MLB

MLB Offseason Round-Up: Cubs, Reds Have Bieber Fever

Published

5 months ago

November 29, 2023

This is one in a series of daily articles highlighting the latest news and notes from the MLB offseason.

As the rumors continue to swirl leading up to next week’s Winter Meetings in Nashville, there are reportedly two teams eyeing Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber.

According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds have discussed deals to acquire the right-hander from Cleveland.

Last year with the Guardians, Bieber went 6-6 with a 3.80 ERA in 21 starts. The 28-year-old won the American League Cy Young in 2020, which was sandwiched around two All-Star appearances in 2019 and 2021. In his six-year big league career, Bieber is 60-32 with a 3.27 ERA with 938 strikeouts and only 187 walks in 831 innings.

There is a legitimate shot that Bieber is dealt this MLB offseason. He’s projected to earn a manageable $12.2 million in his final year of arbitration before hitting the open market next winter.

Extension Coming For Top Prospect?

The Milwaukee Brewers are reportedly discussing an extension with top prospect Jackson Chourio, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

It’s rare to see a player who has yet to make their big league debut sign an extension, but it’s not unprecedented. One notable recent example is the Chicago White Sox inking outfielder Luis Robert to a six-year extension with a couple of club options attached to it. It’s fair to say that one worked out pretty well for the Sox.

Chourio, 19, is baseball’s No. 2 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s top 100. An outfielder, Chourio spent the bulk of the season in Double-A before he was bumped up to Triple-A for a brief six-game stint. Combined, he hit .283 with an .805 OPS. He slugged 22 home runs, drove in 91 runs and swiped 44 bases.