Before Shane Bieber returned to the Cleveland Guardians in free agency, the Boston Red Sox were reportedly interested in the ace.

According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the Red Sox were "aggressive" and made a "serious push" to bolster their rotation by landing Bieber.

Instead, the 30-year-old stayed with the Guardians on a one-year contract worth $14 million that includes a $16 million player option for the 2026 season (via ESPN's Jeff Passan).

Bieber was off to a strong start in 2024 before he underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. In two appearances, he struck out 20 batters compared to just one walk and didn't allow an earned run in 12 innings of work.

Since making his debut for Cleveland in 2018, he's developed into one of the best starters in the majors when healthy. Bieber has two All-Star nods to go along with a 2020 Cy Young award victory under his belt, owning a 3.22 ERA and 1.115 WHIP to go along with average of 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 134 career starts.

The Red Sox are coming off a 2024 season in which they finished with a record of 81-81, but there's potential for them to improve with a strong farm system and financial flexibility in free agency.

Craig Breslow, Boston's chief baseball officer, previously acknowledged the team's need for starting pitching help.

"We know we need to raise the ceiling of the rotation," Breslow said, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. "I think there are a lot of ways to do that, but we're going to be really, really open-minded."

The Red Sox aren't just interested in rotation help, as they're among the teams vying to sign superstar Juan Soto in free agency.

As they attempt to land Soto, they'll continue to search for another starting pitcher after missing out on Bieber.