All of the Boston Red Sox's offseason moves so far have come via the trade market. Deals with the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates have helped the Sox shore up their rotation while trading from their stash of young pitching depth.
Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo individually are not the kind of rotation additions Red Sox fans hoped for at the beginning of the offseason, but they undeniably raise the ceiling of the group together. At Boston's press conference following the Willson Contreras signing, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has confirmed that the door is not fully closed to more rotation moves right after an unexpected report that has some Red Sox fans concerned.
Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that Boston has "quietly shopped" starting pitcher Brayan Bello this offseason (subscription required). This contrasts with a report that Sean McAdam of MassLive made after the Oviedo trade, when he wrote: "It would seem that Crochet, Gray, Oviedo and Brayan Bello are untouchable, but nearly any other of the team’s young controllable arm could put the Sox in a position teams can only dream of" (subscription required).
In the wake of the Oviedo trade, some fans theorized that Boston may have traded for him to eventually swap him for an even better, true No. 2-type arm like Freddy Peralta. Bello could find himself in some trade discussions for another ace, or for a bat such as Ketel Marte, for whom the Diamondbacks seek young pitching.
In a statement Breslow made during the Contreras signing presser, he made it sound like another top-tier rotation upgrade isn't coming.
"I think our focus is pretty firmly on the the position player side right now. But that’s not to say that we are engaged in conversations around some additional pitching," he said (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive). "Exactly what that looks like, I’m not sure. But there will probably be opportunities to add to the bullpen, to round out that group a little bit. As always, if there are chances to improve the rotation, we’re going to take a look at that as well."
Red Sox should not trade Brayan Bello unless they get an obvious No. 2 starter out of the move
The Red Sox should hold onto Bello unless they're getting an immediate and obvious rotation upgrade in return. Not only has Bello clearly matured in his time with the Red Sox, he stepped into something of a No. 2 role for them last year and cruised through the best season of his career yet. He logged a 3.35 ERA and a 1.236 WHIP with 124 strikeouts and 59 walks over 166.2 innings.
Bello is signed to a very team-friendly contract for the improvements he's made. The six-year, $55 million deal which went into effect in 2025 and he's already been well worth it for the Red Sox — unfortunately, that also makes him an ideal trade target for teams in need of pitching.
Gray is 36 years old and his numbers at Fenway Park aren't great, although he's only ever made seven appearances there in his long career. Oviedo is a wild card who missed the entire 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery and he's only pitched more than 62.1 innings in one of his five big league seasons. If neither new pitcher turns out the way Breslow hoped, Bello may well be forced into the No. 2 spot again. He now has the experience and track record to handle it — entrusting such a role to Kutter Crawford, Connelly Early or Payton Tolle would be a mistake given their history and lack of experience, in the case of the top prospects.
The Red Sox should only trade Bello to get an elite arm in return. They still need offense and a bat like Marte would be a great boost to their roster, but pitching depth is critical throughout the season, as Boston learned well in the playoffs, and Bello is too good on too cheap a contract to give up for a lesser arm or bat, especially when the Red Sox haven't spent a penny in free agency.