Rumblings about a Brayan Bello extension started appearing on Wednesday, although a deal had been in the works for quite some time.
At a time in which the Red Sox are struggling to put together a quality rotation following the trade of Chris Sale and the Lucas Giolito injury, they got some long-term certainty after securing an extension with Bello.
“Right-hander Brayan Bello and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a six-year, $55 million contract extension that includes a seventh-year club option for $21 million, sources tell ESPN. The Sox lock up the 24-year-old into the 2030s,” ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel tweeted.
Right-hander Brayan Bello and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a six-year, $55 million contract extension that includes a seventh-year club option for $21 million, sources tell ESPN.
The Sox lock up the 24-year-old into the 2030s.
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) March 7, 2024
Bello is now the owner of the second-largest pre-arbitration pitcher extension, behind Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider.
The Red Sox are giving Bello a nice bump in pay when most pre-arb players are making near the league minimum, but also get him relatively cheap in his arbitration years and his first season of free agency.
The seventh-year club option, if picked up, would cover his second season of free agency.
Bello won this extension with his excellent performances in 2023.
Even though his final 4.24 ERA in 157 frames doesn’t look as impressive, he was brilliant in the first half with a 3.04 ERA.
Maybe he got tired near the end of the line, because he had a 5.49 second-half ERA.
Once he gets used to pitching a normal MLB starter workload, he will likely gain more consistency.
He has the stuff, command, and composure to get much better results in 2024 and beyond, and the Red Sox are betting on him.
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