What Does Brayan Bello’s World Baseball Classic Permission Slip Say About His Future in Boston?

On Sunday, World Baseball Classic reporter Shawn Spradling posted on X that Red Sox righty Brayan Bello has been given permission by Boston to participate in the upcoming international tournament.

Bello is just the latest of a growing list of Red Sox players who have been connected to the WBC in some capacity - whether that was as some who will be playing or someone who wouldn’t be.

Here’s the list, as of publishing:

IN:

- Wilyer Abreu (Venezuela)
- Brayan Bello (Dominican Republic)
- Jarren Duran (Mexico)
- Ceddanne Rafaela (Netherlands)
- Garrett Whitlock (United States)

OUT:

- Roman Anthony (Italy/United States)
- Garrett Crochet (United States)

MAYBE:

- Aroldis Chapman (Great Britain)
- Masataka Yoshida (Japan)

This news for Bello comes just five days after an interesting report from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, who said Boston has discussed a trade with the Cardinals for infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan, and a rival executive believes the Red Sox have “quietly shopped” right-hander Bello, suggesting the Red Sox are still exploring multiple ways to improve.

Interest in Donovan is in line with two recent trades between the Red Sox and St. Louis, a partnership that has shaped Boston’s offseason.

In November, the Cardinals sent Sonny Gray to Boston for Brandon Clarke and Richard Fitts.

More recently, Boston acquired Willson Contreras for Hunter Dobbins, Yoanis Fajardo, and Blake Aita.

Given recent history, it’s not surprising to see the Cardinals and Red Sox circling one another again - especially with Boston still looking to solidify its infield picture, on top of the fact that they’re now being run by former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom.

Like him or not, he’s extremely familiar with the organization, top to bottom.

Donovan, 28, is coming off his first All-Star season, slashing .287/.353/.422 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI across 118 games. His versatility and on-base ability make him an attractive fit for a Red Sox roster searching for stability at several infield spots. With that said, Rosenthal and Sammon wrote that trading for Donovan would likely require the Red Sox to give up more significant assets than they did for Gray or Contreras, and note that no deal is close.

Does that mean moving someone like Payton Tolle or Connelly Early? Is the addition of Donovan, a huge upgrade offensively who also helps you defensively, make moving the upside of one of those two young arms with tons of upside worth it?

Or, does it mean moving someone like Bello - once carrying the same type of hype and prestige that Early and Tolle are carrying as we speak.

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The report adding the wrinkle of Bello’s name being quietly shopped adds an element to this offseason that has not been completely explored just yet by the media that covers the team on a daily basis. Rosenthal and Sammon note that Bello’s name comes up when teams inquire about Boston’s young pitching, with his contract seen as a major asset.

With that nugget, you are about to see story after story about Bello as a trade asset moving forward…

…like this story right here!

The 26-year-old right-hander is owed $50.5 million over the next four seasons, with a $21 million club option for 2030 - a team-friendly structure for a pitcher, in theory, entering his prime.

Bello is coming off the strongest season of his career, posting a 3.35 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, with 124 strikeouts across 29 appearances, good for 2.4 WAR.

Is this the start of Bello realizing his full potential, or did the Red Sox benefit from a prolonged hot streak from a player who has been consistently inconsistent since entering the majors in 2022?

And does Boston giving Bello the greenlight to participate in the WBC signal that Bello is being dangled as a trade chip? Does Boston see this as an opportunity to showcase him? Does this mean they’re not concerned with his pitch count for 2026, since they realize he’s not going to be their problem anymore?

While there’s no sign a Bello trade is imminent, his inclusion in talks highlights Boston’s effort to improve now without sacrificing its controllable pitching foundation. And if you’re willing to take it one leap further, Bello’s getting the ‘OK’ from Breslow and Co. could be further confirmation that his time calling Boston home could be limited.

With Boston’s reported interest in Ketel Marte cooling after acquiring Contreras, Donovan emerges as another intriguing, albeit complex option.

Whether a deal happens is unclear, but Boston’s offseason remains active.

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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.