Alex Cora Has A Plan To Minimize Brayan Bello’s Impact Before The Trade Deadline (2024)

Yesterday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora quietly passed along a housekeeping update to the media that speaks volumes:

This is a big deal on multiple levels.

First off, it provides a window into where the club feels Bello is right now, which Cora expanded in this NESN article (and the Boston Globe) today.

“A lot (can be done with the time off), “Cora told reporters, per The Boston Globe. “Whether it’s mechanical or mental, just give him a breather. I think that’s the most important thing. There’s a few things that we have recognized that we have to be better at: throwing strikes and staying ahead.”

So on one hand, they have a pitcher here who needs help, and they’re taking the time to try and reset with him. It’s a balanced tone of “there will be consequences if you pitch this poorly” and “we’re going to take some time to invest in your approach and get you back on track.”

However, it’s also an incredibly shrewd move by Cora and his crew on another level. One that underscores how urgent everybody in the clubhouse views these games right now. They not only see themselves fully immersed in the playoff race, but they’re also putting some extra weight on the immediate games coming up on schedule with July being their window to convince the front office to add.

When you pull out the calendar and start crunching the numbers, it becomes obvious how much this seemingly small tweak is actually a huge deal in the “we need to align ourselves as best as possible to win as many games in the next four weeks” department.

By moving Bello back just that one extra slot, they accomplish all of the following:

• More time for him to reset mentally and get in a position where he throws more strikes.
• He now misses the holiday weekend Yankees series.
• His next two starts fall against softer opponents in Miami and Oakland.
• With July 8th being an off day, they have the ability to also push back his Oakland start one extra day so it’s his last before the All Star break.

The last bullet is the real key here, and it explains why this is such a brilliant chess move. If Bello goes out and stinks again against the Marlins on July 3rd, Cora can chiefly cut him out of the rotation between now and the point the front office needs to decide whether they’re going to buy or sell. And they accomplish this without generating a phantom IL stint or embarrassing Bello by sending him to Triple-A.

Here is the full breakdown of how it would work with the upcoming schedule. The table below details the opponents and starters in a scenario where Bello pitches poorly again on July 3rd, and they move his next start back one extra day again against the A’s:

(It also assumes Houck will pitch in the All Star game because that seems extremely likely to happen at this point)

In other words, without needing to use anybody else on short rest, the Sox only have to start Bello twice between now and July 23rd, and those two games will be against two of the worst teams in the league.

This is the stuff Cora is really, really good at, and one of the many reasons you want a guy like him as the manager. The Sox are entering a stretch that’s filled with off days and then the All Star break, and Cora seems destined to use that to his advantage and manage it like its his own personal October. (I suspect we’re going to see some incredibly aggressive bullpen usage in these games as well if they’re close.)

It’s possible that these next four weeks could even set off a domino effect of not only buy or sell at the deadline, but ultimately put weight into whether or not Cora is interested in staying here long-term. Either way, the team is approaching a very significant crossroads between now and the end of July, and it appears the roster is being aligned as aggressively as possible to tip the scales in favor of buying. It’s both fascinating to watch unfold, and frustrating to realize Bello isn’t going to play much of a part in it.