Heartbreak: Boston Red Sox greatest player of all time has terminated his contract to sign new contract.

Heartbreak: Boston Red Sox greatest player of all time has terminated his contract to sign new contract.

One of the Red Sox’s most important Dominican players has signed a contract extension with the team two days before the team departs for the Dominican Republic to play the Tampa Bay Rays in an exhibition series.

Right-hander Brayan Bello and the Red Sox have reached a six-year, $55 million agreement, according to a source engaged in the talks on Thursday. The agreement includes a club option for a seventh year. There’s a guaranteed $55 million from 2024 to 2029. According to the source, there is a team option in 2030 for $21 million with a $1 million buyout, increasing the deal value to $75 million overall.

The Red Sox have traditionally struggled to produce starting pitchers from scratch; this problem has dogged the team for the

the majority of the past ten years. Bello, who will turn 25 in May, defied the norm.

Bello has made 41 appearances, 39 starts, and a 4.37 ERA since making his debut in 2022. Bello had a 3.57 ERA in 23 starts until the end of August of the previous season, his first full year in the league, before a few bad starts in September caused his final ERA to exceed 4.00. Even so, he led the squad in innings pitched (157).

The team has its first homegrown starter since Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz thanks to Bello’s development as a potential No. 1 starter who worked with Pedro Martinez in the Dominican Republic throughout the winter. Considering that, extending his contract with him was

a top concern.

Sam Kennedy, the CEO of Fenway Sports Group, announced last month that negotiations were in progress to extend the contracts of a number of young athletes.

“We want to give some of the young guys there a chance to prove themselves so we can invest in them for the future,” he stated.

When talking about the start of contract negotiations with Bello last summer, assistant general manager Eddie Romero made it apparent that the team wanted to work out a long-term agreement with the right-hander.

Romero stated, “He has essentially gone about it the right way and done what he needs to do, what we would want of a young starting pitcher in this organization.” “Obviously, we want to keep him around because he’s a great teammate, has raised the caliber of his repertoire, works extremely hard, and has earned everyone’s respect.”

Bello, who possessed  been in charge until 2028, is currently signed through 2029, and has a 2030 option. After signing the second-largest pre-arbitration deal for a pitcher, Bello, who had been in pre-arbitration, was able to negotiate a six-year, $75 million deal with the Atlanta Braves.

The Red Sox most likely based Bello’s contract on Cincinnati’s agreement with starter Hunter Greene, as Tim Britton of The Athletic pointed out in his predictions for contract extensions. Last April, Greene inked a six-year, $53 million contract.