SI.com’s Will Laws and Nick Selbe predicted that the Atlanta Braves will sign a previous Cy Young champion in MLB free agency this offseason.
If left-handed starter Chris Sale wins the National League Cy Young Award this offseason, the Atlanta Braves will have an award-winning pitcher on their roster by 2025. However, the Braves should have the possibility to sign an ex-Cy Young winner through free agency.
That is what Sports Illustrated’s Will Laws and Nick Selbe argued this week. On their MLB free agency rankings list, Laws and Selbe anticipated the Braves will sign 29-year-old Shane Bieber.
“Bieber’s strikeout rate steadily declined from its absurd peak in the years following his 2020 AL Cy Young campaign before he underwent Tommy John surgery in April, two factors that may prevent him securing a lucrative longterm deal,” according to Laws and Selbe. “When he returns to the mound, though, it’d be surprising if he isn’t still capable of being a difference maker for a contender.”
In 2020, Bieber won the American League Cy Young Award with the Cleveland Indians, as they were then known. Despite the fact that the season was cut short due to COVID, Bieber went 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA and 0.866 WHIP. He also struck out a league-high 122 batters in just 77.1 innings.
The 2020 campaign wasn’t his only stellar season with Cleveland. Bieber went 15-8 with a 3.28 ERA and 259 strikeouts in 214.1 innings in 2019. He was also 7-4 with a 3.17 ERA and 134 strikeouts over 96.2 frames during 2021.
Bieber was named to the American League All-Star squad in both seasons (2019 and 2021).
In 2022, he went 13-8 with a 2.88 ERA and continued to strike out nearly one per inning. However, Bieber has had a number of injuries during the last two seasons.
In 2023, he made only 21 starts due to elbow pain. Bieber appeared to be back on track this season, with 20 strikeouts in his first 12 innings. But then the Guardians placed him on the injured list, and Bieber had Tommy John surgery.
The Braves’ biggest concern this offseason is whether they’ll take a chance on Bieber after the major procedure. Atlanta already had ace Spencer Strider recovering from the same ailment. It may not be the best decision for the Braves to add another rotation arm with the same significant condition.
The Braves’ willingness to accept the risk may be determined by Bieber’s free-agent salary. My colleagues at SI appear to be skeptical that he will be able to land a costly long-term contract.
However, Laws and Selbe believe Bieber is one of the best free agent alternatives available this winter. They rated him as the No. 10 MLB free agent this offseason.
