MLB Rumors: Red Sox ‘Had Conversations’ With Cy Young Winner

The Red Sox are searching for a front-line starter and could potentially acquire one at a discount.

Boston fans are solely focused on Juan Soto, but pitching is the club’s primary need. The Red Sox obviously could both sign Soto and acquire the arms necessary to upgrade the pitching staff, and they have options in free agency and the trade market.

One name who potentially could be on Boston’s radar is Shane Bieber. The 2020 American League Cy Young winner only pitched two games in the 2024 season before undergoing Tommy John surgery. The right-hander’s status for 2025 Opening Day is up in the air, but an MLB insider noted there still is a market for Bieber.

“I could see the Red Sox being in play there as well,” FanSided’s Robert Murray said on “The Baseball Insiders” podcast Monday. “I know they have had some conversations with Bieber’s representation, so we’ll see there. Bieber does have a good market so far.”

Bieber is likely to sign a one or two-year deal because of his injury history. If he can recover well from Tommy John surgery, that would give the Red Sox a quality starter to help bolster the rotation.

The veteran pitcher’s market could depend on how the dominoes fall with the other arms in the market like Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, so Bieber will be a name to keep an eye on once things start to heat up in free agency.