Some good news has emerged from the Boston Red Sox' offseason.
The Red Sox have agreed to a six-year, $55 million contract extension with right-hander Brayan Bello that includes a seventh-year club option for $21 million, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel reports. The team announced the deal Thursday evening.
This has the potential to be a great deal for the Red Sox, who will pay one of their most promising young pitchers an average of $9.2 million through 2029 and have Bello under team control through 2030.
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Bello has had an up-and-down start to his MLB career, posting a 14-19 record with a 4.37 ERA through 41 starts in two seasons. The 24-year-old Dominican Republic native has tantalizing upside, however: He struck out five or more batters in 15 of his 28 starts last season and has drawn rave reviews from Hall of Famer and former Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez.
The Red Sox have let several homegrown stars walk in recent years -- most notably Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts -- but aren't taking the same chance with Bello, who could be Boston's Opening Day starter if the team doesn't sign another pitcher in free agency.