Another former Cy Young winner enters Red Sox free agency chase

The offseason is still young, but the Boston Red Sox's connections to new pitchers persist. Boston has checked in on the markets for aces and back-of-the-rotation arms, including a few unexpected targets.

On the Nov. 18 episode of "The Baseball Insiders" podcast, MLB insider Robert Murray mentioned the Red Sox as potential suitors for rebound pitcher Shane Bieber. The veteran has been a staple of the Cleveland Guardians pitching staff since 2018 and has entered free agency for the first time.

"Bieber's going to end up having a pretty strong market, I could see the Red Sox being in play there, as well," Murray said to podcast co-host Adam Weinrib. "I think they've had some conversations with Bieber's representation so we'll see there, but Bieber does have a market."

If Boston has indeed spoken with Bieber, it's been kept quieter than many of its other pitching connections. Murray's report may have been the Sox's first connection to the 2020 Cy Young Award winner.

MLB insider links Red Sox to former Cy Young winner, rebound free agent pitcher Shane Bieber

Bieber would be among Boston's more affordable pitching connections this winter. The former Guardians ace underwent Tommy John surgery after he made two outstanding starts to begin the 2024 slate — he didn't allow a run and clocked 20 strikeouts in 12 innings. Bieber will unlikely be able to pitch until midseason 2025 due to his recovery.

Bieber is a career 3.22 ERA pitcher over 843 frames since 2018. In that time, he's averaged 10.23 strikeouts per nine innings and 2.01 walks per nine innings. The 29-year-old's 2023 and 2024 seasons were cut short due to injuries, but he posted a 2.88 ERA in 200 innings in 2022.

The Red Sox need a true ace, and Bieber isn't that, and he wouldn't be even if he could pitch the entire season. He would still be a solid late-rotation addition for Boston, and a relatively inexpensive one due to his season-shortening recovery timeline.

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