The Boston Red Sox are a surging team in Major League Baseball, as they’ve won seven consecutive games and are firmly in the American League playoff picture.
After a trade deadline that drew a lot of doubts from critics on Boston’s “lack of moves”, the front office clearly has a vision of this currently constructed roster, which features a lot of young talent, a pitching staff led by a true ace in Garrett Crochet, and a solid bullpen. The Red Sox haven’t made the playoffs since 2021, but are aiming to play in October in a couple of months, and the front office just made a huge move towards solidifying their contention over the next several years.
Red Sox Sign Roman Anthony to Multi-Year Extension
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Boston Red Sox are finalizing a contract extension with Romany Anthony that is reportedly an eight-year, $130 million deal that will start during the 2026 season, which gives the Red Sox team control until 2034.
Passan also reports that the Anthony deal has “significant escalators”, which could bring the value of the contract to nearly $230 million. This likely means the more accolades Anthony racks up (All-Stars, Silver Sluggers, MVPs), the incentives in his contract will give out a healthy payday.
The 21-year-old Anthony is just a rookie, and amid his first half-season in MLB. He’s played only 46 games this season and has provided a spark to this Red Sox offense that struggled in early May into June with the absence of Alex Bregman, Trevor Story slumping, and Kristian Campbell eventually being sent down. Anthony himself struggled a tad at the start, but he has seemed to figure some things out and has found more success at the plate.
In those 46 games this season, he is now hitting .283 with 15 doubles, 26 walks, and an OPS of .828. Before being called up, Anthony was the clear-cut No.1 overall prospect in baseball, and while he may not win the American League Rookie of the Year due to not playing enough games and the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz power explosion, the Red Sox got their guy for the future.
What Roman Anthony’s Deal Means for the Red Sox Future
Anthony is one of the “big-three” trio of prospects that the Boston Red Sox were extremely high on as they made their way through the Boston farm system. The other two are Campbell and Marcelo Mayer. Campbell made his MLB debut on Opening Day and had a strong opening month, but struggled mightily after that. He got sent down to the minors and has been working on playing first base, so he could be the organization’s future at that position.
Mayer has also seen a handful of games with the Red Sox this season, but he has been out of the lineup since July 23rd with a wrist injury. Mayer is hitting .228 with four home runs in 127 at-bats with the Red Sox this season.
This Anthony extension is huge for the Red Sox’s future, which essentially ensures that they will likely compete for the playoffs and potentially the World Series for years to come.
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