Getty Cleveland Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber won a unanimous Cy Young in 2020.
The Baltimore Orioles ended a seven-year playoff drought last season only to be bounced in the first round as the team’s pitchers gave up 21 runs in three games.
The Orioles have not addressed their rotation issues with any major acquisitions so far this offseason, but a potential trade floated by Fox Sports MLB analyst Jordan Shusterman on January 29 could bring in Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber in exchange for outfielder Colton Cowser.
“Bieber has been a headliner in trade rumors all winter as he enters the final year of his contract, and Baltimore has been front and center in discussions to land a pitcher of his caliber,” Shusterman reported. “If Cleveland views Cowser as a potential everyday guy in center field and Baltimore is finally willing to part from its laughably deep collection of upper-level bats, I’d love to see the Orioles swing this deal.”
The Baltimore Orioles Have Plenty of Top Prospects to Deal in Trades
The Orioles won the AL East last season largely thanks to their unparalleled farm system and the ascension of its prospect talent, headlined by Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson.
Heading to Opening Day 2024, the team still has a long list of players who have the chance to make significant big league debuts, including the top-ranked prospect in all of MLB, Jackson Holliday. The Orioles have a total of five prospects ranked within the league’s top 32.
As Baltimore’s second-ranked prospect, Cowser’s 2024 in the big leagues is highly anticipated. In 61 at bats in the Show last season, he slashed a meager .115/.286/.148, but his Triple-A averages across 323 at bats before that were much more promising at .300/.417/.520.
With so much young talent fighting for playing time, the Orioles should be comfortable parting with at least one of their highly-touted prospects. And Cowser is the kind of high-upside risk that might pay off for the Guardians.
“Even if (Cowser) ends up in a corner, Cleveland has been starving for outfield offense for years,” Shusterman noted. “He’d be a worthy gamble in a deal that requires saying goodbye to a fan favorite and recent key figure in Bieber.”
Adding Former Cy Young Winner Shane Bieber Would Address the Baltimore Orioles’ Biggest Need
Led by their young bats, the Orioles ranked in MLB’s top 10 for AVG, SLG, runs and RBI in 2023. Their bullpen was in the top five for saves. But their starters let them down in the playoffs, as they were swept by the Texas Rangers in the Divisional Series. Kyle Bradish pitched for a 3.86 ERA in game one, Grayson Rodriguez for a 27.00 ERA in game two and Dean Kremer for a 32.40 ERA in game three. And the Orioles have since lost pitchers Jack Flaherty and Kyle Gibson to free agency.
This leaves the rotation as the most glaring weakness on a team that’s looking to win at least one playoff series in 2024. And though Bieber did not pitch to the All-Star form he had in the 2019 through 2021 seasons, his respectable 3.80 ERA and 107 strikeouts across 21 starts showed that there is plenty left in the tank for the 28-year-old.
Bieber will earn a $13.125 million salary in 2024 before hitting free agency the next year. It could be the perfect chance for the Orioles to leverage some prospect depth for a one-year lease of one of the most accomplished pitchers in the game.