guardians team that doesn’t have much committed to its 2023 or longer-term payroll pictures. Plus, as Antonetti noted, Cleveland wants to compete for a championship, so it is possible ownership might be willing to even stretch the budget a bit to supplement a title run.
Next winter, it is possible things could change. Bieber’s third and final arbitration year should be worth well over $15MM if he continues this good form, and he is scheduled to reach free agency in the 2024-25 offseason. An extension would lock Bieber up in Cleveland for good, yet the Guardians traditionally tend to only extend players early in their careers (though Jose Ramirez’s extension last spring was a very prominent exception to this rule).
Come next winter or possibly even at midseason if the Guardians fell out of contention, a Bieber trade might seem much more feasible. Waiting another season to really explore a Bieber deal would also give Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff more time to evaluate Bieber’s replacements — as always, the Guards have a wealth of young arms in the pipeline who have already made their MLB debuts, or are on the verge of debuting. Within the current rotation, Triston McKenzie also had a nice breakout in 2022 and now looks like a front-of-the-rotation starter.
Antonetti also discussed several other topics during the interview, including the Guardians’ needs behind the plate. Austin Hedges is set to hit free agency, and “catching is an area where we will continue to explore options,” the PBO said. “If we can find a way to add some offense and add a bat somewhere throughout the lineup, that’s something we’ll pursue as well.”
As much as the Guardians have been linked to the likes of Oakland’s Sean Murphy in trade rumors, it isn’t necessarily clear that Cleveland will look for an external answer at catcher. Prospect Bo Naylor had a huge season at Double-A and Triple-A in 2022, resulting in a late-season promotion and his first five big league games. The Guardians have never been shy about trusting young players in big roles, and this trend could continue given how much they like Naylor.
“We think he’s got a chance to be a really good catcher on all sides of the game,” Antonetti said. “Not only really talented offensively…he does an extraordinary job of leading the pitching staff. He’s so motivated to make an impact with the pitchers that he’s kind taken it upon himself to learn Spanish. And not just the pitches, but actually learn the language so he can build a rapport and relationships with our Spanish-speaking pitchers.”
I wonder if a guy like Rafael Marchan would interest CLE
How’s his defense? Cleveland prioritizes strong defensive catchers more than any other team.
His thing is defense. In the stints he’e been up with the Phillies in he’s played the position quite well. Bat is so-so as things stand, but he’s hit better than expected as well when he’s been up. I don’t know enough of Hedges’s work to know exactly how they compare, but he’s the type of C that the Guardians would be looking for that is a long-term option but could also be better in the near-term than Lavastida as a backup at the very least.
Is he going to carry Stott, Abel and Painters bags or something?
Okay, not really a funny joke as it’s been used to many times by posters. Also in your defense you never said anything about Marchan being the only piece.
That being said, the Padres already have Marchan. He just goes by Austin Hedges in Cleveland. Also, even if they didn’t, Marchan would account for so little of the value needed to get Beiber he would pretty much just be a throw in.
Any chance Seattle and Cleveland would be good trading partners? We have two full time catchers. Murphy is a fan favorite, but one I could see being dealt. And the M’s need offense, mainly at 2B.
I feel like this Cleveland regime has a strong history of not trading their best players until they’re down to 1 year of control. Ramirez would have been gone last year, Lindor, Bauer(?)
Is Amed Rosario next? Andres Gimenez can slide back to his natural position at shortstop. Rosario would be decent trade bait to a team who needs a shortstop but wouldn’t be in the market for those mega-deal guys like Turner-Correa-Bogarts-Swanson. Seems he fits that scenario you mention above, @Trafficked.
I think Rosario is definitely on the block to be moved simply due to the likely $9 million he will command in his last year of Arbitration. Freeman looks ready to play 2B and Arias looks ready to be a swiss-army INF sub. I know Jose loves him, but I think that $$$ needs to be spent filling the power Void at 1B/DH. I think like stated above, he will be a fall-back option for SOME contender that misses on the big ticket guys and needs a short-term fix.
Wonder if Bo has to rock his brother’s baby during the game.
Cleveland is one big bat away from being a legitimate World Series contender next season. Good on them for hanging onto Bieber and really trying to go for it in 2023. They did an excellent job with their rebuild, and should be graduating a bunch more good young talent next season.
CLE is in an excellent position only to improve next year. Bieber isn’t going anywhere. They have the pitching. They need a catcher and will likely resign Hedges. If they do, they need another bat in the lineup. The most logical thing is to find a right-handed power bat that can DH and play first base to back up Josh Naylor at first when a lefty is on the mound. They have plenty of young infielders and pitchers to offer for a decent trade for both teams.
Lou Klimchock;
I agree, although you might want to consider their finding that bat with an in-season trade from a team that’s fallen out of the pennant race. That way they’re assured the player is having a decent season, and they’re only responsible for a prorated portion of his salary in 2023.
This administration has done this numerous times before.
Don’t they have a roster crunch coming up in a couple weeks? If true that should give them a lot of flexibility in trades to upgrade the lineup/bullpen.
