MLB Rumors: Red Sox, Brayan Bello Agree On Six-Year Extension
Bello is in Boston through at least 2029
Brayan Bello is going to be a member of the Boston Red Sox for the foreseeable future.
The Red Sox and the right-handed pitcher have agreed to terms on a six-year contract extension, according to multiple reports. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier was the first to report the sides were nearing an agreement, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel was the first to have the terms.
According to McDaniel, later confirmed by others, the six-year deal will guarantee Bello $55 million with an option for $21 million. The sixth and final year of the deal buys out Bello’s first year of free agency, and the club could get his second by exercising the option. The extension begins this season, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reported. That’s an important distinction, as it differs from what the club did with Rafael Devers when it signed him to a mega extension.
That would keep Bello in Boston through the 2029 season with the option of securing him through 2030.
The 24-year-old is the best homegrown pitching product the Red Sox have had in years, at least since Clay Buchholz and perhaps all the way back to Jon Lester. He made his big league debut with varying levels of success in 2022 before spending the bulk of the 2023 season with the big club. Bello went 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA in 28 starts for the Sox last season, logging 157 innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine innings. He showed real signs of improvement over the 13-game cup of coffee he enjoyed in 2022, most notably lowering his WHIP to 1.338 (down from 1.779).
