SF Giants reportedly checked in two-time All-Star before re-signing with Cleveland

While the SF Giants continue to be connected to 2021 Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, they reportedly had interest in another All-Star pitcher. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that the Giants checked in on two-time All-Star Shane Bieber before he re-signed with the Cleveland Guardians.

SF Giants reportedly checked in two-time All-Star before re-signing with Cleveland

In the most recent Giants Talk Podcast episode, co-hosts Pavlovic along with Cole Kuiper discussed the team's pursuit of Burnes. Pavlovic speculated the Giants could still look to add another starter whether that is Burnes or another starter and dropped the nugget about Bieber.

Bieber returned to the Guardians on a one-year, $10 million deal with a player option for 2026. The seven-year veteran only made two starts last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He will be 12 months removed from surgery by the time Opening Day comes and that is usually around the time when pitchers begin throwing off a mound again.

This is not the first time the Giants expressed interest in Bieber. They reportedly had interest in him before the 2023 trade deadline but the veteran starter remained in Cleveland. If he throws well in 2025, he could exercise that opt-out clause to become a free agent. Given that Bieber grew up in Southern California, many of the California-based teams would make sense as a suitor on paper.

Since debuting in 2018, the right-handed hurler has posted a 3.22 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 1.11 WHIP, 10.2 K/9, and a 5.10 SO/W rate. He earned AL All-Star nods in 2019 as well as 2021 and won the 2020 AL Cy Young Award.

Bieber could have been a nice addition for the Giants rotation assuming that he misses minimal time to start the year.

The Giants rotation was in the middle of the pack with a 4.22 ERA in 2024. There is plenty of room to improve upon that mark but that could be tough with Blake Snell's departure. They hope that this unit can improve with young pitchers like Hayden Birdsong and Kyle Harrison taking a step forward. Landen Roupp also finished the year strong and Carson Whisenhunt had some nice moments in Triple-A.

The reported interest in Bieber does convey that the Giants will at least try to add to the rotation this offseason. One way or the other, they will still be relying on some young pitchers to carry a heavy workload.