Which MLB teams make the most sense for a Shane Bieber trade?

With the summer approaching, it’s time to take a much closer look at which MLB players could become trade targets as the 2023 Trade Deadline approaches. Guardians right-hander Shane Bieber’s name has been thrown around quite a bit in recent weeks, thanks to Cleveland’s struggles out of the gate and the 28-year-old’s impending free agency. But which teams make the most sense for Bieber? Let’s take a look at five teams that we think are prime destinations.

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Angels

Shane Bieber was born in Orange, California, a town situated right next to Anaheim and Angel Stadium. The California native makes too much sense for the Angels, but not just because of his roots in the state. Los Angeles entered play on June 5 at 31-30, 8.5 games behind the Rangers in the AL West and five back of the Yankees and Astros for the final spot in the American League Wild Card. The Angels rotation has been tepid at best, as both left-handers Tyler Anderson and Reid Detmers own ERAs north of five. Patrick Sandoval and Griffin Canning have been good in spurts, but both have also been inconsistent.

Should the Angels want to make a strong push to make it back in the playoffs — and in turn, improve its chances of retaining Shohei Ohtani — in 2023, an arm like Bieber would make sense.

Cardinals

We now move to another team that’s failed to live up to expectations thus far in 2023. The St. Louis Cardinals rotation has been part of that problem, as just two of its starters, Miles Mikolas and Jordan Montgomery, own ERA+ figures either at or above league average.

St. Louis, despite being 7.5 games out of first in the NL Central, is not out of the playoff race just yet. The Cardinals need to find a new gear fast, and someone like Bieber could provide a lift for a struggling team. But on top of that, Bieber would also provide security for a rotation that will likely lose Adam Wainwright after this season and may lose Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty to free agency.

Diamondbacks

Given the starpower in Los Angeles and San Diego, it’s fair to say that a young Diamondbacks team may be the most surprising team in the Majors. Arizona’s received exceptional contributions from Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, but uneven contributions from Ryne Nelson and Zach Davies.

The D-Backs have the ammunition and the need to give its young team an arm like Bieber. But whether the D-Backs would be willing to entertain the idea of trading for Bieber is a different story.

Dodgers

Los Angeles came into the day on June 5 ten games above .500 and in a tie for first in the NL West. The Dodgers offense has been formidable yet again, but the rotation has been a different story. Los Angeles’ rotation has been besieged by injuries, as Julio Urias, Dustin May, and Ryan Pepiot are all out of action. Noah Syndergaard, meanwhile, has been one of the league’s worst pitchers from a statistical standpoint this season. Those issues could make the Dodgers a team to watch for Shane Bieber.

While it would make a lot of sense for the Dodgers to target the righty for a number of reasons, Los Angeles doesn’t make big swings via trades in season often. But the Dodgers did just that in 2021, when Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, the latter of whom had another year of control, came over from Washington. Could Bieber, a talented pitcher when on and with another year of team control, make sense for the Dodgers? We’ll see.

Orioles

If one team in the Majors right now makes the most sense for a swing at Shane Bieber, it’s the Orioles. Baltimore currently sits comfortably in an AL Wild Card spot, and have received strong contributions from both Kyle Gibson and Tyler Wells. However, the struggles and subsequent demotion of Grayson Rodriguez makes it more likely that the O’s will attempt to acquire pitching help come the summer.

The question, however, becomes what would Baltimore part with in order to facilitate a hypothetical trade for Bieber? Baltimore has a deep farm system, but prospects like Rodriguez, Colton Cowser, and Jackson Holliday would likely be untouchables. But what about Heston Kjerstad? The former first-round pick boasts plenty of power and has a keen eye at the plate, both traits highly coveted by the O’s front office. On the other hand, it’s not like the acquisition of Bieber would be a rental.