MLB rumors: 'Aggressive' Red Sox pursued Shane Bieber before Guardians reunion

The Boston Red Sox have made it clear that this offseason will be a huge one for them; clearly done with being a middling team, they have signaled their intention to make a splash in free agency, most notably setting their sights on the best free agent on the market in Juan Soto. But Soto isn’t the only big fish that the Red Sox are hoping to catch, as they have also been clear with their intention to add a quality starter or two to bolster the rotation.

Among those most prominently linked to the Red Sox are Max Fried, Corbin Burnes, and, before signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Blake Snell — the three best starting pitchers on the market. Nevertheless, Boston appears to be casting a wide net in their search of pitching help, as they were reportedly in on Shane Bieber before the 29-year-old decided to return to the Cleveland Guardians on a one-year, $14 million deal with an option worth $16 million for 2026, as per Robert Murray of Fansided.

In fact, according to Murray, the Red Sox were “aggressive” and even made a “serious push” to sign Bieber before he decided to return to familiar grounds with the Guardians — even turning down “more money” from other teams in the process.

Perhaps Bieber simply wanted to stay somewhere he was already familiar with especially as he continues to rehab from the Tommy John surgery he went through that cut his 2024 season short. But the upside in signing Bieber was clear when taking into account his track record, and the Red Sox, justifiably, swung for the fences, even though they whiffed on this pursuit.

Red Sox continue to swing for the fences amid ambitious offseason

MLB rumors: 'Aggressive' Red Sox pursued Shane Bieber before Guardians reunion — D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

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The Red Sox were the definition of mediocre in 2024; they finished with an 81-81 record with a run differential of +4 — checking all the boxes of a perfectly average ballclub. Now, the Red Sox have quality core players at the heart of their roster; in particular, Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers are excellent position players to build one’s lineup around. But it’s evident that the team is in need of an infusion of All-Star talent to take the team from average to at least good.

Their starting pitching, in particular, left a lot to be desired in 2024. Thus, expect the Red Sox to continue their aggressive pursuit of pitching on the free agent market despite whiffing on Shane Bieber.