NineChampionships;
At this point Cleveland can “upgrade their lineup” by continuing to play the excessive amount of good young players they have and subsequently give more playing time to those that are improving.
Along the same lines, Cleveland has had one of the best bullpens for years now. They don’t tend to trade or sign bullpenners at their high, but rather acquire candidates in low-key transactions and work with them.
In both cases Cleveland develops their own as they have a small budget to work with. Chris Antonetti was recently voted MLB Executive of the Year, so it seems that he’s going about things the right way and his colleagues recognize that.
Don’t they have players that need to be protected from the Rule 5, and not enough roster spots to keep them all? Under that context doesn’t a trade make sense?
Not as bad as last year, when they added eleven prospects to the 40-man. They do only have one open spot currently, but really only have two MUST ADD prospects in Angel Martinez and Joey Cantillo. They can clear another spot by non-tendering Anthony Gose (who had TJ and likely can be brought back on a minor-league deal). That doesn’t mean they won’t try to package together some guys combination of Owen Miller, Nolan Jones, Will Benson, Will Brennan, Tyler Freeman or Gabriel Arias for an upgrade. Plesac would seem like the most likely SP to be dealt. Outside of the two names I mentioned, the Guardians have other bullpen arms they may want to protect, since those types often get scooped up in Rule 5 drafts.
Lou:
Cool screen name!
Back at you! You have better hair.
I really hope they make a run at Mitch Haniger. I think he would fit nicely in the Indians lineup.
I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of haul it would take to get Cleveland to relinquish Bieber this year. Talented, young and under team control for 2 pennant runs.
Cleveland needs more power in their lineup. They have a lot of good “hitters,” but not much threat for the the big hit outside of Ramirez. They are pretty set around the diamond outside of catcher and CF. Outside of that, DH is probably their easiest power add. The likes of Haniger, JD Martinez, Jose Abreu, Joc Pederson, Josh Bell make the most sense.
A DH who can still play the field (1B and/or corner OF) would be a solid bet, seeing as CLE likes versatility and being able to DH the starting position guys (i.e. Ramirez and J. Naylor).
Yes – Josh Bell would be a good fit, as he can play a decent 1B, switch hitter and would provide some pop.
The real question is: does he get rave reviews?
I’m not sure if the commenting function in the app is just buggy, but this was intended as a response to HBan22 above.
Not sure any of those guys will be in Guards price range. Funny, the guy I think might be the BEST fit isn’t mentioned. Trey Mancini should be cheaper than all those guys and would be a nice addition to the lineup.
Myles Straw won a Gold Glove playing CF this past season so i wouldn’t say they need a Center Fielder. If Straw is displaced it will probably be when George Valera is ready (and even that may have more of a bearing on Oscar Gonzalez than Straw).
I like JD Martinez for this team as a DH and think he would fit well with this lineup but the price is obviously the biggest hurdle there. Nelson Cruz is another player that they could probably get at a pretty reasonable cost that could give them a nice boost in power if his issues last year were due to his eyesight more than father time catching up to him
Ahh, the Cleveland way. Sign a massive discount or we’ll trade you for the highest market value the FA year prior. Rinse & repeat.
It’s hard to fault them, because it clearly works. What’s crazy is how some of other small-mid caps can’t seem to figure it out.
Hello, Newman;
Other teams try to do something similar. Can be argued that the Astros do it as a mid-market team.
Cleveland succeeds because their manager is Terry Francona. Easily the best manager in baseball. He brings along players extremely well. Can be fun and likable, but he’s also firm; and as in the case of Franmil Reyes will finally run out of patience when it’s called for. He and his coaches work in harmony with the FO. They all know what the other needs to work with. The scouts, minor league managers, coaches, and analytic people are all in sync.
The Astros were like that for years. Got away a from it a bit recently and are realigning their operations. The Orioles operation is totally in sync (great coaches throught their organization as well). Rays do it, but a bit differently as they’ll turn over players constantly. Braves are another mid-market team that does the same (exceptional major league coaching staff). Phillies worked well this year after the manager change. Dodgers organization as a large market franchise. Possibly the Mariners, and for sure the Angels have been slowly building a solid organization the past few years.
Takes many years for people to learn one another and pull together. Same as any billion dollar business.
Hello, Samuel. Are you saying the Astros are a mid-market team or they operate like a mid-market team? Or neither of those two and something else. Thanks.
I think there is a point to be made that if you are a team that can often crank out a good surplus at a position, CLE pitching and HOU pitching just like Dodger bullpen pieces, then you SHOULD be trading them at peak value because you likely have a suitable replacement to back up your loss. Trading Bieber would be handing the ace keys to McKenzie and that is not a bad proposition at all. Of course a team can also never have enough pitching
CLE is a well run organization. I cannot imagine if they had mid-cap salary spending capabilities. I have wanted the Tigers to poach Antonetti for years. He’s a good one, and being paired up with Francona is a stick in the central’s craw.
They should trade for Sean Murphy and then sign JD Martinez to DH. It should fit within their budget and their lineup would be vastly improved.
