The Boston Red Sox already have great pitching depth heading into the offseason. However, they still have room for improvement.
With Sonny Gray’s departure to free agency, there is a hole in the rotation that will have to be filled. Some internal candidates include Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck.
Despite that hole in the rotation, MassLive’s Sean McAdam says Bello is far from untouchable on the “Fenway Rundown” podcast and could be moved this offseason.
While Bello had an up-and-down season for the Red Sox, it would be surprising to see him go considering the run he had down the stretch.
Why Would the Boston Red Sox Trade Brayan Bello?
The Red Sox signed Bello as an international free agent in 2017 out of the Dominican Republic. He debuted with the team in 2022, recording a 4.71 ERA. In the 2023 season, Bello started 28 games with a 4.24 ERA.
The Red Sox rewarded Bello with a six-year, $55 million extension in March of 2024, thinking he would be a key future starter.
The next few years have been up-and-down, leading some to believe his future in Boston is tenuous.
“Yeah, absolutely,” McAdam said when asked if he thinks Bello is a trade candidate. “I didn’t really think about him as somebody that they would move, but he clearly is not untouchable. I think they would listen; I don’t know that they’re actively looking to move him or that’s part of their strategy, but I can say that they would not hang up the phone if someone wanted to talk about Brayan Bello.”
More On Bello
The 2026 season for Bello was especially up-and-down. In 13 first-half appearances, Bello had an unsightly 6.06 ERA. Somehow, he completely turned it around in the next 13 appearances, recording a 2.12 ERA. While his career ERA in the second half is nearly a half-run lower than his first-half ERA, it was still a pleasant surprise to Red Sox fans.
Using Bello out of the bullpen as a bulk reliever proved to be the right move to resurrect his career. With a 5.40 career ERA in the first inning, using an opener was a shrewd move by Boston.
Now, Boston could think about capitalizing on that and moving him while his trade value is high. While he should be the odds-on favorite to replace Gray in the rotation, Houck and Crawford could fill that role as well.
However, Houck and Crawford have missed extensive time with injuries. With four lefties in Boston’s starting rotation (Ranger Suárez, Payton Tolle, Jake Bennett and Garrett Crochet), they desperately need a right-handed starter. Five left-handers in a rotation would be crazy, right?
While Gray held that position, the Red Sox may need to look elsewhere for a quality righty. This could lead to Bello being unexpectedly traded.
Bello’s relatively low contract paired with control through at least 2029, with a team option for 2030, could create a good return for Boston, should they decide to move on.
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