Shane Bieber's elbow trouble from last season has been an impediment in trade discussions around the Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.
Olney examined the pitcher market for the New York Yankees with their ace, Gerrit Cole, due to miss at least one month, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
MLB Network @MLBNetwork"First, they had four Yankee doctors look at it - they found no tear and they felt that he could probably try to do rest and rehab."<a href="">@JonHeyman</a> joins <a href="">#MLBTonight</a> to give insight on the timeline and details of Gerrit Cole's elbow injury. <a href="">
On Bieber, Olney wrote he "has been discussed by teams as a trade target, but there are concerns about his health after arm issues limited him to 21 starts last season."
The rumor mill surrounding the 2020 American League Cy Young winner has been almost nonexistent this offseason despite the fact he's under team control for just one more year. This is typically when the Guardians cash in on their homegrown talent, yet all signs point to him being in Cleveland on Opening Day.
In January, Heyman cited one general manager who said a Bieber trade was "highly unlikely" and that has borne out so far.
The Guardians already have the third-lowest payroll in MLB, so the front office probably doesn't feel the need to trim it any further. Cleveland could plausibly mount a playoff challenge, too, with FanGraphs projecting the team to have the second-best record (80-82) in what's shaping up to be a weak division again.
For teams that might be interested in Bieber, it's worth it to wait and see how he performs to start 2024. Elbow inflammation can certainly be a foreboding sign, so the first few weeks and months should provide enough evidence pointing to whether it's a larger issue.
Depending on where the Guardians sit in the standings, a Bieber trade might be more attractive closer to the July 30 deadline.
