If the Milwaukee Brewers 2024 season taught fans anything, it is that no team can have enough starting pitchers. Before the year even began, two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff was ruled out for the season as he recovered from shoulder surgery. He suffered the injury less than halfway through the 2023 season, a year that saw him go 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA and 0.82 WHIP in 11 starts.
In addition to Woodruff, the Brewers also lost starters Wade Miley, Aaron Ashby, Robert Gasser, DL Hall, and Tobias Myers, Joe Ross, and Jakob Junis (who was later traded) for part of or most of the year.
Despite these injuries, Milwaukee was able to amass 93 wins and took home the National League Central Division Crown. However, the depth of the starting rotation must be addressed again to ensure that they can remain competitive.
The Milwaukee Brewers Could Add 2020 AL Cy Young Award Winner Shane Bieber
The problem, of course, is that the Brewers are not exactly big spenders. Being the smallest market in all of baseball means that they do not have much money to work with, so adding a high-profile starting pitcher is presumably out of the question.
However, Milwaukee is known for taking on reclamation projects and giving once injured pitchers a chance to build up their value on a short-term deal. Patrick McAvoy of Sports Illustrated believes the Brewers could do this with 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, formerly of the Cleveland Guardians.
“One player who seems like he would be a worthy pickup for the Brewers is two-time All-Star and 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber,” McAvoy wrote.
“Bieber made $13 million in 2024 as a member of the Cleveland Guardians but made just two starts and was forced to have surgery to repair his elbow last spring. Because of that, he likely will land a short-term pillow contract this winter for one or two years.”
As McAvoy notes, Bieber made just two starts last year due to his injury. He was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in those starts.
Shane Bieber Could Use a Season with the Milwaukee Brewers to Prove He Can Stay Healthy
The fact of the matter, too, is that Bieber does not have the best history when it comes to staying healthy. In 2023, he made 21 starts, going 6-6 with a 3.80 ERA and 1.23 WHIP.
2022 was the last season in which he made over 30 starts. That year, he made 31 and went 13-8 with a 2.88 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. He came in seventh in Cy Young voting that year and won the American League Gold Glove for pitchers.
In 2021, Bieber was an All-Star, but made just 16 starts and went 7-4 with a 3.17 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.
The year prior, in a season shortened to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bieber was the best pitcher in the American League, and arguably in all of baseball. He started 12 games and won the pitching Triple Crown with an 8-1 record, 1.63 ERA, and 122 strikeouts (in 77.1 innings). He also had a WHIP of 0.87.
2019 was the season in which Bieber made his first All-Star team. It was also the year in which appeared in a career-high 34 games (33 starts). He led the American League in complete games (three) and shutouts (two) while posting a 15-8 record with a 3.28 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He also struck out a career high 259 batters in 214.1 innings.
But, as can be seen above, the two-time All-Star has only stayed healthy for a full season in one out of the last four years. This will surely hurt his value in free agency and make the Brewers a possibility for him.
Bieber could easily sign a one-year deal with Milwaukee for cheap, stay healthy and take advantage of the Brewers’ famous pitching lab, and drive up his value for 2026.
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