"I think they've had some conversations with Bieber's representation, so we'll see there."
The Red Sox are in desperate need of top-of-the-rotation pitching this offseason.
Boston should have no shortage of appealing targets to pursue over the coming weeks. Top-flight free agents like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, and Blake Snell are all available, while the Red Sox have also been linked to White Sox southpaw Garrett Crochet.
But could Craig Breslow also roll the dice on a potential high-risk, high-reward arm like Shane Bieber?
FanSided’s Robert Murray said on Monday that he believes Boston has already reached out to the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner.
“Bieber is going to end up having a pretty strong market,” Murray said. “I could see the Red Sox being in play there as well. I think they’ve had some conversations with Bieber’s representation, so we’ll see there. But Bieber does have a good market so far.”
Bieber’s resume speaks for itself. The 29-year-old righty sports a career 3.22 ERA with 958 strikeouts over 843 innings of work. Along with his Cy Young win in 2020 (8-1, 1.63 ERA), Bieber finished fourth in voting for the Cy Young in 2019 and seventh in 2022.
The only issue regarding Bieber is his health, as he only made two starts with Cleveland during the 2024 season before undergoing Tommy John surgery. As a result, Bieber likely won’t be available until the middle of next season as he works his way back from the major procedure.
“Bieber is also a guy who’s most likely not going to be ready for Opening Day, and what that contract eventually looks like is going to end up being kind of a mystery,” Murray added. “It could end up being maybe a two-year deal, but maybe with an opt-out … I think a two year deal would probably make the most sense for a guy like Bieber. I would imagine there’s gonna be plenty of other teams that make sense in that.”
Given Bieber’s track record, a team like the Red Sox could bank on the righty regaining his form while having him under contract for a deal with a low base salary and plenty of incentives. Of course, it’s a deal that also involves plenty of risk, especially if Bieber’s game tails off once he is cleared for a return to the mound.
Boston could have a potential impact arm in place for the second half (and potentially beyond) if it inks Bieber to a contract this winter.
But the Red Sox might be asking for trouble if they shirk safer (albeit pricier) options like a Snell or even a Jack Flaherty and instead view Bieber as the one missing piece in their rotation.
