The reason Shane Bieber shockingly picked up his Blue Jays player option is now clear

Billy Heyen

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The reason Shane Bieber shockingly picked up his Blue Jays player option is now clear image

Everyone was a bit shocked when Shane Bieber opted in to his Toronto Blue Jays player option for $16 million for the 2026 season.

Now, it makes a little more sense.

This is what The Athletic's Mitch Bannon reported in a new article on Tuesday:

"Bieber dealt with forearm fatigue at the end of the season, a person briefed on the matter said, but has since begun offseason recovery and rehab work. It’s not entirely clear if the forearm ailment entirely caused Bieber to pick up his player option and avoid the unknowns of free agency, but it likely factored into his decision."

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Bieber was widely expected to get a multi-year free agent contract for more than $20 million per season.

If he's healthy, the Blue Jays have an unexpected and wonderful bargain for the 2026 season.

Toronto traded for Bieber at the deadline from the Cleveland Guardians knowing that they'd likely just have him for the stretch run.

Bieber did play a big part in getting the Blue Jays to the World Series, and they made it all the way to extra innings in Game 7 before falling short to the Dodgers.

But the expectation was that would be that, and then Bieber would move on.

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Instead, Bieber liked Toronto and found enough reason to just come back.

"The fit for Bieber with the Jays was obvious, but it didn’t seem likely that a return would come via his player option," Bannon writes. "While with the Jays, the starting pitcher expressed how much he and his family enjoyed the city, and he rejoined a team that fell just short of a World Series title."

Now, Bieber will hope to get healthy and then to try and run it back with the Blue Jays.

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Contributing Writer