When the Boston Red Sox lost out on a reunion with third baseman Alex Bregman, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow quickly pivoted to another star free agent. It wasn’t for a third baseman; he quickly pivoted to another starting pitcher to solidify his starting rotation.
At the time in January when Breslow added to his rotation, it was already a deep one. However, he came out of nowhere to sign Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Rangers Suárez. That move gives manager Alex Cora a solid 1-2 punch at the top of his rotation.
Garret Crochet and Suárez are one of the top duos in the American League East. They are up there with the top duo in the American League, Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez of the Detroit Tigers. With a deep rotation going into spring training this week, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report suggested that Breslow trade one of his surplus of starters before the season begins.
Boston Red Sox Starter Bryan Bello Predicted to Be Traded to the San Diego Padres
Breslow acquired Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals and Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier in the offseason. They also have youngsters Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, which gives Boston four left-handed starters. That would open the door to send Brayan Bello to the San Diego Padres, according to Kelly.
That’s before Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval are even mentioned, as both are coming off injuries in 2025, but both have a huge upside. That leaves Bello, who could be moved. Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reported in January that he was quietly shopped by Breslow.
“Bello and Sandoval are among the starters who’ve surfaced in trade talks, according to a league source,” wrote McCaffrey. She also mentioned that Jordan Hicks was part of potential trade talks before he was moved to the Chicago White Sox.
Padres Trading for Brayan Bello Would Fill Hole for No. 3 Starter
San Diego begins the season with Michael King and Nick Pivetta as their top-of-the-rotation starters. Both names should be very familiar to Red Sox fans. Pivetta pitched for Boston from 2020 through 2024. King was someone whom Breslow tried to sign in free agency before he returned to the Padres. Bello would slot in as a No. 3 for a team that needs one.
“The Padres are the exact type of team that makes sense for Bello because they need a No. 3 for 2026 to go behind Michael King and Nick Pivetta, while also alleviating pressure on Joe Musgrove in his return after missing all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery. Bello also would give the Padres some long-term stability in their rotation, which would likely be appealing to president of baseball operations, A.J. Preller, considering both King and Pivetta can opt out and become free agents after the 2026 campaign,” wrote Kelly.
Bello is entering the third year of a $55 million six-year extension he signed with the Red Sox. Before adding Crochet and Suárez, he was at the top of the Boston rotation. Now, he could be a trade chip for Breslow to offload some pitching with the depth the organization currently has.
As Kelly pointed out, does San Diego have enough prospects to get a deal done? That might be the biggest question. If Breslow were to trade a starter, the biggest trade chip would be Bello.
Red Sox Predicted To Trade $55 Million Starting Pitcher to NL West Contender