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Grading Shane Bieber trade from Guardians to Blue Jays for Khal Stephen
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- Grading Shane Bieber trade from Guardians to Blue Jays for Khal Stephen
CLEVELAND — The Guardians made two trades the morning of the trade deadline, first sending former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays and then dealing reliever Paul Sewald to the Detroit Tigers .
Bieber had been a centerpiece of trade discussions for the Guardians along with All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan . The deadline is 6 p.m. July 31.
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In exchange for Bieber, the Guardians added right-handed pitching prospect Khal Stephen. The Tigers will be sending Cleveland a player to be named later or cash considerations for Sewald.
Shane Bieber traded for Khal Stephen; grading the trade between Guardians and Blue Jays
The Guardians ended up paying Bieber just short of $7 million even though he'll end up not throwing a single pitch for them in a major league game in 2025. But that $7 million will effectively add a fringe top-100 pitching prospect.
Stephen is ranked as the Blue Jays' No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline, but he's been climbing leaderboards with a strong 2025 season, posting a combined 2.06 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 91⅓ innings in the lower levels of the minor leagues. FanGraphs has Stephen ranked as the No. 80 prospect in baseball .
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Bieber had one of the most layered trade situations in all of baseball. He's thrown only two major league starts in nearly two calendar years and is coming off Tommy John surgery. But he comes with ace-level potential, and the Blue Jays — in a position to be as aggressive as possible — are taking a chance on the possibility they're adding a frontline starter for a postseason run.
The Guardians were also in a murky situation. They woke up on deadline day only 2.5 games out of a wild card spot, but they've been fighting to stay above .500 and have the Emmanuel Clase news hanging over them .
Bieber is also widely expected to decline his 2026 player option, which includes a $4 million buyout. As usual, the Guardians have saved some payroll for the future, but that only becomes a positive if it's used.
Effectively, the Guardians are saving roughly $7.2 million ($3.2 million this year, $4 million next) while adding a top-100(ish) pitching prospect for two months of Bieber. All of that makes sense in a vacuum, and it follows how the Guardians front office operates. But it'll still be frustrating for a fan base to see a team 2.5 games out of a playoff spot selling such a well-liked player at the deadline, even if the Clase situation helped paved the way for it.
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Trade grade: A-
Paul Sewald traded to Detroit Tigers
An inter-division trade is rare, but the Tigers have more room to be patient as Sewald returns from the injured list in a few weeks. Detroit can wait, ease Sewald back into the fold slowly and then have another veteran arm in the bullpen in October.
If the Guardians are to make a run for a wild card spot, that's up to players currently available, and waiting on Sewald with no time to ease him in doesn't fit that timeline.
Trade grade: A-
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Grading Guardians trade of Shane Bieber to Blue Jays for Khal Stephen
