With the World Series over, the Major League Baseball offseason continues as teams prepare to open their doors to free agent players.
Plenty of star players are hitting free agency this offseason, including Juan Soto, Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso and Anthony Santander.
Some of the notable starting pitchers testing free agency include Corbin Burns, Blake Snell, Max Fried and Rocky Sasaki of the Japanese.
MLB analyst Keith Costas has identified one free agent starting pitching that teams will have to deal with if they can’t add one of the other big-name starters.
“When you’re talking about a flier, obviously there’s some risk, but what about Shane Bieber if you’re short on your pitching,” Costas said.
Who is one free agent you would take a flier on?#MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/0K1J56l8is
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 18, 2024
Bieber has played just two games in 2024 since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April to repair a torn ACL in his right elbow.
Kostas notes that there is some risk in signing Bieber due to his recent injury and the fact that he will not be ready for the start of the 2025 season.
He believes Bieber may be worth the risk, however, as Bieber has been one of the Rangers’ best pitchers since entering the 2018 league.
Bieber won the 2020 American League Cy Young Award with the Rangers, where he posted a 1.63 ERA with 122 strikeouts in 77.1 innings.
The two games he started for the Guardians in 2024 were also encouraging as he won both starts and allowed no runs in 12.0 innings.
It will be interesting to see where Bieber ends up this offseason and how he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
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Former GM reveals how Blue Jays could trade Juan Soto in free agency
