James Paxton, Lucas Giolito and Patrick Sandoval are three examples who have all been added over the last half decade, and have provided varying results during their tenures within the organization. Cleveland Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber could very well be next.
FanSided’s Robert Murray shared that he was “keeping his eye” on a potential union between the two sides ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, noting they flirted with coming to an offseason agreement before he settled on returning to the Cleveland Guardians.
“(Bieber) is one name that I’m keeping my eye with Boston, and this is me connecting dots, but in the offseason, they were very much in the Shane Bieber market,” Murray said on “The Baseball Insiders” on Monday. “Bieber would make a tremendous amount of sense there. I’ve said that at one point I thought he was going to Boston, and I’m pretty sure he thought he was going to Boston, too.”
Bieber, 30, is one of the most decorated arms in Major League Baseball, but is still rehabbing with an injury that has kept him off the mound since April of 2024. The Guardians are close to returning him from the injured list, however, meaning he should be able to pitch for a contender down the stretch.
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Cleveland just doesn’t have much incentive to trade him, as the return would need to exceed the upside of a first- or second-round draft pick. Bieber has a player option that is likely to be declined, which then would make him a free agent, where he could turn down the qualifying offer to make more money and guarantee his former squad a premium selection in the 2026 MLB Draft.
It’s a lot to account for, but we know there has been interest from Boston.
The Red Sox reportedly “tried very hard” to sign him this past offseason, and left the 2020 Cy Young Award winner “impressed” with their overall rehabilitation plan before he decided to play it safe and return home.
Bieber, who has a 1.23 ERA in three rehab starts across the Arizona Complex League and High-A Lake County, might just end up with his second choice, regardless.
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