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How Much Money Could Toronto Blue Jays Pitcher Get in Free Agency?
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- How Much Money Could Toronto Blue Jays Pitcher Get in Free Agency?
(John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)
On Tuesday, former MLB executive and current writer/podcast host Jim Bowden put out his list of the Top-40 free agents in baseball heading into the offseason.
In addition to simply the names of the players, he also put in which teams they would fit best with, as well as predictions on their future contracts.
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I'll be honest, trying to predict the money feels futile to me considering the pending MLB lockout has the ability to change the financial landscape of the entire sport, but it is still worth talking about - to a degree.
Bowden listed outgoing Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber as the No. 26 free agent on his board and predicted him to get a one-year, $20 million deal pending medicals.
The Shane Bieber file
A nine-year veteran of the Cleveland Guardians and Blue Jays. He will turn 32 in May of 2027. He owns a career record of 71-36 and an ERA of 3.31. He won the American League Cy Young in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, when he went 8-1 with a 1.63 for Cleveland. That season was just 60 games as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Blue Jays acquired him at the trade deadline in 2025, meaning he's spent parts of two years with the Jays. In those two years, he's gone 9-4 with a 4.03 ERA. He only made 18 regular season appearances between the two, but he was critical in the team's 2025 playoff run, even starting Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners .
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) in the dug out during the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre. John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Bieber was scheduled to be a free agent at the conclusion of that season, but he surprisingly exercised his player option to return, proving how much he values his time with the Jays. The Blue Jays finished last with a 79-83 record in 2026, missing the playoffs entirely.
And unfortunately, injuries have remained part of the story for him.
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He missed all but two starts in 2024 with Cleveland because of Tommy John surgery and then missed the first half of 2025 while recovering. He was traded to the Blue Jays during that recovery.
He didn't pitch until June of 2026 because of forearm fatigue related to his Tommy John surgery, and he didn't pitch after Aug. 20 because of a new shoulder issue.
Could he return to the Blue Jays?
In a non-salary cap world, $20 million isn't bad for one year of a solid starter, but the health is a big issue for him. Furthermore, I don't think the Blue Jays are in massive need of a fifth starter at this point, as they already have Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce and Jose Soriano, plus internal options of Jose Berrios, Bowden Francis, Spencer Miles, Ricky Tiedemann and Nolan Perry.
For me, I'd focus more on a right-handed hitting outfielder with my money, or perhaps a second baseman .
