Brayan Bello's extension is reportedly done. According to multiple reports, the Red Sox and the 24-year-old starting pitcher are in agreement on a six-year, $55 million deal that includes a seventh-year club option for $21 million.
UPDATE: The Red Sox officially confirmed the extension Thursday evening.
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ESPN's Kiley McDaniel was the first to report the extension.
The sixth year of Bello's new contract would have been the first year he was eligible for free agency.
Bello went 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 157 innings across 28 starts last year, his first full season in the big leagues.
Signed as an international free agent in 2017, Bello made his MLB debut on July 6, 2022, and went on to make 13 major-league appearances that season before breaking through as a rotation regular last season.
The Red Sox expect Bello to be a fixture near the top of their rotation for years to come, and he still has the upside to potentially emerge as a legitimate ace.
With Bello now locked up, attention will turn to another young building block in 24-year-old first baseman Triston Casas.
Casas told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford earlier Thursday that there have not been any new developments on that front.
"I don’t know if they’re trying to finalize (Bello), but there have really been no talks, no developments, whatsoever," Casas said. "I haven’t heard anything from my agent or from the front office, so maybe they’re trying to put the finishing touches on his before they go further with anything else. But nothing so far."
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