Perfect timing: Bello in native DR for contract announcement

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- For emerging Red Sox ace Brayan Bello, the cause of the occasion on Saturday afternoon -- the formal announcement of a six-year, $55 million contract with an option for a seventh year -- was already momentous enough.

The 24-year-old, who has designs on being a front-line starter for the Red Sox through at least 2030, received an extension that will be life-altering for his family.

But the fact Bello was able to soak in this moment in his home country, and roughly four hours from where he grew up in Samaná, made it perhaps the most memorable day of his baseball life to date.

As fortune would have it, the Red Sox and Rays are playing two exhibition games in Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal on Saturday and Sunday. The contract was finalized a couple of days prior, just before Bello and the Red Sox left Fort Myers, Fla.

The timing? Absolutely perfect.

“I’m super happy and super grateful to be able to do this here in front of my family and friends,” Bello said through interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez. “I hope you can tell from my face, but I’m very happy [about this contract], and I can tell you, I’m very happy to [formalize] it here.”

In a cramped interview room, Bello couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he looked around and saw his father, his partner, his daughter, his younger brother, several of his best friends and a cousin as part of a contingent that included 15 to 20 people.

Then there was his second family, the Red Sox. The entire traveling party, including the current roster, the legendary David Ortiz, the front office and the coaching staff were also there to celebrate with him.

“Brayan embodies everything that we value at the Boston Red Sox,” said Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. “He is a model teammate. He is a tireless worker who seems to get better every single day. He's got a humility and curiosity and an open mind. And above all else, he has a passion and joy and a love for this game and for this organization.

“And that is why we are so excited to see Brayan in a Red Sox uniform well into the future. And we could not think of a more fitting way to acknowledge this day than in front of Brayan’s friends and family and in his home country.”

The ink was barely dry on the new pact, and Bello was already thinking of all the things he would do to earn it.

“So my next goals are just to stay healthy, to be ready for my team,” Bello said. “Obviously you have some goals [for the future], such as be a Cy Young winner, be an All-Star. And down the line, win 20 games or more and hopefully be a Hall of Famer. So those are goals that are always on my mind, and I’m working hard for that.”

Bello cited two former Red Sox pitchers as keys to getting him to the point where he could receive this extension. The first? Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, who has held private tutoring sessions on the mound at his home for his protege the past couple of offseasons. The second? Nathan Eovaldi, who was the ace of Boston’s staff in Bello’s rookie season of 2022.

“Pedro is teaching me how to pitch, but Eovaldi showed me the confidence of how to be confident on the mound, but also how to translate the information I get onto the field,” Bello said.

One person Bello is going to take the field with for years to come is fellow Samaná product Rafael Devers, the star slugger who is signed with Boston through 2033. Count Devers among the happiest to see Bello secure his new deal.

How good does Devers think Bello can be?

“I’m not comparing them, and I didn’t see Pedro pitch much, but I feel like he has that natural swag, that natural presence on the mound that can’t compare with anybody else,” Devers said. “It’s natural. So I’m proud -- very proud of him. The way that he walks, the way he pitches, I feel like every time he pitches, I’m watching Pedro Martinez.”

As for what Bello wants to accomplish this season, he left a room full of people guessing.

“This year, I’m not going to tell my goals just yet, but if I'm able to be successful on that goal, I'll say it at the end of the year,” said Bello. “I know that I need to keep improving. I need to keep getting better. I know this is a big step for me in my career, but at the end of the day, I know that I have a long way to go and I have a lot more to give.”