Shane Bieber will make his long-awaited debut Friday, and it's one of the most fascinating stories in baseball right now. There's a lot riding on Bieber's return, both for him and the Blue Jays .

The fact that he's going to be pitching for the Blue Jays is already fascinating enough – Bieber has never pitched for a team besides the Guardians since he was drafted in 2016, and the Blue Jays acquired him in the middle of his rehab assignment, giving up last year's second-round pick, Khal Stephen , to get him. It was a steep price for a pitcher who has made two starts at the major-league level since 2023 and who hasn't pitched a full, healthy season since 2022.

But the Blue Jays needed to take a big swing with a rotation deep in quality arms but short on impact. They're betting Bieb

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