The Reds and Red Sox have each announced that right-hander Brian Van Belle has been traded to Cincinnati in exchange for cash considerations. Boston designated Van Belle for assignment earlier this week, and he has now been assigned to Triple-A Louisville.
It has been a busy six days for Van Belle, who joined a big league roster for the first time on Monday when the Sox selected his contract from Triple-A. Van Belle’s cup of coffee in Boston came and went without an official in-game appearance, so the 28-year-old is still awaiting his Major League debut. Since Van Belle has experience as both a starter and a reliever, his first MLB game might well come with the Reds in a number of different roles if the club makes the call to Louisville.
Van Belle began his pro career with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent in 2020, though he almost surely would’ve been selected if that year’s draft hadn’t been shortened to five rounds due to the pandemic. Working his way up to Triple-A Worcester by the 2023 season, Van Belle has a 4.48 ERA, 21.7% strikeout rate, and 6.97% walk rate over 205 career innings at the Triple-A level. He has started 29 of his 55 Triple-A games, working primarily as a reliever in 2024 and getting most of action as a starter in 2023 and 2025.
On paper, Van Belle might fit best in the majors as a multi-inning reliever, though Cincinnati will probably consider him for at least spot-start duty should a need arise within the rotation. Ace Hunter Greene is on the 15-day injured list and seems likely to miss the rest of June while dealing with a groin strain and back/hip tightness, leaving the Reds a bit short on rotation depth now that Wade Miley has joined the starting five in Greene’s place.
A 28 year old suspect is just the kind of dumpster diving these guys love.
Heaven forbid they acquire a real major leaguer for a so called contender.
It’ll be interesting to see what he does, given an actual chance. This article is misleading in focusing on his lump of AAA back to 2023.
In 2025, he’s sported a 2.29 era across 51 innings, with a 1.059 whip, and, only taking a single loss to his credit. He made 8 starts, going 5-1.
This isn’t bottom of the dumpster fodder
As a BOS fan, roster churn moves for things like, especially without any meaningful return, puzzle me.
I feel like the loss of BVB was bad management, and the FO shouldn’t hide behind the usual cliche on how relievers are all “fungible.” It’s quite possible that BVB will be the cost of giving Anthony a short and fruitless stint in the majors when he’s sent down to let Wilyer back onto the 26-man. Van Belle should at least have gotten a shot at a couple of innings–at age 28, he might now be rounding into useful form, making him preferable to Z Kelly (whose entrance into a game signals to me, “Oh, Cora has decided to lose this one”).
And what game should he have been given a chance to pitch in exactly? Monday on a tie game late or in extra innings? Tuesday protecting a 3-1 lead? You think tossing him into either of those just to see what he could do would’ve been proper managing?
The mismanagement was in calling him up, thereby putting him on the 40-man, when there was apparently no need for him (unless there had been a blow-up on the mound, I guess), no immediate use for him, leading to a quick-turnaround exposing him to a claim, which snaked him away for nothing. Meanwhile, he had thrown over 50 innings in AAA that seemed to suggest he was really improving. That was mismanagement.
GaSox – It’s all about having fresh arms available after Cora burns the regulars, nothing more.
Fever, I’d believe it, *if* his arm was ever even used… except it wasn’t.
They let noda walk for nothing, when he was arguably a better upgrade than who the CHW traded for civale. They paid a prospect, granted a-ball, but looked OK for the limited exposure, for a guy who had been shelled this year, and, seems to be less potent than BVB.
I scratch my head a lot these days…
GaSox – Fresh arms are insurance policies, not always needed. Bello pitched halfway through the 7th and Guerrero pitched over 2 innings.
These AAAA pitcher callups are just a way to skirt the 13-pitcher limit.
Fever, who do you think has more promise? The guy who went 5-1 with a low 2s era in AAA, or, the scrub they gave up an actual prospect for who’s got nearly a 9 era this season?
GaSox – I meant to add in my prior post, I don’t necessarily agree with cycling AAAA pitchers on and off the roster like Cora does ….. I’m just explaining why Cora does it ;O)
To answer your question, in this case I’m not in a position to make that decision because I don’t know what the heck was going on in Minnesota with Alcala. When it comes to players from other teams, we just don’t know unless we follow that team. For instance the Pirates “fixed” Chapman midseason last year, I wasn’t aware of it until now.
Normally I wouldn’t be happy acquiring a guy with Alcala’s current numbers, but he was very good last year and seems to be a change of scenery and new voice candidate.
As for Van Belle, he was pretty bad last year (looking at his WHIP) and I can’t help but be skeptical of a guy who has never thrown a pitch in MLB and yet will be 29 in a couple months.. He’s really shown nothing yet to be given a chance in the majors? That’s a concern.
To summarize, I don’t know enough to make an educated decision here …… but in general, I’d rather gamble on a guy who has had recent MLB success than on a guy who is almost 29 and has never thrown a MLB pitch. Success in the minors quite often doesn’t translate to success in the majors.
Sorry I know that’s not what you want to hear! BTW – Hope you’ve been getting some sleep recently, I know how it feels to go without sleep and it really sucks.
