Boston Red Sox, Emerging Ace Brayan Bello Reportedly Agree to Contract Extension
The Boston Red Sox and right-handed pitcher Brayan Bello have agreed to a long-term contract extension, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel reported Thursday.
Per McDaniel, the deal will be worth $55 million over six years. The Red Sox will also have a $21 million club option on Bello for the 2030 season.
Had he not signed this extension, Bello would have been arbitration eligible in 2026, 2027 and 2028, then hit free agency in 2029. So, effectively, this new contract gives Boston an additional year of control with the young righty, plus an option year on top of that.
The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier was first to report that the sides were nearing an agreement on Wednesday.
Bello, 24, is a top candidate to start on Opening Day for the Red Sox. Former Chicago White Sox All-Star Lucas Giolito was set to compete with Bello for that honor, but he suffered a serious elbow injury this week and may not pitch at all in 2024.
For as important as Bello could be to Boston this season, his possible impact beyond 2024 was likely the impetus for his new deal.
The Red Sox have struggled to produce homegrown starting pitchers over the last decade-plus, with Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz being the most recent success stories. They debuted in 2006 and 2007, respectively, though, so the franchise producing a reliable arm was long overdue.
Bello flashed a bit of that potential in 2023, following a brief showing in 2022. The righty went 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA, 1.338 WHIP, 132 strikeouts and a 3.1 WAR in 28 starts last season, leading the way in Boston's rotation while Chris Sale once again struggled to stay healthy.
Prior to the All-Star break, Bello was 6-5 with a 3.04 ERA, and he was a dark horse Cy Young candidate with the Red Sox still squarely in playoff contention.
As Boston's season crumbled, however, as did Bello's. He kept his season ERA below 3.60 through August, but his 7.62 ERA across five starts in September soured what was otherwise an impressive breakout campaign.
Bello was the No. 5 prospect and No. 1 pitcher in the Red Sox's farm system back in 2022, and he has already produced enough at the big league level to show he is capable of living up to that hype.
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