Blue Jays pitcher surprisingly nixes Terry Francona's hope of offseason reunion

It remains to be seen how the Cincinnati Reds plan to attack the offseason, but with so many pitchers set to hit the free agent market, it's a good bet that Nick Krall and front office will be looking to acquire some extra arms this winter.

Unfortunately, Shane Bieber will not be among those available in free agency. The Toronto Blue Jays starter, rather than electing to enter the free agent market, surprisingly decided to pick up his $16 million player-option for the 2026 season and will remain with the American League champs next year.

Several Reds rumors linked Bieber to Cincinnati two years ago during his final year with the Cleveland Guardians. He suffered an elbow injury two starts into the 2024 season, and Reds fans are certainly thankful that trade never took place. But Bieber's longtime ties to Reds manager Terry Francona made a potential reunion this offseason rather intriguing. Instead, Cincinnati will have to look elsewhere if they hope to upgrade the rotation heading into 2026.

Shane Bieber's decision to remain with Blue Jays crushed Reds' dreams of reuniting the former Cy Young winner with Terry Francona

Bieber only made seven starts for the Blue Jays last season. The first-half of his year was dedicated to rehab following Tommy John surgery, but the two-time All-Star looked like his former self once he returned to the mound late last summer. In those seven starts, Bieber went 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA and 37 strikeouts in just over 40 innings of work.

Reds fans undoubtedly remember Bieber from his time with the Guardians. During seven years in Cleveland, he posted a sterling 66-34 record with a 3.24 ERA and just over 950 strikeouts. Bieber was the ace of the Guardians' staff from 2019-2022.

Not only did Bieber excel during the regular season, but the right-hander was instrumental in Toronto's postseason success this October. In total, Bieber made five appearances for the Jays and struck out 18 batters over 18⅔ innings pitched.

The Reds are set to lose both Zack Littell and Nick Martinez to free agency, and seeing a pitcher like Bieber available in free agency would've surely piqued Krall's interest. The Reds will now have to look elsewhere if they're interested in adding another starter.