Blue Jays vs. Marlins Preview: Shane Bieber fever officially arrives in Toronto 

Despite losing two of three to the National League Central basement-dwelling Pittsburgh Pirates, the Toronto Blue Jays still head into this weekend with a firm four and a half game lead over the second place New York Yankees in the American League East. The Jays will now begin a three-game series against the Miami Marlins on Friday to conclude their current road trip.

Toronto have had their issues with Miami over the years, as they sport just a
19-25 lifetime record against the Marlins. But the focus for the Blue Jays this time around might not be just on the matchup against their NL East foe. Instead, everyone will have their eyes on their massive trade deadline acquisition in Shane Bieber in his Jays’ debut as “Bieber fever” officially arrives in Toronto. 

Blue Jays vs. Marlins Preview: Shane Bieber fever officially arrives in Toronto 

It may have been over 16 months since we have seen the former AL Cy Young winner pitch. But many are fully expecting Bieber to pick up exactly where he left off after a brilliant start back in 2024. That year, he began the season with back-to-back gems, holding the opposition scoreless while cumulatively striking out 20 batters in 12 total innings of work.

Bieber appeared to be well on his way to another big year ahead of him, but what was lurking underneath was an injury that would end his 2024 campaign prematurely after those two starts. The 30-year-old right hander would ultimately need Tommy John surgery to reconstruct his ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow and had been out ever since.

Fast forward to this year, where Bieber was expected to ramp up baseball activities and get back into action earlier this season. But a setback that he suffered in his rehab process has held him out from rejoining the majors sooner, just long enough for the Blue Jays to swoop in and grab him at the trade deadline.

Taking full advantage of the change in scenery, Bieber has looked unbeatable in his rehab starts in Toronto’s minor league system, posting an impressive 2.04 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, giving up just four earned runs and two walks to go along with 16 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings pitched. With that, he appears all but ready to make a huge impact in the Jays’ rotation going forward.

What should we expect of Bieber? After all, with such a long layoff, he might not be dealing like an ace right from the get go. But given his experience and pedigree, Jays fans should see him get stronger and stronger after every start, and he probably will be at his best just in time for the playoffs. So an ERA close to 3.00 while striking out more than a batter per inning should be a fair prediction of what Bieber will likely bring on a consistent basis to Toronto. 

In terms of the pitching matchups, the Jays will start with Bieber’s 2025 debut on Friday, followed by José Berríos (9-5, 4.00 ERA) on Saturday and Kevin Gausman (8-9, 3.78 ERA) in the finale on Sunday. With the potential “three aces” onslaught set already by Toronto, the Marlins have yet to figure out their own starting rotation to match up effectively against the Jays this weekend.

In any case, it will be all about Bieber this weekend as the Jays hope he can be the difference maker down the stretch to lead them to a division title, a postseason berth, and hopefully much more beyond that.