No fever, any opinion that someone has a rationale for is always justified and welcome in my book, even if different than my own.
BVB is sort of an oddball case. He came up for draft in the 2020 pandemic draft, which was cut to 5 rounds, and, went untreated but was then signed. And we all know about missed development time as well due to covid issues, etc etc…
So, figure he spent 4 years in the minors making up for that lost season. This past year he has what, around 58 IP, 8 starts, went 5-1 with a 2.2x era, and, iirc, about a 1.059 WHIP.
He was ready for a call-up to see what he could do. Yeah, he’s a late debut, but, that’s as much a fact of the pandemic and how the drafts worked than much else, at least in my thinking.
Ironically, the sox won tonight because they did what Cora doesn’t do. They had a leadoff man on 2nd, busted him to 3rd, and sac flied him home…. which they never do.
And it was the difference between heading for extra innings or winning by one run in the bottom 9th!
GaSox – Yeah we all value datasets differently. I’m not saying my valuing of proven MLB success is right all the time, and sometimes older pitchers do become MLB players. I just don’t know the backstory enough to make an educated opinion on this particular subject. In general, my belief is if a guy has had MLB success in the past then they are capable of having it again unless they are in their 40’s or something.
YES! Cora is definitely changing his approach in many ways. Not only did they manufacture a run like you said, Rafaela even had a bunt attempt! He botched it of course, but at least the attempt was made.
The change is not a surprise to me, Cora has been absolutely hammered every day for months now about his refusal to focus on making contact and advancing runners. Seriously, every day the NESN guys (including Caron, Rice, Pap, Middlebrooks, etc) hammer him about it and the national guys do as well. Last night Smoltz said “teams that win in the postseason sacrifice outs to advance runners”. Let’s see how long Cora continues to ignore the analytics crap.
Did you watch last night’s game? The announcers were saying the late game in KC on Thursday actually caused a TWO DAY drag on the Yankees. I don’t buy it though, there’s no reason why they wouldn’t have gotten a good night’s rest Friday night.
The Yankees lost because of crappy defense and crappy pitching. There were two situations where a Sox runner would have been out at 2B if the Yankees had executed.
Best of all, the winning run (4th) scored because Rodon hit Campbell on the foot with a 2-strike count. Absolutely inexcusable but I’ll gladly take it!!!
I did, and, it was great.
When I saw weissert in the pen at the end of the 8th warming up I said oh *&%@… here we go again. But, he barely managed to get out of it, thankfully. Then I thought back to earlier in the game when a man was on 2nd with no outs, and they didn’t bunt, wishing they had 3 runs cushion instead of 2.
Don’t forget goldschmidt not pulling off the bag to block that throw earlier in the game, there was no excuse for not blocking that ball either saving the error… which… gave us the first run!
GaSox – Yeah I hear ya on Weissert, but could have been worse …. could have been Kelly instead ;O)
Credit where credit is due, the Wilson signing has been just as good as the Narvaez trade.
The Ref double and one of the Story doubles, both would have been easily out if the Yanks hadn’t botched the plays. It’s so nice to talk about OTHER team’s bad defense for a change!!
Funny you mention Goldie, about a month ago I suggested the Yankees trade him before his production plummets ….. of course I was roundly criticized as the Yankee fans were convinced he would continue to have an OPS above .900 but guess what? Since then he’s hitting just .233 with a .672 OPS and since May 30th he’s hitting just .167 with a .534 OPS. TOLD YA SO, YANKEE, FANS!!!
It’s so nice to finally have positive things to talk about ;O)
Speaking of positive …. 2 more doubles for Story and the usual solid defensive play …… as Kool Moe Dee would say, “How ya like me now?” ;O)
Meanwhile Trevor Bauer is still available for the league minimum…
collusion.
just like Bonds who had 28Hrs his final year easily would have been signed if not for baggage. granted baggage is different but result is same
Like Steve Clevenger and Anthony Bass, too.
no surprise you’re taking up for bad people and their terrible behavior lowenstein.
Bauer is a tool. I wouldn’t want him on my team. Ignore the allegations from the bedroom and focus on his videos/casts he recorded and put out there.
It’s not a guy I want in the locker room, with his drama, his attitude. Let him play overseas
That’s fine. But he won a Cy Young in Cincinnati and it’s ridiculous he’s not pitching but they’ll spend money on this clown.
nothing ridiculous about it. I don’t dismiss his bedroom stuff but even beyond that he’s a massive DB plus that cy young happened in 2020 in a shortened season. The majority of his career he was mediocre pitchers whose talent wasn’t good enough to make up for his terrible personality.
AMI – Nothing from 2020 counts, especially Cy Young awards given to pitchers who threw only 73 innings against only Central Division teams most of which were incredibly weak.
2 games vs 23-35 Tigers
3 games vs 29-31 Brewers
1 game vs 26-34 Royals
2 games vs 19-41 Pirates
3 games vs Chicago teams
Who?
AAA depth option
You can’t read?
Brian Van Belle, Major League Baseball pitcher who the Reds acquired from the Red Sox.