Back in spring training when the Red Sox initially approached Roman Anthony about the possibility of signing a long-term extension, the club’s top prospect wasn’t sure he was ready to make that kind of commitment to a place he hadn’t yet gotten to really know.
But now, even just two months into his big league career, Anthony knows Boston is where he wants to be.
The Red Sox announced Wednesday that they’ve signed the 21-year-old outfielder to an eight-year extension that will keep Anthony in Boston throughout the next decade. The deal will take effect next year and covers the 2026-33 seasons, and it also includes a club option for 2034.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who initially broke the news, the deal is worth $130 million and includes significant performance escalators that could take the maximum value of the deal to $230 million.
Speaking to the media following the deal’s announcement, Anthony said the deal came together quickly and that his experience in Boston since his MLB debut convinced him to commit his future to the Red Sox.
“I wanted to be here, it was as simple as that. I wanted to be in Boston,” Anthony said. “Winning in Boston is different and I haven’t won anything yet, but for me over these last two months, the baseball we’re playing, the fans, the way they show up every night, it’s amazing. It’s a place like no other and for me it was simple, I just wanted to be here, I wanted to play baseball in Boston for a long time.”
Originally drafted No. 79 overall in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft, Anthony rocketed up through the minors and reached the big leagues as baseball’s consensus No. 1 prospect. He’s lived up to that billing since making his MLB debut on June 9, entering Wednesday batting .283 with two home runs, 19 RBI, an .828 OPS and 1.8 wins above replacement through his first 46 career games.
His promotion also roughly coincides with the point at which the Red Sox took off following a disappointing start. Since his call-up the club was 32-16 entering Wednesday night’s game.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Anthony’s early-career performance has been “special” and that he’s exactly the type of player the club hopes to build around for years to come.
“I think we’ve talked a lot over the last couple of months about this athletic, dynamic team that we’re looking to build, and Roman suits that perfectly,” Breslow said. “And if you look at the success the team has enjoyed, that kind of lines up almost perfectly with his debut, I think you start to see a clearer picture of the impact he’s had.”
Breslow said they opened extension discussions with Anthony as soon as the trade deadline passed and that their goal was to get things done quickly in order to avoid creating a distraction among the team. Anthony said he kept things close to the vest, but he knew early on that he wanted to sign and there wasn’t any sense in putting things off any longer than necessary.
“They sent an offer over and for me as a player and as a person, with my family and agency, this is a place I want to be, there’s no doubt about it,” Anthony said. “So when the offer came through it was something I wanted to move quick on and there was no doubt this is where I wanted to play baseball for a long time.”
Breslow echoed those sentiments.
“This was someone we were willing to invest in and so when it got to the point where we had to make this effort, it was either going to work or it wasn’t,” Breslow said, “and it was going to happen pretty quickly so it didn’t become a distraction on the field, and I think that’s where we ended up.”
Anthony is now the latest and most important young player the Red Sox have locked up to a long-term extension over the past two years, following earlier deals with right-hander Brayan Bello (six years, $55 million), outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (eight years, $50 million), infielder Kristian Campbell (eight years, $60 million) and left-hander Garrett Crochet (six years, $170 million).
Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy said extending the club’s young cornerstones has been a top organizational priority over the past few years, and after a difficult stretch that saw the departure of Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts in free agency and a revolving door of players amid the club’s recent rebuild, he’s excited to see the club’s new core finally begin to emerge.
“It’s a really exciting time to be a Red Sox fan, and it’s ok to fall in love with our stars, recognizing that a lot of these guys are going to be around for a long time,” Kennedy said. “It’s been an affirmative goal of Bres and his team to lock up the key members of the organization, especially those who value playing in Boston in front of the best, most passionate fanbase.”
For his part, Anthony is thrilled to be a part of the club’s long-term future.
“It’s truly a special place to play,” Anthony said. “I couldn’t be more excited for this and I couldn’t be more thankful for everyone in this room and everyone who helped me get here today.”
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