Bieber has been regressing and might be injured, there's a very good chance he doesn't reach free agency healthy and even if he does, he may or may not be getting a qualifying offer. The Guardians are giving up a top hitting prospect and a young starter with 142 MLB innings off good production, while Cleveland has virtually no depth in the event of injury or poor performance. This gives them two more young starters to replace Bieber and Bibee, while getting two local Cleveland guys who are looking poised to take the next step forward and would probably sign long-term team friendly deals. Raley offers the ability to play all three outfield positions or take over 1B if Manzardo isn't ready for the majors. Canzone can platoon with Laureano in RF and potentially supplant Laureano all together by the end of the season. The big win once you realize Bieber is gone either way after 2024 is turning one very good starter into two good starting prospects ranked in the Top 100 over the last 18 months. While turning a top outfield prospect into a young version of Willson Contreras who can split time at catcher and outfield and who is just as highly rated as the top outfield prospect going to the Pirates in Rodriguez. Delay gives depth at a position of need (catcher) while Endy Rodriguez recovers, but can be flipped later for other roster needs or sent to AAA if needed. Meanwhile the adding of Canzone and Raley either gives the Guardians a better 4th outfielder than Florial, or makes it possible to trade Laureano and save the $5M in salary. This of course doesn't account for the $11M the Guardians save in 2024 from shipping out Bieber that can also be repurposed into roster improvements. As an example they could leave Manzardo in AAA, move Naylor back to 1B, and sign Jorge Soler to DH with the money save from dumping Bieber's contract or they could trade with the Marlins, by sending Gimenez, Straw, Laureano (perfect platoon partner with Sanchez), along with prospects Juan Brito and Jaison Chourio to get back SP Alcantara, 2B/SS/CF Chisholm, and 1B/DH Bell. The new outfielders would take over CF (Raley) and RF (Canzone). The Marlins wouldn't have Alcantara until 2025 due to TJ surgery, but when he comes back, they'd have an affordable ace to pair with McKenzie for three years. Chisholm offers major roster flexibility and a marquee personality to help sell tickets. Bell gives the Guardians a needed bat. Meanwhile the Bieber trade, along with saving the $15M owed Gimenez, Straw, and Laureano would be even money with the contracts of Alcantara, Chisholm and Bell. If Manzardo forces his way onto the roster and takes over 1B or DH, they can always trade Bell at the deadline for more players to help their roster and some extra wiggle room financially. I'd also like to circle back to the eventual payroll flexibility that would also be gained by signing Canzone and/or Raley to long-term deals as big Cleveland guys who love the city and would definitely give a discount to play close to home. When dealing with smaller market teams, it is important to not value the talent over the roster formation. Getting cost controlled players that will take less to play close to home is a big part of successful teams. The Braves, Padres, Rays, Giants, and Twins have been doing this for years.