The Toronto Blue Jays managed to avoid getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, as they picked up a 3-1 victory to get themselves back on track. While this win is nice, it doesn’t change the fact that this is a lost season for the Blue Jays, and they are trending towards operating as sellers at the upcoming trade deadline.
Toronto has a handful of players who are obvious trade candidates, but it appears an overlooked starting pitcher may be drawing interest from teams across the league. That pitcher would be Shane Bieber, who just diced up the best team in the American League in his most recent outing on Thursday. Teams have quickly taken note of Bieber’s performance, and it looks like he could wind up on a new team in the near future.
Shane Bieber Drawing Trade Interest for the Blue Jays
During his heyday, Bieber was one of the best starters in the majors, as he won the American League Cy Young Award back in the shortened 2020 season (8-1, 1.63 ERA, 122 K, 0.87 WHIP). Injuries have plagued his career, though, as he’s made just 14 total starts during the regular season since 2024.
Bieber showed flashes of his old self last season, though, when he helped Toronto make its run to the 2025 World Series, as he posted a 3.86 ERA over 18.2 innings of work. However, a right elbow injury caused Bieber to miss the first few months of the 2026 campaign, as he just made his fifth start of the year on Thursday.
After struggling mightily to begin the year, Bieber was exceptional against the Rays, as he hurled seven shutout innings, giving up just three hits and two walks while striking out six. Things haven’t really gone his way over the past few years, but when he’s on the mound, Bieber still appears to be a middle-of-the-rotation starter who has a wealth of playoff experience. With a dominant outing in the books, his trade value is beginning to trend in the right direction.
“Shane Bieber’s value is trending upward after an impressive start today against the playoff-bound Rays,” Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported in a post on X. “The Brewers, White Sox, and (ironically) Rays are among the teams active in the rotation market.”
Should the Blue Jays Trade Shane Bieber?
GettyTORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 23: Shane Bieber #57 of the Toronto Blue Jays speaks to the media during World Series Workout Day at Rogers Centre on October 23, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Just 24 hours ago, the Blue Jays didn’t really have many options when it came to Bieber’s future. Now, though, the front office could actually end up squeezing some value out of Bieber before the deadline. Not only does Bieber have injury woes, but he’s also in the final year of his contract, so he could conceivably leave for nothing in free agency over the offseason.
Bieber will probably have to prove this outing wasn’t a fluke before a team makes a real offer for him, but in a starting pitcher-crazed market, a playoff contender could be desperate enough to take a flier on him. The track record of success works in Toronto’s favor, so if it gets an offer it likes for the former Cy Young winner, it should look to move on from him while it still can.
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