MLB Rumors: Guardians' Shane Bieber 'Could Be Had'; Trade Price Is 'Exorbitant'

One of those heavy bank vault doors that you'll have to push really hard to get open, the Cleveland Guardians have not closed the door on tradingShane Bieber.

The trade deadline is August 2, but a team would have to meet the price of the singer.

This season, he has a 3.55 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, and has struck out over 100 hitters. While his underlying numbers show that he's gotten unlucky, he's striking out batters at a career-low rate and is not performing as well as he could.

The 27-year-old has seen his velocity go down and his average speed go up. During his campaign, he averaged 94 miles per hour.

The average exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, and spin on his curve are all below average. The downturn in the effectiveness of his stuff led to some concern early in the season about his health, but he has already topped his start total for the year.

The underlying concerns could make opposing teams not value the singer as highly. Over the past two seasons, he has been a pretty decent pitcher, despite the fact that he looked like a Cy Young contender in 2019.

There is no need for Cleveland to make a move since it has two years of team control left on the contract. If the organization feels that a dip in play is a sign of more serious things to come, it might be a good idea to explore a trade for him.