Could Shane Bieber make sense for the Rangers this winter?

The Rangers won the World Series last October, only to fail in their title defense this year. The team has already secured another losing season and will be sitting out the postseason this time around. To make matters worse, they may have some holes to fill in their rotation this offseason.

Andrew Heaney is already a free agent, but Nathan Eovaldi is expected to opt out of his contract now that he has triggered his vesting option. It's also important to note that the Rangers are one of several teams that will be affected by the Bally Sports situation, so replacing the departed pitchers might be tough.

However, there is one pitcher that actually could fall right into their price range. Shane Bieber is recovering from Tommy John surgery and likely will sign a lesser deal this winter. Could the Rangers potentially take a chance on him?

Could Rangers target Shane Bieber?

It's important to understand one thing here. Bieber will not be back right away in 2025. He made just two starts before undergoing the surgery and he'll likely miss significant time before he returns next year.

Still, the injury could put him right within the Rangers price range. They already have Jacob deGrom back and healthy. He should be the Opening Day starter barring any more injury issues of his own. But beyond him, they just don't have a lot of depth.

This is where Bieber would make sense. They could add a second frontline starter and be planning for a postseason run in 2025 following this year's disappointment. deGrom and Bieber is not a combination you want to face in October in back-to-back games, especially if it's the Wild Card Series.

The Rangers will have to accept the fact that they won't have him back right away next year, but it might be worth it if they want to bounce back into contention. Last fall, they banked heavily on the combination of Eovaldi and Jordan Montgomery, and those two delivered in the postseason, with Montgomery winning the clinching games of the Wild Card Series and ALCS while Eovaldi won the clinching games of the ALDS and World Series.

deGrom and Bieber could give the Rangers similar results if they both stay healthy. They need another frontline starter, and even though Bieber will miss some time, it's probably worth it to have that No. 2 starter in the mix.