Shane Bieber says bonds led to re-signing with Guardians after he missed '24 following elbow surgery

CLEVLEAND (AP) — Shane Bieber's comeback with Cleveland has double meaning. And deeper meaning.

The former Cy Young winner re-signed with the Guardians on Wednesday, a reunion that seemed unlikely when he became a free agent following last season. However, the 29-year-old Bieber decided to stick with the AL Central champions after making just two starts in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery.

There were other offers. None of them matched what he already had in Cleveland.

“It's the relationships,” Bieber said on a Zoom call. "The development staff. The coaching staff. My teammates. Having continuity and familiarity in those realms I feel like can prove beneficial not only to me but my family and everybody really involved.

"That was big for me to feel confident in my rehab where I’m at right now. Nobody knows me as well as Cleveland does and vice versa, so I’m happy to be continuing with them."

Bieber agreed last week to a one-year, $14 million contract. The deal includes a $16 million player option for 2026.

Not long ago, it seemed as if Bieber, who is 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA in 132 starts over seven seasons for Cleveland, was determined to continue his career elsewhere. He had turned down previous long-term offers in the past from the Guardians, and it was expected he would sign with another contender, likely on the West Coast.

But the California native has a special connection with the Guardians, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. And while a setback, the injury and surgery helped Bieber realize that he was already in the perfect place.

“I had plenty of great meetings and beneficial and progressive meetings with other ball clubs,” he said. "Everybody handled everything first class all the way, and I’ve got great things to say about plenty of other organizations.

“Ultimately, Cleveland made the call and I was happy to receive it and come to terms and so I’m happy with where I’m at. My family’s ecstatic. It was very clearly the right decision for not only myself, my family, and we’re excited to continue it.”

Bieber, who won the AL Cy Young in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, threw only 12 innings last season before lingering issues with his elbow forced him to have surgery. He is expected to join Cleveland's rotation at some point in 2025.

He's throwing three days a week at 90 feet and encouraged by his progress. As for when he'll take the mound in a game, that's currently unknown.

“I’m pushing, pushing, pushing.” he said. “I feel great. I haven’t skipped a beat. When I ask for a (return) date, they don’t even give me a date. So there’s a long way to go.”

A two-time All-Star, Bieber burst onto the national stage in 2019 when he was named MVP of the midsummer event in Cleveland. He has the highest strikeout ratio per nine innings (10.2) and third-highest winning percentage (.660) in the franchise's 124-year history.

Bieber is one of just three Cleveland pitchers to start five season openers, joining Stan Coveleski (1917-21) and Corey Kluber (2015-19).

While Bieber had some elbow issues in the past, he didn't appear to be struggling before being shut down. He struck out 11 in six scoreless innings against Oakland on March 28, and followed that up with six more shutout innings at Seattle on April 2.

Days later, and with his season officially over, Bieber became emotional during a news conference at Progressive Field. He knew that in the short-term his life would be different and baseball, as he had always known it, would be on the backburner.

Bieber said it took a while before he “digested” his new reality.

He coped by immersing himself in his recovery, and Bieber found joy in watching his teammates storm through an unexpected season to a division title.

Although it may not have been the same because he wasn't contributing on the field the way he always had, the hardships may have given Bieber something he needed.

“It’s provided a lot of perspective,” he said. “It was a hard season this year for me and my family, but it was a great one. We’re expecting a baby and it was a season full of growth and I’m very excited to continue that into 2025.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Tom Withers, The Associated Press