TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays made a splash on MLB trade deadline day, acquiring right-hander Shane Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians.
Cleveland received righty Khal Stephen, a 22-year-old minor-league pitcher ranked the No. 5 prospect in Toronto’s system by MLB Pipeline.
Toronto also picked up right-handed pitcher Louis Varland and first baseman Ty France from the Minnesota Twins, as well as catching prospect Brandon Valenzuela from the San Diego Padres.
Toronto sent outfielder Alan Roden and left-handed pitcher Kendry Rojas to the Twins, and dealt infielder Will Wagner to the Padres on Thursday.
Bieber, 30, is nearing a return from Tommy John surgery and hasn’t pitched in the majors this season.
He’s posted a 1.59 earned-run average and 0.71 WHIP across four rehab starts, including a seven-strikeout performance over four innings Tuesday with Double-A Akron.
The former American League Cy Young winner has spent his entire career with Cleveland since he was drafted in 2016, compiling a 62-32 record with a 3.22 ERA over 136 big-league appearances. He’s also a two-time all-star, a Gold Glove recipient and was named MVP of the 2019 all-star game.
Bieber won the Cy Young in 2020 during the pandemic-shortened 60-game season, after leading the majors in wins (8), ERA (1.63) and strikeouts (122). He became just the ninth pitcher since 1913 to claim MLB’s Triple Crown.
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He agreed to a one-year, US$14 million contract last fall with a $16 million player option for 2026.
Stephen, meanwhile, has gone 9-1 with a 2.06 ERA across three minor-league levels this season.
The Mississippi State product was a second-round pick by Toronto in 2024 and has struck out 27.9 per cent of opposing batters in his first full pro campaign.
The Jays continued to load up on pitchers after adding reliever Seranthony Dominguez from the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.
Varland, 27, posted a 2.02 earned-run average, which ranks sixth among AL relievers, through 51 games with the Twins this season. The six-foot-one, 205-pound thrower has played 89 games, including 22 starts, over four seasons with Minnesota. His record was 8-14 with a 4.62 ERA.
The 31-year-old France hit .251 in 101 games for the Twins this year, including 19 doubles, six home runs, and 44 RBI. The Californian has appeared in 803 career MLB games with San Diego, Seattle, Cincinnati and Minnesota.
The 24-year-old Valenzuela hit 14 doubles, a triple, a dozen home runs and 46 RBI while carrying an on-base plus slugging percentage of .700 through 87 games for Double-A San Antonio this season.
The catcher from Hermosillo, Mexico, has thrown out 25 base runners. His 34.7 per cent caught stealing percentage ranks second among all Double-A catchers.
Roden appeared in 43 games for Toronto this year with a batting average of .204, seven extra-base hits and eight RBI. The 25-year-old was named the Blue Jays Minor League Player of the Year in 2024.
The 22-year-old Rojas started 10 games across four levels in the Blue Jays’ minor-league system this season for an ERA of 3.46 over 41.2 innings.
Wagner from Houston, Texas, appeared in 40 games for the Blue Jays this season with a batting average of .237, seven extra-base hits and seven RBI.
Toronto acquired Wagner, 27, from the Astros at last season’s trade deadline along with outfielder Joey Loperfido and pitcher Jake Bloss in exchange for pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
