Cy Young Winner & Two-Time AL All-Star Returns to the Guardians Organization
CLEVELAND, OH – The Cleveland Guardians announced today that they have re-signed free agent RHP Shane Bieber to a 2025 Major League contract with a player option for the 2026 season.
Bieber, 29, rejoins the Guardians after an impactful seven-year tenure with the Major League club, where he amassed a record of 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA over 136 games (134 starts). During this time, he pitched 843.0 innings, allowing 752 hits, 302 earned runs, and recording 958 strikeouts with a .236 opponent batting average. The two-time American League All-Star and 2019 All-Star Game MVP won the 2020 AL Cy Young Award, achieving the Major League Triple Crown by leading the league in wins (8), ERA (1.63), and strikeouts (122). He holds the highest strikeout per 9.0 innings ratio (10.2) and the third-highest winning percentage (.660) in the franchise’s 124-year history. Bieber is also one of only three pitchers in club history to start five consecutive season openers, alongside Stan Coveleski (1917-21) and Corey Kluber (2015-19).
The Laguna Hills, CA native started his fifth straight season opener, striking out 11 Athletics over 6.0 shutout innings on March 28 at Oakland. He continued his dominant performance with nine strikeouts over 6.0 scoreless innings on April 2 at Seattle, becoming one of only five pitchers in Cleveland history to throw at least 6.0 shutout innings in their first two starts of the season—and the only one to achieve this twice (also in 2020). After this strong start, Bieber was sidelined with right elbow soreness and underwent right elbow reconstruction on April 12, ending his season.
Bieber is the second Major League free agent signing for the Guardians this offseason, following the re-signing of catcher Austin Hedges on November 6. The Guardians’ 40-man roster now stands at 39 players.
