MLB Rumors: Steven Matz Drawing Interest from Red Sox, Mets More in 2021 Free Agency

The Boston Red Sox "remain in touch" with free-agent left-hander Steven Matz, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo. 

Matz has a strong market, Cotillo added. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels and St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly among teams interested in him. The New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays also remain interested, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

Matz spent the 2021 season with the Toronto Blue Jays after six seasons with the New York Mets to begin his career. The 30-year-old went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 144 strikeouts in 150.2 innings across 29 starts. 

The Red Sox are in need of a starting pitcher after losing Eduardo Rodriguez to the Detroit Tigers in free agency. 

In addition to having a strong 2021 campaign, Matz has been a solid rotational arm throughout his career. In 141 games (136 starts), he is 45-48 with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. 

If Matz were to sign with the Red Sox, he would join a rotation that includes Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta and Tanner Houck. 

Even if the Red Sox don't land Matz, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom is set on acquiring a starting pitcher this winter. 

“We certainly want to have more guys who are capable of starting games in the big leagues and doing it well,” Bloom told reporters Wednesday, per Cotillo. “We’re not too focused on how famous they are. It’s more about what we think they can do. With that said, certainly a lot of the guys who could do the job well are also well-known. We’re focusing on those guys, too. We need to cover the whole map here and make sure we’re involved in everything that could help us.”

The Red Sox sat in the middle of the league in 2021 with a 4.26 ERA. 

It's unclear which other pitchers the Red Sox might be targeting. However, Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Marcus Stroman and Kevin Gausman are still available.