Blue Jays pitcher makes shocking call that ruins one Cubs’ offseason idea

The Chicago Cubs' willingness to let Shota Imanaga become a free agent hints that the front office is serious about upgrading their starting rotation, but the team lost one potential target ahead of free agency starting on Thursday. In a surprising move, veteran starting pitcher Shane Bieber exercised his $16MM player option for 2026 and will be returning to the Toronto Blue Jays.

In the days leading up to the MLB trade deadline last season, there seemed to be a growing impression that the Cubs were going to be the team that swiped Bieber away from the Cleveland Guardians. Bieber was returning from Tommy John Surgery, and at the time, the Guardians were sellers.

Instead, it was the Blue Jays who took a chance on the former American League Cy Young Award winner, and he provided valuable stability to the backend of their rotation. In 40 and 1/3 innings pitched to close out the season, Bieber posted a 3.57 ERA while striking out over 23% of the hitters he faced. Not quite the top-of-the-rotation ace he once was, but still a dependable option for any rotation he was in.

Shane Bieber would have been the exact starting pitcher the Cubs are shopping for this offseason.

Given that Bieber seemed to be healthy to close out the season and during the Blue Jays' run to the World Series, the impression was that he would test free agency. The price for pitching remains at a premium, and The Athletic's Jim Bowden recently projected a potential contract of three years for $75MM.

It would seem that Bieber either really loved his time in Toronto and, at this stage of his career, was willing to take far less to avoid the drama or free agency. Or, a possibility that can't be ruled out, there's some underlying medical concern.

Regardless, this is one less option on the free-agent market for the Cubs. Imanaga's likely departure points to the Cubs adding multiple starting pitchers to their rotation this offseason. Jed Hoyer and Co. almost certainly would prefer to trade for a controllable top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher before turning to the middle tier of free-agent starting pitchers to stabilize the backend of the rotation.

Big names are at the top of the market, such as Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez, but the Cubs will likely be looking at someone like Zac Gallen, who could be in the market for a short-term, high-AAV deal as he looks to rebound from a 2025 season where he struggled.