Red Sox reportedly made ‘serious push’ for pitcher Shane Bieber
Bieber, who is expected to miss the first half of next season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, signed a one-year deal to return to the Guardians.
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The Red Sox were reportedly heavily in the mix for one of the top starting pitchers on this year’s free agent market.
Shane Bieber reportedly agreed to a one-year, $14 million contract to return to the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, but Boston was “aggressive” in talks with the right-handed starter, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray. He also said that the Red Sox made a “serious push” to ink Bieber before he signed.
Bieber, 30, underwent Tommy John surgery this past season following just two starts with the Guardians. While he’s expected to miss the first half of 2025 as he recovers, Boston was apparently quite interested in taking him on with hopes of him being able to produce down the stretch. The Red Sox would have inherited a risk financially and performance-wise this coming season if they had landed Bieber.
Murray reported that Bieber “turned down more money” from other interested teams, but ultimately opted to return to the club he’s spent his entire seven-year MLB career with.
Boston has widely been rumored to be interested in acquiring multiple top-tier starting pitchers this offseason as a means to revamp its rotation. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow did tell The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier last month that he believes the organization must land a top starter one way or another this winter.
“I think we have to,” Breslow said. “We have lofty goals. We know we need to raise the ceiling of the rotation. I think there are a lot of ways to do that, but we’re going to be really, really open-minded.”
The Red Sox have been linked to Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, two of the league’s remaining top free agent rotation arms. They’ve also been rumored to be interested in trading for the Chicago White Sox’ Garrett Crochet, who could require a hefty haul of prospects and Major League players in return.
Inevitably, what route Boston takes hinges on whether or not it lands slugger Juan Soto. The Red Sox are reportedly one of several potential suitors to have put in around a $700 million offer for the hottest free agent on the board. Soto could reportedly make a decision by the time MLB’s winter meetings start on Monday.
It may be rumored to be in pursuit of the aforementioned arms, but Boston has to follow through with its public wishes to improve the rotation if it wants to compete for the American League East next year.
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