3:00 p.m. ET: Speaking on 'Foul Territory TV' on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Fox Sports said that industry people, including Blue Jays people, were surprised that Bieber opted-in to the $16 million deal.

Furthermore, we had speculated in an earlier post on Wednesday that perhaps an extension was in the works for Bieber. Rosenthal says that is not the case.

WEDNESDAY A.M. Every time free agency rolls around, in any sport, fan bases ask if there's any chance that a player will take "less money" in order to sign with them.

The hope is that the player wants so badly to be in one spot that he'll leave serious financial possibilities on the table in order to do so. It's a romanticized notion, and it almost never, ever happens.

Players tend to want the most money they can get, and any employee of any company reading this can understand that.

But in the case of Shane Bieber and the Toronto Blue Jays? What happened on Tuesday night feels rather unprecedented.

The right-hander, who was acquired from the Cleveland Guardians at the trade deadline, elected to opt-in to a one-year and $16 million deal with the Jays, foregoing free agency.

Just the other day, Baseball America projected Bieber for a five-year, $150 million contract. Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently pegged him for three-years and $75 million.

Regardless of which number you believe, the fact is this: Bieber was going to have chances to sign a deal with more long-term stability, more guaranteed money, and a deal with a higher annual average.

All three of those things would have been huge for him. He pushed them all aside in order to stay in Toronto. That shows you just how special this group of Blue Jays is.

This is a huge risk for Bieber

Bieber is taking a massive risk here, and he's clearly doing it for two reasons: Because he thinks the Blue Jays are in a position to win a World Series after losing in Game 7 less than a week ago, and because he clearly wants to be back in a great clubhouse culture. These players liked working and playing with each other, and Bieber wants to be a part of that for a full season.

Why is it a huge risk? For a number of reasons.

First, Bieber is 30 years old as it is, and he'll turn 31 in May. It's hard enough for a pitcher turning 31 to get a massive deal. Next offseason when he's turning 32? It will be even harder.

Second, Bieber already missed nearly the entire 2024 and 2025 seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery. If he gets hurt again? He will torpedo his earning power for 2026 and beyond. If he pitches poorly? Same thing.

Could there be something more at play? 

It's certainly possible that the Jays and Bieber re-work the deal to give him a little more security, but for now, this one-year and $16 million deal is where we're at. It's a great win for the Jays financially, and it's a great win for their clubhouse culture, and it's a massive risk for Bieber, albeit one he was willing to take.

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