Bello, Sox agree on six-year, $55m extension
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The back field was appropriate for Brayan Bello. Almost a full-circle moment.
Just after news broke Thursday that Bello had agreed to a six-year extension with the Red Sox, a few hundred yards from JetBlue Park, he stood on the Field 4 mound at Fenway South handling minor leaguers with ease.
It fit Bello and the organization’s vision, and belief, of building from within. Bello went from homegrown to grown. Or, as his former Double A Portland manager Corey Wimberly put it, “grown man.”
Field No. 4 symbolized nurturing ground for Bello. Where the Red Sox planted the seeds, tended to his careful growth, and have begun to reap the benefits of their rose.
“The stuff was always there,” said Wimberly, now the Sox’ baserunning/outfield coordinator, while watching Bello’s live batting practice. “I think now, he’s learning how to use his arsenal in a strategic way. He’s learning how to attack power guys. Attack contact guys. He’s got a feel for pitching now. This doesn’t surprise me at all.”
The Red Sox announced the deal on Thursday evening. It is worth $55 million, with a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $1 million, $2.5 million, $6 million, $8.5 million, $16 million, and $19 million before a seventh-year option for 2030 at $21 million ($1 million buyout). The team scheduled a Saturday afternoon press conference, before the first of its two Dominican Republic Series games against the Rays.
It will be a celebration for Bello, his family, and his native country.
“I’m always grateful,” said Bello through a translator before the deal was announced. “I appreciate the position that I am in. That’s why I try to smile and enjoy every single day.”
Bello, 24, is coming off a season in which he went 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA and a 20 percent strikeout rate in 28 starts. His numbers were roughly seven percent better than the majorleague average last season, and his 157 innings were the most by a homegrown Red Sox starter since Clay Buchholz in 2014.
“He’s an exciting, young starting pitcher that was acquired and developed internally. I think he embodies exactly what we’re trying to do,” said chief baseball officer Craig Breslow on Wednesday. “We still think that his best years are ahead of him. We recognize some opportunities to further optimize the repertoire and we’re super excited about having him.”
Bello threw 55 pitches during his live batting practice Thursday, facing (among others) top prospect Marcelo Mayer. Roman Anthony, the Sox’ No. 2 prospect according to the Globe’s Alex Speier, observed from underneath a tree. Minor leaguers, including a large contingent of Dominican players, sat in the stands watching Bello’s every move.
Players of a certain stature should be palpable to their understudies. It’s paramount. It aids development and empowers confidence.
Mayer received first-hand feedback on just how tall he stood next to the Sox’ newest cornerstone. Anthony envisioned the impact he, too, wishes to have on a major-league roster at a young age. Bello’s ethnic kin got to admire one of their own in awe.
“Brayan was on these back fields not too long ago,” said Brian Abraham, the director of player development. “It’s so impactful whenever you can have guys that have been a part of the organization for a long time reach the big leagues, and have the success that Brayan is having here. That’s how strong organizations are made.”