Shane Bieber's latest performances should have Blue Jays seriously considering an extension

The Toronto Blue Jays have multiple pending free agents heading toward the offseason. Among their most notable pending free agents is star pitcher Shane Bieber.

Bieber was one of the Blue Jays' most-talked-about trade candidates leading up to this year's trade deadline, but they ultimately decided to hold on to him. This decision is looking like a solid one right now, as the Blue Jays have gotten themselves back in the playoff race. They are currently just 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians (as of Aug. 24) for the final AL wild card spot, so their playoff hopes are still alive.

Bieber has also been heating up for the Blue Jays at the perfect time. In his most recent start against the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 20, he allowed just one earned run on four hits and struck out seven batters in seven innings pitched. This was after he allowed one earned run on four hits and struck out five in his previous start against the New York Yankees on Aug. 14.

With how Bieber is pitching for the Blue Jays right now, he is undoubtedly making a real case for a contract extension. The former AL Cy Young Award winner is showing signs of his previous All-Star form, which is massive for a Toronto club that is looking to sneak into the playoffs.

Seeing Bieber starting to heat back up is also understandable. He did not make his season debut until late June due to injury, so he had some rust to shake off. He is certainly showing that now, and the Blue Jays should consider keeping him around because of it.

Over 11 total starts, Bieber has thrown 55.2 innings with a 4.53 ERA and a 5.13 FIP. Some of that can be chalked up to a few outings that completely unraveled from him, like the game in Washington on Jul. 28 when he allowed four earned runs on one hit and six walks and lasted just 0.2 innings. He also gave up five earned runs in 5.2 innings against the Phillies on Aug. 9 thanks to a couple of big home runs from Kyle Schwarber.

Outside of those games he's allowed two runs or less in all six of his starts going back to Jul. 10 while racking up 31 strikeouts over 36.1 innings, while posting an ERA of 1.49.

Blue Jays should be eyeing a short-term extension with Shane Bieber

If the Blue Jays want to keep Bieber around, a short-term contract extension would likely be the best move for the AL East club. Bieber's injury history is a bit of a red flag, so a contract over three years could come with some risk for Toronto.

Yet, if Bieber continues to shine like he has been down the stretch and stays healthy, it could open the door for Toronto to sign him to a longer extension. The 6-foot-3 righty has shown that he can be elite when performing at his best, so that could make the Blue Jays interested in keeping him around for a long time.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what the Blue Jays decide to do with Bieber. If he keeps pitching so well, they should work hard to avoid losing him for nothing this offseason in free agency.

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