What’s behind Shane Bieber’s decision to stay in Toronto?

When Shane Bieber exercised the $16 million option in his contract to stay with the Toronto Blue Jays, I almost fell out of my chair.

And it seems I'm not the only one. Indeed, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports, Bieber's decision surprised many MLB executives across North America.

Across the industry, executives remain baffled by right-hander Shane Bieber's decision to exercise his sixteen-million-dollar player option with the Blue Jays, calling it one of the most bizarre in recent memory.

The reason why Bieber's decision baffled Major League Baseball executives is that he could have made a lot more money had he made himself available on the free agent market.

Bieber had a $4 million buyout, so he effectively took a one-year, $12 million contract. And while he was enthusiastic about his time with the Jays, he certainly would have done better on the open market.

That's not untrue, since Matt Boyd landed a two-year, $29 million contract with the Chicago Cubs last December after making just eleven starts (the same number as Bieber) with the Cleveland Guardians, including in the playoffs, following Tommy John-type surgery.

Incidentally, Bieber was expected to sign a three-year deal for around $63 million this winter.

“While we all would love to paint this as an altruistic act of loyalty, and maybe it is, I'm not so sure that's the case.”

Shane Bieber's decision to exercise his player option for 2026 remains a curious choice to many people, says @Ken_Rosenthal. pic.twitter.com/0zgyX5O6NI

– Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 12, 2025

Which raises questions about the 30-year-old's alleged loyalty to the Blue Jays. When Bieber exercised his option, people thought it was great that he took less money to stay at a place he loved. But that may be hiding something, as Rosenthal points out.

He could have stayed in that place he loved and probably made more money. And he certainly could have made a lot more money elsewhere, assuming he was healthy. So, as much as we'd all like to portray this as an altruistic act of loyalty, and maybe it is, I'm not so sure it is. It just seems like there could be other things going on here.

Certainly, this is a very beneficial move for the Blue Jays, but free agents very rarely sacrifice money, even from their favorite clubs. So it's still something no one expected, and leaves a lot of questions unanswered, including one about his health.

Was he afraid of failing a physical test by signing a new contract? It's a question that's been circulating.

This content was created with the help of AI.