New Brayan Bello Update Puts Red Sox Future Up in the Air

The Major League Baseball offseason is quickly coming to an end, but it sounds like the Boston Red Sox are still engaged in the trade market.

That shouldn't surprise anyone too much. One thing that Craig Breslow has shown since taking over as the team's chief baseball officer is that he certainly isn't afraid to pull off a trade, even if that means multiple different trades with the same team. This offseason, the Red Sox acquired Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals and Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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There are under two weeks to go until Spring Training kicks off, and The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey reported on Friday that the team still is generating trade interest around the league and that Brayan Bello and Patrick Sandoval have "surfaced" in talks since the team landed Ranger Suárez.

Boston shouldn't trade Brayan Bello

Oct 1, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello (66) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning of game two of the Wildcard round of the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

"Boston’s recent addition of Ranger Suárez has created an enviable wealth of starting options for the Red Sox, including also Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Johan Oviedo and Patrick Sandoval," McCaffrey wrote. "In addition, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle and Kyle Harrison are expected to begin the year in Triple A. Bello and Sandoval are among the starters who’ve surfaced in trade talks, according to a league source, while reliever Jordan Hicks has also been discussed.

"Bello, entering the third year of a six-year, $55 million contract extension, had been at the top of the Red Sox’s rotation before the addition of Crochet last year, then Suárez and Gray this offseason. Though he still could play a prominent mid-rotation role, the Red Sox may see the 26-year-old as a young, controllable starter they are more willing to trade than top starting prospects Early and Tolle. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported in December that the Red Sox had 'quietly shopped' Bello."

Of the two, Bello is the most interesting. If the Red Sox actually made him available, he certainly would bring back a big return. MacKenzie Gore was just traded from the Washington Nationals to the Texas Rangers in a five-for-one swap. Gore is left-handed and has an All-Star nod under his belt, but he has a 4.19 career ERA in 105 games played. Bello has a 4.09 ERA in 100 games played and is also 26 years old. Unlike Gore, Bello has a long-term deal already that has him under contract through the 2029 season with a 2030 club option. Gore will be a free agent after the 2027 season.

Arguably, Bello already has become underrated thanks to the club's other additions. But this guy is legit. It's no surprise teams would call about him. The question is whether Boston actually would consider moving him? Arguably, they shouldn't. We just saw all of the pitching issues the team had in 2025 as injuries popped up. Bello was the No. 2 starter all year and has a bright future. Unless there's some sort of mega deal, there's no reason to move him.

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