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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 17: Brayan Bello #66 of the Boston Red Sox returns to the dugout following the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on May 17, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello has had a nightmarish start to 2026. 

In 44 innings and nine games started, the pricey hurler has a grotesque 7.16 ERA and -1.3 Baseball Reference WAR. 

To add insult to recent injury, Bello is in the midst of a six-year, $55 million deal. Boston extended the thought-to-be future ace after a solid 2023 campaign. Since his payday, it’s looked like a careless move by the Red Sox front office. Due to his recent struggles, analysts in Boston have finally started to boil over on Bello. 

NBC Boston Has Some Harsh Words for Bello

“Here’s a spot for you, you know this guy has seen you well, he’s gotten base hits off of you, but it’s first and third, it’s two outs, you’re about to get out of this inning!” 

Those are the words of NBC Boston’s Mike Felger, setting the scene for Bello’s catastrophic two-out offering. 

Felger continues, “And he throws SUCH a meatball. 88 mph, middle-middle, and Austin Riley drills it into the stands. And I said to myself, ‘This guy is freaking gutless, GUTLESS.’ Brayan Bello is gutless. You’re about to get out of the inning. What do you have? And he has nothing. He is ball-less, he is gutless. Now that he doesn’t have the training wheels of an opener, now he’s left to his own devices. He just can’t deliver on it. The guy has no balls, no heart, there is no ‘there’ there with Brayan Bello.” 

Felger’s testimony isn’t the first in Beantown. Fans have grown more and more restless with Bello. His contract, if the recent falloff continues, will join the likes of Nationals’ catcher Keibert Ruiz and Padres’ infielder Jake Cronenworth for one of the worst long-term deals in the sport. 

These lockdown contracts have become a trend in modern baseball. Teams become intimidated by free-market pricing, causing pressure on deals to get done. Bello could be an example of a team jumping the gun. 

During his steady 2023, Bello impressed with an alien-like changeup, high groundball rate, and by limiting free passes. What the Red Sox front office seemed to ignore was the low strikeout rate, lack of an arsenal, and a hard-hit rate that screamed ‘smoke and mirrors!’ 

With so many subtle warning signs, this young hurler may have been a ticking time bomb since he was signed. 

The Red Sox Rotation is Crumbling 

Outside of Bello, the rest of the Sox rotation has been equally as troublesome. 

Garrett Crochet, who was expected to compete for the AL Cy Young, had a 6.30 ERA before landing on the injured list. Before being deemed injured, his fastball velo was down, and he looked as hittable as he ever had in what’s been a dominant career. If Boston wants to get back into the picture, Crochet figuring it out is key. 

Alongside the ace’s stalled start, offseason acquisition Sonny Gray has been solid thus far, but has spent some time on the shelf.

The Red Sox have been very dependent on younger arms, Payton Tolle and Connelly Early. Although both have been serviceable, rookie pitfalls come swiftly. 

Bello was supposed to be the start of a perennially dominant rotation in Boston. Instead, he’s hindered their ability to get off the ground. Decision time might be coming.