With the days getting shorter and the MLB offseason beginning to gain momentum, general managers across the league are preparing their best offers as the annual Winter Meetings loom large. Throughout the years, the Winter Meetings have allowed executives to come together, discuss trades, and arrange signings with players. Often considered the unofficial "beginning of the offseason," the event has produced some of the biggest blockbusters in MLB history - and some of its most infamous flops.
Most importantly, Bieber was one of the high-upside pitchers available at last summer's trade deadline who could make a big difference down the stretch. Still, there were questions about just how valuable Bieber really was. He hadn't pitched since April 2024 on account of Tommy John Surgery and had posted middling results since his 2020 AL Cy Young award so when the Blue Jays brought him in, they were being careful with his eventual return to action.