Sonny Gray was flat-out excellent for the Boston Red Sox in 2026, turning in one of the best seasons of his career at age 36. Gray went 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA over 29 starts (169 innings) and was Boston's de facto ace in the absence of Garrett Crochet.
But with Gray's future in Boston very much up in the air, the Red Sox need to prepare for a 2027 without him. And while chief baseball officer Craig Breslow will surely be scanning the market for a right-hander to replace Gray in Boston's lefty-heavy rotation, there's also an internal replacement staring Breslow in the face in the form of Brayan Bello.
On the surface, entrusting Bello will make some fans furrow their brow or protest the very idea. Bello had plenty of rough stretches in 2026; in fact, it was a dark season in many ways for the 27-year-old. For whatever reason, Bello developed a case of the first-inning yips, and it contributed to him starting the season in disastrous form, accruing a hideous 7.18 ERA across his first 11 starts before the Red Sox had enough and optioned Bello to Triple-A Worcester in early June.
The Red Sox should feel good about Brayan Bello permanently re-entering the rotation if Sonny Gray doesn't come back
At first, Bello didn't take the demotion well. He was short in interviews and seemed to be ducking accountability. Fans were annoyed. Many were happy to see him sent down. This could have been the point in Bello's career where he totally collapsed into a free fall. But he bounced back, and that's really what matters.
Though at first begrudgingly, Bello ultimately accepted his new role as a bulk-innings reliever, and he thrived in the role as the season wore on. After getting recalled in mid-July to Boston, Bello ended up posting a 1.98 ERA and 50 strikeouts to just 12 walks as a reliever over 15 appearances. This led the Red Sox to trust him with starts again, and he delivered an eight-inning, one-run, 11-strikeout masterclass against the Tampa Bay Rays in September. Redemption.
Adversity in 2026 sharpened Brayan Bello into a better pitcher
Brayan Bello leaves his start to a standing ovation, he definitely earned another shot at starting for 2027.
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) September 25, 2026
Bello's struggles and demotion were a wake-up call, it seems. It took him some time to come to terms with his new reality as a demoted big leaguer, but once he rose from the ashes, he kept rising and developed into a mentally stronger athlete than he's ever been. He was a more efficient pitcher when he was recalled in July, and it seemed like he was less bothered when one or two things didn't go his way during an outing.
Now that we're looking ahead to a new season, we can safely say that Bello's adversity — and the way he ultimately handled it — will be a credit to the Red Sox (and Bello's career). There's also little reason to believe that at his age, Bello has peaked physically as a pitcher. Combine his arm strength and stuff with a maturing and strengthening mental approach, and Bello has a chance to be a darn good starting pitcher moving forward.
Bello is not Gray, and he shouldn't be. But why should the Red Sox give up assets to acquire a right-hander when they have Bello at home? At least give Bello the ball every fifth day to start the season. If it doesn't work out, you can go snag someone before the deadline.
But chances are, Bello's experiences in 2026 made him a lot tougher mentally, such that he'll have a good year in 2027 (health pending). The Red Sox shouldn't mess with his confidence by being vague about his role in spring training. Make it clear to Bello that he's trusted, and he'll go out there and once again be the pitcher he transformed into through the trials of last season.
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