The Boston Red Sox haven't spent enough money on new talent to satiate fans' desires to compete in 2024. But there's still a way to spend money that would placate some.
The Red Sox have rained praise on their farm system and future young core. Some of the players they've touted so highly haven't made it to the bigs yet, but others have become fan-favorites and definitely earned their spot on the roster.
Brayan Bello and Triston Casas are two that fall into the latter categoty, and have admitted to seeking extensions with Boston. The team has expressed mutual interest, too. On the morning of Feb. 21, news broke that Bello and the Red Sox were in active discussion about an extension for the righty.
Extension news from Bello and Casas has broken at a convenient time — as spring training games approach and the Red Sox organization has to confront the grim reality of its bad roster. So, naturally, it's a great time to remind fans of the promising future that lies ahead to mask all the other deficiencies.
Brayan Bello’s representatives are actively engaged with the Red Sox on extension talks and things may be heating up, according to @ChrisCotillo.
— Boston Sports Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) February 21, 2024
Could the Red Sox finally lock up one of their young stars?? pic.twitter.com/uLpJFhAOMP
Through a translator, Bello told reporters that his agents and the Red Sox organization are "mas o menos" — more or less or maybe, in Spanish — close to reaching a deal. News about an extension for Bello had been quiet until this point and it seems his agents and Boston's management have been keeping reporters in the dark about the discussions for a few weeks.
Recent news about the possibility of an extension for Casas has been different. Casas said he and Red Sox management have chatted about the possibility of an extension, but that "nothing enticing" has come of the conversations.
Brayan Bello and Triston Casas extension news with Red Sox breaks as spring training games near
TRISTON CASAS
— Bastards of Boston Baseball (@Bastards_Boston) February 19, 2024
Exactly ten years after lowballing Jon Lester, the Red Sox still don’t know how to do it. pic.twitter.com/NwiDZH3XIy
Extensions for Casas and Bello are not immediately necessary, as both are under contract until after the 2026 season. But the Red Sox should learn from their previous mistakes — not extending Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts in a timely manner resulted in an astronomical rise in price and, ultimately, failure to extend either of the homegrown stars.
It feels like the Red Sox organization knows it can't make a similar mistake with this round of young talent. But extending young players early doesn't counteract a lot of other mistakes the organization has made recently. It feels like the front office knows that.
Regardless, if Boston is so proud of the young core it's hoping to create, it should act on it. Extending Bello and Casas, two proven players, is a good place to start.
But extending two 24-year-olds isn't going to save the 2024 Red Sox, no matter when the contracts get signed. Extending them with experienced players they can learn from on the roster would be the best way to go about the deals.
Noentheless, until anything gets done, this is nothing but lip services to keep fans from becoming further enraged.