King Floch;
The price the A’s asked for Murphy was far too high. As for JD, he might fit, but the issue is whether he’d be talking AB’s away from young players.
Like the Orioles, the Guardians have so many good young infielders and outfielders that they can’t play them all. So they have to have guys play different positions and rotate players through the DH spot. Also as with the O’s they’re sorting through their young players and working with them on adjustments as the league adjusts to them. It’s premature for them to be trading players that may well be better (and cheaper) than what they get back within a year or two….and they’ll have them under control for more years.
They’ll be contending for the next 5 years. They don’t need to let a future star go because they’re trying to win in 2023. They’ll win in 2023 with what they have now. If they do make a (semi-)big trade this offseason I expect it’ll be for a starting pitcher with 2-3 years of control.
The Guardians and Orioles are the most exciting young teams in MLB. Were fun to watch play in 2022 and they’ll be getting better…for years.
Where did the Guardians say the price for Murphy was too high? I have not seen that.
As for JDM, the Guardians desperately need more offense right now but never have much money to spend, and he won’t be super expensive or require a lengthy commitment. MLBTR has him getting 2/$30mil, but I think he may come in even lower, at like 2/$24mil. Even Cleveland should be able to afford that to try to go for a WS before Bieber departs in free agency.
I’d like to think you’re right but Paul Dolan is going to milk this ownership ride until he finally sells. He’s not spending a dime to improve the team, he’s just going to add more “dollar dog” promotions next year.
Reports at the deadline is that the A’s wanted Gavin Williams, George Valera, plus. No trade was made since the price was too high.
This Naylor kid sounds like a guy with his head on straight.Learning Soanish like that is pretty next-level stuff if you ask me. (And even if you don’t).
I think Bieber is safe for this season, but if the team slips and Chicago and Minnesota rebound then they will have to explore the potential returns at the deadline. Any potential trade of Bieber will likely be tied to the development of Espino and to a lesser extent Cantillo, Curry and Gaddis. There is more pitching in the pipeline.
However, it should be noted that the team banked 4 home playoff gates last year. That is extra revenue that hopefully gives Antonetti some more leeway to add a contract or at least explore an exstention with Bieber.
I didn’t hear the interview, but that quote doesn’t sound like a rejection. It sounds like media-speak that says he could stay or be traded for pieces that will not only help down the line, but also immediately in 2023.
Good defense+power+shouldn’t cost a lot of money= Mike Zunino.
Zunino, while being a mostly terrible hitter comes with 30 HR potential and is one of the better defenders. After missing most of last season they could probably get him on a one year deal and give Naylor more development time at AAA
I could definitely see this as a fit.
Based on Gonzalez’ 31 home runs at AAA in 2021, the Guardians may already have right hand power in the lineup. I think they go to spring training before deciding they don’t have enough. Arias at first base is another “let’s see if this works” possibility. And Bo Naylor is probably ready for the bigs. If I were the GM, I would be looking for starting pitchers. Too many guys who may or may not be reliable. Instead of hoping on Civale and the rest to be healthy and effective, scour the landscape for upgrades. I know, I know, nobody’s giving away cheap starters. But that’s what I’d be looking for.
Trade Josh Naylor. His highlight of the season (and he admits it) was how he single-handedly was able to turn the Yankee crowd into the venomous fans that they are and thinking it was cool…. Just another narcissistic “look at me” player
Oil can, Josh Naylor suffered a gruesome leg injury halfway during the 2021 season. He was not due back until midway through the 2022 season, but he fought hard to return a week into the season. Josh is the emotional leader of the Guardians. He gets fired up during the game, yet after he is a very soft-spoken man who loves and supports his teammates after the game. You need to do more homework on Josh Naylor.
The Naylor Bros gonna take over the league?
So Chris Antonetti is Exec Of the Year?
His assessment of talent is ….what?
Did he make any trades at the deadline to bring in ANYONE that could have helped in the playoffs?
Do you realize he left Oscar Gonzalez off the 40 man roster prior to the beginning of the season? The Rule 5 draft was canceled, otherwise he would’ve been claimed by another team. Some talent assessment.
Post season roster included Will Benson and Bo Naylor. We all remember the key hits they got in the post season.LMAO
ANTONETTI and his predecessor SHAPIRO have never won rings because Paul Dolan the owner cherishes these guys
Oil Can, do you realize that Cleveland is one of the winningest teams in MLB the last decade under his leadership? He did that on a small market budget. You don’t, make a trade just to make a trade. You also don’t give away more talent than you deem fair, just so you can say you made a deal.
You win the prize for dumbest post of the thread. Well done!!!
I’m not sure if the Guards would be interested in Anthony Rizzo to play 1B, he would fill the void at first and provide that big bat in the middle of the lineup. Just a thought.
Sure they would be interested, but would he? °Also interested are the Yankees and reportedly the Astros. Also, he was qualified by the Yankees, so any team other than the Yanks who signs him has to give upna draft pick. Sorry, zero chance we go that route.