The baseball hot stove is warming up, as the owners are having their Winter Meetings this week.

So far, Cleveland Guardians’ fans have received mixed news about their team’s starting pitchers.

Shane Bieber is coming back, which is great news. He’s only 29 years old, and he won the Cy Young Award in 2020.

Bieber is reportedly signing for $10 million for 2025 and a $14 million player option for 2026.

He still has to recover from Tommy John surgery, so the Guardians won’t add him to the rotation until the middle of the season.

Still, if Cleveland can stay at or near the top of the American League Central Division, a healthy Bieber would provide a boost for the second half of the season.

He would also provide welcome support for ace Tanner Bibee, especially since Matthew Boyd signed with the Chicago Cubs.

WHAT ABOUT SOTO?

Aaron Judge won the MVP award this year, but we’re about to discover how valuable Juan Soto was to the New York Yankees.

The Guardians were unable to overcome the 1-2 punch of Judge and Soto in the AL Championship Series, so Soto moving across town to the Mets should be welcome news for Cleveland fans.

Soto signed the largest deal in pro sports history with the Mets at 15 years and $765 million.

The Yankees are certain to bring in more offensive help to back up Judge, but a Guardians-Yankees rematch in the 2025 ALCS could have a different outcome.