ORONTO - 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 catching prospect Brandon Valenzuela from the San Diego Padres in exchange for infielder Will Wagner 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 being 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) — becoming just the ninth pitcher since 1913 to claim MLB’s Triple Crown.

He agreed to a one-year, $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.

Bieber was the Blue Jays’ second major pitching acquisition this week after adding reliever Seranthony Dominguez from the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.

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.

The 27-year-old 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 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.