The off-season sure comes at you quickly.

Less than 48 hours from the start of free agency, right-hander Shane Bieber has decided to run it back with the Toronto Blue Jays, opting into his $16-million player option for the 2026 season, as first reported by the New York Post’s Jon Heyman on Tuesday.

Bieber’s ’26 option included a $4 million buyout, thus only guaranteeing him an extra $12 million by triggering it. It’s a surprising decision from the 30-year-old, who surely would’ve beaten that figure had he reached the open market. Instead, he’ll return for another season with the Blue Jays.

Toronto acquired Bieber in a mid-season trade from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for pitching prospect Khal Stephen, the organization’s second-round selection in 2024. The 2020 AL Cy Young winner, who successfully recovered from Tommy John surgery, returned to the majors after making a trio of post-trade rehab starts and pitched to a 3.57 ERA with 37 strikeouts and only seven walks across seven big-league starts.

The two-time All-Star impressed down the stretch with his new team, earning a rotation spot during the franchise’s run to Game 7 of the World Series. But he struggled to replicate his success from the regular season, completing fewer than four innings in two of his four post-season starts. He also allowed the series-winning home run to Will Smith in the 11th inning of Game 7.

There were some bright spots for Bieber this fall, though, including his pivotal eight-strikeout performance in Seattle against the Mariners during Game 3 of the ALCS. Then, in Game 4 of the World Series, he retired Shohei Ohtani two out of three times — both via strikeout.

Having Bieber return significantly alters Toronto’s starting pitching plans for this off-season, with him now rejoining Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, José Berríos and Eric Lauer in ’26. Previously, it appeared most of the front office’s heavy lifting would revolve around the starting staff. But that’s likely no longer the case.

It’s still possible that the Blue Jays and Bieber’s camp could use this development as a stepping stone towards reaching a multi-year extension, providing the former TJ surgery patient extra security heading into his age-31 season.